Anthony Fung Fo(u)rth Self-released Canadian, now Californian-based drummer Anthony Fung grabs your attention with his album title even before hearing the first note. The insertion of the parenthetical ‘u’ rather obviously denotes that it’s his fourth album as a leader, yet ‘forth” owes to the advice bestowed on him by the late drummer Ralph Peterson […]
Michael Dease Swing Low Posi-Tone This writer was initially puzzled to see trombonist Altin Sencalar on a small combo album by the award-winning trombonist Michael Dease but when viewing the album cover that has Dease cradling a baritone saxophone, I began to better understand this latest effort, Swing Low. We call Dease lots of things […]
Bobby Zankel/Wonderful Sound 8 A Change of Destiny Mahakala For many of you this is your introduction to Philly saxophonist and composer Bobby Zankel. Yet even those familiar with Zankel are likely not familiar with the story he tells on A Change of Destiny. Let’s take them one at a time. Zankel spent the better […]
Slowly Rolling Camera Flow Edition Flow is the digital only release that follows Slowly Rolling Camera’s (SCR) 2021 Where the Streets Lead. The band hails from Wales and is now nearing their tenth year of recording where they blend jazz forms, some neo soul, trip hop, and electronica. A reference point could be Gogo Penguin but […]
Dave Keller It’s Time to Shine Tastee Tone In previous reviews of Vermonter soul/blues artist Dave Keller, this writer recalls a quote from Keller about preferring to be a big fish in a small pond than an artist competing with many in the same locale. Do you know any other national blues artists from Vermont? […]
Brad Turner Quintet The Magnificent Cellar Music The title seems to be hyperbolic but is not a term describing the leader of the Brad Turner Quintet. Instead, it references the great trumpeter, bandleader and composer Thad Jones, and specifically his 1956 recording The Magnificent Thad Jones. The title track does just that. The label Cellar Music, […]
Heather Lynne Horton Get Me to a Nunnery Pauper Sky Singer-songwriter Heather Lynne Horton delivers the richly ethereal Get Me to a Nunnery, transporting us to some otherworldly place that seems cushioned by clouds and sounds that echo well beyond mere earthly realms. It’s a sound forged by her violin, layered voices, and the keyboards […]
Jeff Coffin – Jordan Perlson – Viktor Krauss Coffin/Perlson/Krauss Ear Up Records The prolific saxophonist and composer Jeff Coffin is back, this time with a chordless trio featuring his longtime drumming colleague Jordan Perlson and Nashville multi-genre first call bassist Viktor Krauss for nine tracks, to which each contributed. The trio recorded at Krauss’ home studio, […]
Veronica Swift Veronica Swift Mack Avenue To say vocalist Veronica Swift moves beyond jazz on her third album is a vast understatement. In her self-described ‘transgenre,’ self-titled album the range of artists and styled covered is beyond mere comprehensive in words alone, until one begins listening to find a surprising cohesiveness among tracks nodding to […]
Nick Wade Feeling Good Is Good Enough ESP It’s not often that a younger bluesman comes along, steeped in the country Delta blues. Enter Nick Wade, who has received a glowing endorsement from Guy Davis and Corey Harris, and surely many others who don’t grace the liner notes. Guy Davis says, “…a young cat with […]
Jerome Sabbagh Quartet Vintage Sunnyside As the title and cover art suggest, tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh invokes tradition on the first album he’s ever recorded with a pianist. In fact, Sabbagh chose this supporting trio with utmost taste, tapping pianist NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Johnathan Blake to record a […]
Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps Rose-Colored Glasses Vol. 2 Blue Heart The highly decorated Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps are on a roll. They return with Rose-Colored Glasses Vol. 2, going for three in a row. The hot streak began with 2019’s Grammy-nominated Here in Babylon, followed by the first installment of Rose-Colored […]
Carlos Henriquez A Nuyorican’s Tale Tiger Turn To begin, this writer has just a wee bit of egg on his face for the first part of this sentence in the review of Carlos Henriquez’s The South Bronx Story that read as follows – “This project will never reach {West Side Story’s”} lofty stature but is more […]
Lee Oskar She Said Mahalo Dreams We Share She Said Mahalo is harmonica legend, Lee Oskar’s more lighthearted, uplifting follow-up to his stunning career tour-de-force, 2022’s Never Forget, covered on these pages. This one is similar in Oskar’s melodic lines that often front fairly large ensembles, creating cinematic, expansive sonic palettes. If you’re thinking of […]
Maddie Vogler While We Have Time Origin While We Have Time is the debut for alto saxophonist, composer, and educator Chicago-based Maggie Vogler. Vogler hails from Cuban heritage and a few of those strains are heard in this uplifting set of original tunes. Vogler performs with a Chicago-based quintet/sextet featuring her mentor and now label […]
Itamar Borochov Arba Greenleaf Music Arba, which in Hebrew means ‘four,” marks the number of albums issued by New York-based trumpeter, composer, and vocalist Itamar Borochov. Perhaps just as importantly it marks his debut for Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf Music. There are a couple of other firsts as well as Borochov sings here and almost exclusively […]
Geof Bradfield, Richard D. Johnson, John Tate and Samuel Jewell Our Heroes AFAR Music In democratic fashion, the names of all four quartet members appear, yet the leader here is label owner and pianist Richard D. Johnson, who has helmed a series of themed collaborative projects. This one, Our Heroes, pays tribute to important jazz […]
Mike Boone Enjoying the View Self-released In the spirit of an independent release, the backbone of this magazine, we present bassist/composer/vocalist Mike Boone, a vital contributor to the Philadelphia jazz community since the early ‘80s. Enjoying the View is Boone’s eighth release as a leader, and it defies many of the so-called conventions. It does […]
Will Bernard & Beth Custer SKY Dreck-to-Disk Guitarist and composer Will Bernard should be a familiar name to readers of these pages as we’ve covered him on straight-ahead trio, organ trio, and ensemble releases for Posi-Tone, and his 2022 exploratory effort Pond Life. The ever-adventurous Bernard now goes in yet a different direction, with his […]
Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band Cry Me a River Alma The Cuban Canadian composer and pianist Hilario Duran delivers his first big band project in 17 years with Cry Me a River. He leads a 19-piece ensemble and features special guests Paquito D’ Rivera, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, and the Toronto-based duo […]
Jim Campilongo & Steve Cardenas New Year Sunnyside Jim Campilongo and Steve Cardenas are two longtime friends and guitarists, who, although playing as a tandem for twenty years, had never had the opportunity to record together until now. That makes it a momentous celebratory occasion, worthy of the album title, New Year. Readers of these […]
Jason Moran – Marcus Gilmore – BlankFor.ms Refract Red Hook Over the past decade, Jason Moran, whether leading his own ensembles or trios; or paired with Archie Shepp or Charles Lloyd, has been one of the leading piano voices in jazz. He also serves as the Artistic Director for Jazz at The Kennedy Center in […]
Dan Levinson Celebrating Bix! Turtle Bay Records In one sense this feels like a continuation of the story we brought you about Gennett Records this past June where the Buselli/Wallarab Jazz Orchestra delivered the 2-CD set The Gennett Suite, the second part of which featured mostly to the music of cornetist and premier jazz soloist […]
Christian Dillingham Cascades Greenleaf Music Bassist and composer Christian Dillingham debuts on Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf Music, a testament to the quality of Dillingham’s music, and his first jazz album as a leader. Dillingham has a gospel, classical, and pop background as a sideman having appeared on jazz albums by Greg Ward, gospel with Kirk Franklin, […]
The Christopher Dean Band w/ “Chicago” Carl Snyder Need a Friend Lost World Music If not mistaken, Need a Friend is the fifth album for guitarist/singer-songwriter Christopher Dean on “Chicago” Carl Snyder’s Lost World Music label. Dean has been touring steadily with his own combo for close to thirty years while “Chicago” Carl Snyder has […]
Madd for Tadd (Kent Engelhardt & Stephen Enos) Central Avenue Swing and Our Delight (2 CD set) Tighten Up The first order of business is to explain the various heading here. Madd for Tadd is a 15-piece big band co-led by saxophonist Kent Engelhardt and trumpeter Stephen Enos, devoted to the music of legendary jazz […]
Brandon Sanders Compton’s Finest Savant The adage “it’s never too late” fits drummer Brandon Sanders who at age 52 is making his recording debut after playing drums for the better part of three decades. Though the title may suggest otherwise, Sanders is based in New York and has a ‘day job’ as a social worker, […]
Hiss Golden Messenger Jump for Joy Merge Jump for Joy is the tenth album for the North Carolina-based Hiss Golden Messenger (HGM), led by frontman and singer-songwriter M.C. Taylor. The band first hit the scene in 2009 and have been consistent since, delivering their trademark mix of folk, pop, and modern-day cosmic country. Over the […]
Richard Baratta Off the Charts Savant We’ve covered film producer and drummer Richard Baratta’s previous two releases here that were both focused on movie music compositions. On Off the Charts he casts aside that successful formula in favor of music that inspired him while growing up. Instead of choosing highly recognizable fare however, he instead, […]
Various Artists Shorter Moments – Citizen Wayne Posi-Tone This March we covered Shorter Moments–Exploring the World of Wayne, a Posi-Tone release of various artists interpreting the late Wayne Shorter’s ballads. It was their second tribute to the iconic jazz composer. Now the third and final tribute arrives just the documentary, Zero Gravity, arrives on August […]
Maci Miller Nine Self-released The natural inclination when one sees the Philadelphia-based jazz vocalist Maci Miller’s album title is to think that it is her ninth recording. While it’s only her second, there is plenty of meaning behind the title as she assures us in her liner notes. There are nine songs, nine musicians, and […]
Willie Morris Conversation Starter Posi-Tone While you may have seen the name Willie Morris gracing Posi-Tone releases such as those of Josh Lawrence and Something Blue, Conversation Starter is the saxophonist and composer’s debut as a leader. Hailing from St. Louis, Morris has studied at Eastern Illinois University and at Julliard where he learned from […]
The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio The Long Haul Self-released Singer-songwriter Mike Jacoby has moved away from his multi-instrumental solo act that’s sustained him through his last three albums, in favor of a trio. This is not a ‘power trio’ in the context of a blues-rock act; but simply a way to generate musician interaction, thereby […]
Mitch Woods Friends Along the Way Club 88 When one views this double-CD project from pianist and vocalist Mitch Woods, with its abundance of blues artists, the immediate reaction is that this must be a career accumulation of sessions, as the title says, “along the way” and that it seems like an artifact of the […]
Maia Sharp Reckless Thoughts Self-released Maia Sharp has been writing songs for 25 years, some for her own albums and others for artists such as Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, Lisa Loeb, Trisha Yearwood, Art Garfunkel, Cher, Edwin McCain, Terri Clark, and many more in her genre agnostic – hard-to-pin-down approach which she has carried into […]
Ember August in March Imani We covered alto saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis’ stunning 2022 Heat Map on these pages as well as bassist Noah Garabedian’s 2022 Consider the Stars. Yet, this is our introduction to the trio Ember, comprised of both Curtis, Garabedian, and drummer Vincent Sperrazza, whose name graces several releases from Posi-tone, also […]
Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: BIG MO & Little Joe Self-released Two friends for more than decade, Atlanta based pianist Joe Alterman, more than half a century Les McCann’s junior, delivers his heartfelt tribute to his bluesy piano mentor with Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: BIG MO & Little Joe. Alterman covers all phases of […]
Blue Cranes My Only Secret Jealous Butcher/Beacon Sound Portland, OR has increasingly gained a strong reputation for roots music and though there are several prominent jazz musicians that hail from the area, the city’s jazz presence lies relatively under the radar by comparison. Enter the Blue Cranes, a quintet delivering their eighth recording, the pandemic, […]
William Matheny Grand Old Feeling Hickman Holler/Thirty Tigers West Virginian singer-songwriters have a knack for narratives that paint vivid character sketches of desperate characters, even if those desperate ones are themselves. William Matheny is one of them. His latest That Grand, Old Feeling follows his 2018 acclaimed Strange Constellations and not only features his keen, […]
Gregory Lewis Organ Monk Going Home Sunnyside Now we have a new twist on the classic organ trio with Hammond B-3 maestro Gregory Lewis (who we just heard recently as a sideman on Melvin Smith’s Perseverance) taking on the music of the iconic pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. We certainly hear Monk covered In many […]
Beth Bombara It All Goes Up Black Mesa It All Goes Up, the seventh album from rocking Americana singer, songwriter, and guitarist Beth Bombara, follows her 2019 acclaimed Evergreen, which unlike some her previous work, delivered hopeful themes. This one is even brighter, as the songwriter reconnected with an old classical guitar during the pandemic and forced herself […]
Jonathan Suazo Ricano Ropeadope Getting directly to the point, although Ricano is the debut for the Puerto Rican saxophonist and composer Jonathan Suazo, it rivals last year’s Best Latin Jazz Grammy-nominated Música De Las Américas by fellow Puerto Rican Miguel Zenón. It’s that impressive. Suazo has both Puerto Rican and Dominican roots and fuses these Afro forms […]
Allan Harris Live at Blue Llama Love Production Renowned vocalist and guitarist Allan Harris follows up his outstanding 2021 studio release Kate’s Soulfood with his first live album in thirteen years, Live at Blue Llama. The club is a relatively new, state-of-the art-venue in Ann Arbor, MI. The live set, which includes a mix of covers and originals […]
Darlingside Everything Is Alive More Doug/Thirty Tigers The folk ensemble Darlingside follow their acclaimed 2020 Fish Pond Fish with Everything Is Alive, their fifth, which marks a slight change in their united front, in favor of more individual statements. Band members Dave Senft (vocals, bass), Don Mitchell (vocals, guitar, banjo), Auyon Mukharji (vocals, violin, mandolin), […]
SUSTO My Entire Life New West My Entire Life is the fifth album for the Americana outfit, SUSTO and the first time we have covered them on these pages. The 12-song set was produced by Wolfgang Zimmerman (Band of Horses), Justin Osborne and Johnny Delaware, three of the band’s principals. My Entire Life follows their critically […]
The Contenders The Contenders Southern Moon Sometimes an album, even one that’s been out of print for some time, just refuses to die. Such is the case for The Contenders, an immensely talented group of Carolinian singer-songwriters with eclectic tastes that merged in the late’70s in Nashville. The scene was ripe and burgeoning at the […]
Gerry Gibbs Thrasher People Family Whaling City Sound Just to set your expectations, drummer, keyboardist, and composer Gerry Gibbs is the son of the esteemed composer Terry Gibbs, who issued The Terry Gibbs Songbook at age 96, one that we covered here. In 2021 Gerry issued a trio recording, with his Thrasher Trio(s), the Grammy […]
Alan Ferber Nonet Up High, Down Low Sunnyside Although readers of these pages have seen trombonist Alan Ferber as a sideman on several projects that we’ve covered, this is your introduction to Ferber as a bandleader and composer, leading his nonet, as he’s done for over twenty years. The members are leading voices on their […]
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & What’s Next Turkish Hipster – Tales from Swing to Psychedelic DÜNYA Often this writer has heard musicians stating that each album should be different in some way from the previous. Few take this to heart more than composer and multi-instrumentalist and cultural scholar Mehmet Ali Sanlikol. Across his seven albums he […]
Matt Von Roderick Celestial Heart BFD Trumpeter/vocalist/composer Matt Von Roderick continues to push the envelope. Case in point in his own words – “Half of CELESTIAL HEART is composed of unique arrangements of standards from the American Songbook, while the other half of the album is comprised of completely free, creative improvisation and spontaneous composition. The mixture […]
