Yeah, right. A sideman/bass player to be the ROTW? Believe it! Sam Jones is best known, if known at all, for his stint with Cannonball Adderley’s Quintet way back when. He played both bass and cello, and somehow he put…
Category: Ringer of the Week
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Mario Adnet: Um Olhar Sobre
Digging into the songbook of famed composer Heitor Villa Lobos, Mario Adnet comes up with gold on this wondrous mix of voice, orchestra and intimate instruments. The warm and full bodied mix of strings and brass can be as impressionistically…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Fred Hersch and Julian Lage: Free Flying
What is it about Fred Hersch?!? It seems like every time the pianist puts something out, it’s a) different than what he’s done before and b) ends up on my RINGER OF THE WEEK list. The guy’s done it again!…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****MOST IMPORTANT LIVING ALTO PLAYER? Kenny Garrett: Pushing the World Away
Since changing labels to Mack Avenue, Kenny Garrett has been having a musical, and possibly spiritual, renaissance. Is it possible to separate the two anyway? Since being one of the “young lions” back in the 80s, he’s been on an…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Alexis Cuadrado: A Lorca Soundscape
Usually, I pick a Ringer of the Week because it is the “best” album I’ve heard, but this time I’m picking this one by bassist Alexis Cuadrado because it is the most fascinating. He brings together a first rate band…
OUR BEST MALE SINGER??? Gregory Porter: Liquid Spirit
The first time I heard Gregory Porter (on his debut disc) I thought he was some obscure old timer from the 70s who was making one last jazz record to show the 21st Century what it’s been missing. Little did…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK***Scott Neumann’s Neu3 Trio: Blessed
Many aspire, but few attain. That holds not only for salvation, but for putting together a tenor trio recording. Drummer Scott Neuman attempts the climb from the North Side of the Mountain, leading a band from behind with Michael Blake,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Billy Bang: Da Bang!
This Feb 2011 session was the last record that violinist Billy Bang did before finally succumbing to cancer, and if you permit, he definitely went out with a bang. He was usually associated with the avant garde, but each time…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Jimmy Amadie Trio: Live! At the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Fighter in and out of the ring (he’s battling Cancer), pianist Jimmy Amadie performs where Rocky Balboa made his famous run up the steps, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This rare glimpse to catch the Philly legend was recorded…
****BEST VOCALIST STILL ALIVE? RINGER OF THE WEEK****Mark Murphy: The Complete Decca Recordings
Mark Murphy has to be one of the most influential if not one of the least known jazz vocalists. Just about everyone that is out there these days has been touched by the style, attitude and delivery of this guy…