Here’s a sparkling fresh collection of material put together by pianist Linda Presgrave, who wrote and arranged these eleven songs that are divided among three fragrant suites. She leads a basic core trio of Harvie S/b and Allison Miller/dr-perc who…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Jim Norton Collective: Time Remembered-Compositions of Bill Evans
While this collection represents a tribute to Bill Evans’ compositions, Jim Norton could easily have subtitled this as a remembrance of another Evans, Gil. The woodwind/bandleader here focuses on the famed pianists work as a writer, but Norgon brings together…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Spok Frevo Orquestra: Ninho de Vespa
This music is NUTS! And I LOVE IT! The title of the album literally means “Wasps’ Nest” and that is not only the description of the sound, but of the energy that is emitted from this lead and arranged by…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Marcus Goldhaber: A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening
This is the about the third album I’ve heard by vocalist Marcus Goldhaber, and each one is a joy. First, he writes a lot of his own material, and it’s all clever, thoughtful, lyrical and swinging. Second, he’s got a…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Yom: Le Silence de L’Exode
Gotta trust me on this one. Yom is a clarinetist who plays the earthier “G” (as opposed to the more normal Bb) clarinet along with bassist Claude Tchamithcian, cellist Farid D and Bijan Chemirani, who takes on a slew of…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Omer Avital: New Song
As Art Blakey once said, “All jazz music is dance music.” Bassist/composer Omer Avital takes that proverb to task as he brings dance music from his native Israel and mixes it perfectly with jazz on this latest album with Avishai…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****The Urban Renewal Project: Local Legend
I really didn’t think people were capable of making albums like this anymore. What you’ve got here is a mix of old school soul a la Stax Records or the Funk Brothers, some incredible vocal duets, and yet a dash…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Melissa Stylianou: No Regrets
First, a disclaimer: I’m Greek. My wife says that disqualifies me from critiquing an album by a Greek because “You’d love it even if it were terrible, just because she’s Greek.” Then, I’d hear the rant about how Greeks think…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Dayna Stephens: Peace
You’d think a ballads album would be easy to do, wouldn’t you? Just play the mellow theme, and show some heart. So, how come so few sax players can do it? Dayna Stephens pulls of the trick perfectly. He switches…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Ahmad Jamal featuring Yusef Lateef: Live At The Olympia
This 2cd/dvd capsule of pianist Ahmad Jamal with Yusef Lateef confirms my theory about jazz artists. Unlike artists from classical music or rock, jazz musicians get better and better as they age, adding soul and veritas to their sound and…