Leave it to Europeans to capture the sound of America. Trumpeter Mathias Eick brings together Gjermund Larsen/vio, Jon Balke/p, Mats Eilertsen/b and Heige Norbakken/perc for a collection of originals that takes you through The Badlands and Custer National Park all…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Gillian Margot: Black Butterfly
Record albums are usually invitations to see the artist in concert, but in my case, I happened to hear vocalist Margot sing recently and was so impressed I had to check out to see if she sounded as attractive in…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****John Yao and His 17-Piece Instrument: Flip Flop
If you’re a big band fan, you’re in for a treat on this session by composer, conductor and trombone player John Yao. As heleads a pistol packing big band through ten flavorfully swinging charts. He must have grown up watching…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****FLORIAN ROSS QUINTET: Lines & Crosscurrents
Florian Ross uses his skills at composing, arranging and playing the piano and synthesizer while he leads a team through one of the most clever, original and enjoyable albums in memory. He brings together Niels Klien/cl-ts, Markus Segschneider//g-pedal, David Helm/b…
****ROTW****A 10 YEAR OLD REMEMBRANCE…Dee Dee Bridgewater & Irvin Mayfield: Dee Dee’s Feathers
Yes, it’s been ten years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Like the defiant city itself is Dee Dee Bridgewater, who smiles throughout this tribute to the Crescent City along with Irvin Mayfield & The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. All…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Joe Alterman: Georgia Sunset
This album is subtitled “The exciting, swinging piano music of…” and with a gauntlet thrown down like that, pianist Joe Alterman has some work ahead of him. He more than lives up to the brand, as he tems up with…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK***Bill Evans: The Complete Fantasy Recordings
One of the great things about legendary pianist Bill Evans is that it’s easy to break down his career in terms of record labels. He “made his name” on Riverside, became a household name on Verve and then ended his…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Mark Weinstein: In Jerusalem
Multi-flutest Mark Weinstein has made out an impressive career by creating a large catalogue of Latin and Brazilian music. This time around, he moves to a different neighborhood by taking on the Great Jewish Songbook, a collecton of traditional Hasidic melodies…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Lauren Henderson: A La Madrugada
This one is going to catch you by surprise. As far as I can tell, this is the second album by Lauren Henderson, and it makes me want to find the first one. It’s a honey! She has a Latin…
YESTERDAYS AVANT GARDE IS TODAY’S UP TO DATE…George Russell: Complete 1956-1960 Smalltet & Orchestra Recordings, George Russell: Sextet & Septet Complete 1960-1962 Decca & Riverside Album Collection
While he did play the piano, George Russell is best known as a free thinking composer and arranger who changed the direction of jazz by using various “unorthodox” chordal patterns in his songs, setting the stage for the modal revolution…