Oded Tzur Isabela ECM Israeli-born and raised New York City based saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator Oded Tzur issues his fourth album and second for the ECM label with Isabela, his follow-up to Here Be Dragons. Tzur’s sound on the saxophone is unlike anyone else. That’s because he marries Indian Classical music with jazz and developed a […]
Zero Naught Again Omnivore Not being familiar with the band Zero, a quick scan of the personnel revealed all one needs to know. Surely Deadheads and Jerry Garcia fans know Robert Hunter, Vince Welnick, and John Kahn. The names of the co-founders, guitarist Steve Kimmock and drummer Greg Anton should be familiar too as well […]
Big Jack Johnson Stripped Down in Memphis M.C. Big Jack Johnson, guitarist/songwriter/vocalist was one of the few bluesmen from Clarksdale, MS who stayed home. He never migrated north like Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, and John Lee Hooker. Stripped Down in Memphis is a posthumous release of acoustic blues, pairing the legendary bluesman with harmonica master […]
Hendrik Meurkens and the WDR Big Band Samba Jazz Odyssey Zoho Pairing the smallest instrument, a harmonica as the featured lead with a 17-piece big band is paradoxical to begin with. Throw in the notion that the harmonicist, the practically iconic Henrik Meurkens delivers his Latin jazz compositions, a genre that rarely features the instrument, […]
Joey Alexander Origin Mack Avenue Rising jazz pianist, the Indonesian, Joey Alexander has already achieved three GRAMMY® nominations, performed from the Obama White House to the Grand Ole Opry to most recently, the floor of the United Nations and the child prodigy is still three years shy of legal drinking age. Origin, his debut for […]
Christina Vane Make Myself Me Again Red Parlor Make Myself Me Again is the follow-up for resonator-playing, foot-stomping Cristina Vane who made her auspicious debut in 2021 with Nowhere Sounds Lovely. While blues was an essential focus of the debut, Vane revealed her affection for mountain music, folk music, and even western waltzes. Having moved […]
Erik Friedlander A Queen’s Firefly Skiptone If the instrumental configuration of cello, piano, bass, and drums doesn’t wow you from the outset, you will feel quite differently after hearing this inventive, often exhilarating music led by cellist Erik Friedlander and his quartet named The Throw comprised of elite Downtown players who are all bandleaders– Uri […]
Peter Manning Robinson Celestial Candy Owl Walk So, you haven’t heard anything new in music lately? Welcome to a totally unique sound from multiple award-winning composer and pianist Peter Manning Robinson. In fact, we’ll have to expand his job title once we mention that he is the inventor of The Refractor Piano™ a new way […]
Gina Sicilia Unchange VizzTone Superb vocalists have little trouble crossing genres. Gina Sicilia established her career as blues singer, flirted with Americana having moved to Nashville, and is now trying her hand at gospel as she returns to where she started, on the VizzTone label. This is anything but a casual experiment however, as Sicilia […]
CeCe Gable Next Year’s Song Self-released When a jazz vocalist gets an endorsement from Sheila Jordan and when that same singer gathers a first-rate group of accompanists, all bandleaders themselves, you know that the recording is bound to be special. Such is the case for CeCe Gable, a late bloomer with a youthful sounding voice, […]
