CD Reviews Jazz

Andrea Veneziani The Lighthouse Self-released Bassist and composer, the Italian-born Andrea Veneziani delivers his second album as a leader, The Lighthouse, featuring a quartet of cornetist Kirk Knuffke, who is clearly and deservedly making the rounds these days, guitarist Charlie Sigler, and drummer Allan Mednard for the bassist’s eight originals. There is an eleven-year gap […]

Chris Botti Vol. 1 Blue Note If you were expecting trumpeter Chris Botti to change his game with his new signing to Blue Note, then your expectations will only slightly be met. If, on the other hand, you adore his mellow, pristine tone and flawless execution, you can be assured that it all remains intact […]

Constantine Alexander Firetet Self-released Firetet is the debut for Chicago-based trumpeter/composer/educator Constantine Alexander who leads his own quintet through seven blazing originals. Although this is the first for the Greek American, he keeps a very busy slate in the Windy City, playing with Roy McGrath’s Menjunje, Marques Carroll’s Trumpet Summit, and the Chicago Blackhawks. His […]

Hays Street Hart Bridges Smoke Sessions Hays Street Hart sallies forth in their second outing as the piano trio of Kevin Hays, bassist Ben Street, and NEA Jazz Master drummer Billy Hart with Bridges following up their 2021 All Things Are. The latter effort was livestreamed, perhaps not even intended to be an album. Yet, […]

Art Hirahara Echo Canyon Posi-Tone The stalwart rhythm section of pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston who grace so many of the Posi-Tone label releases, have this one, Echo Canyon, to themselves. Leader Hirahara indicated that this, his ninth album for the label, was not a planned session but rather a […]

Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm Grit & Grace Sunnyside The inside album photo reveals one female amongst seven males, symbolic in a sense of the odds that a female faces in the music world, particularly on the trombone.  Yet, Jennifer Wharton is the leader of this ensemble, Bonegasm, and she plays bass trombone to boot.  Grit & […]

Billy Mohler Ultraviolet Contagious Music Ultraviolet is leader, bassist, and Grammy-winner Billy Mohler’s follow-up to his 2022 Anatomy, also covered on these pages. As delineated then, Mohler has worked as a sideman, producer, and songwriter for Dolly Parton. Macy Gray. Lady Gaga, Mavis Staples, Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, and others. This is the third outing for his […]

Mendoza Hoff Revels Echolocation AUM Fidelity Imagine the sound of the iconic MC5 and four of today’s aggressive avant-garde musicians and that, as well as anything, may define the sonics of the quartet dubbed Mendoza-Hoff-Revels. They are the ferocious guitarist Ava Mendoza, who broke out on William Parker’s 2021 Mayan Space Station, covered on these […]

John Scofield Uncle John’s Band ECM As the esteemed jazz guitarist that John Scofield is, his repertoire is often wide ranging, encompassing country, folk, rock, and funk. He’s never really left the genres he grew up with behind. As Scofield’s long coveted title suggests, this new double LP, which takes its name from the Grateful […]

Caroline Davis’ Alula Captivity Ropeadope Avant alto saxophonist, composer and activist Caroline Davis and her band Alula issue through Ropeadope Davis’ first social justice album, Captivity.  Davis’ electronics infused compositions speak to the lives of eight heroes who kept hope alive through incarceration. Joining Davis are turntablist Val Jeanty, bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, as well as special guests Qasim […]

Ron Blake Mistaken Identity 7tēn33 Productions Saxophonist and composer Ron Blake releases his first album as a leader in fifteen years with Mistaken Identity, a tight quartet recording featuring his longtime friend, the guitarist Bobby Broom along with bassists Nat Reeves or Reuben Rogers and drummer Kobie Watkins. As you may recall we covered Broom’s […]

Jocelyn Gould Sonic Bouquet Self-released Rather than continue to advance her quickly growing career with a batch of originals, Canadian guitarist and composer, 2021 JUNO Award winner Jocelyn Gould opts for some comfort by including standards and deferring to her colleague and mentor, guitarist Randy Napoleon, who has three of the nine tunes here while […]

Emmet Cohen Featuring Houston Person Master Legacy Series Vol. 5 Bandstand Presents To see pianist Emmet Cohen collaborating with a legendary elder jazz statesman is nothing new. If you are at all tuned to social media, you’ll see tons of YouTube clips (bet you can find this one too) of Cohen with his guests at […]

Quinsin Nachoff Stars and Constellations Adyharopa We’re taking a bit of a calculated risk with this one, realizing that writing about classical music on these pages will turn most readers away. Yet, we did cover composer and saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff’s 2020 Pivotal Arc on these same pages, so why not inform you about Stars and […]

Michelle Lordi Two Moons Imani Two Moons is vocalist and songwriter Michelle Lordi’s fifth album as a leader, and the second with bassist Matthew Parish serving as a co-producer as he did on her 2019 Break Up the Sound. Just as that album featured a A-list cast (guitarist Tim Motzer, saxophonist Donny McCaslin, and drummer […]

Darrell Grant’s MJ New Our Mr. Jackson Lair Hill For whatever reasons, today we seldom hear about one of the longest running groups in jazz, the Modern Jazz Quartet, dubbed MJQ. Led by pianist John Lewis with vibraphonist Milt Jackson, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Connie Kay, (who replaced Kenny Clarke), they were formed in […]

Ethan Philion Gnosis Sunnyside We covered bassist Ethan Philion’s debut as a leader, 2022’s Meditations on Mingus on the pages. Now Philion returns with his second, a departure from the large 10-piece ensemble he led then, paring down to a quartet to render mostly his own originals on Gnosis. The rarely heard term means knowledge […]

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder Sonicwonderland Telarc The internationally recognized and Grammy-winning pianist and composer Hiromi, unveils her new quartet, dubbed Sonicwonder for a slight departure in her sound that now incorporates electronics and funk. For the first time Hiromi is also playing electric keyboards and synths while trumpeter Adam O’Farrill uses pedals. Hadrien Feraud is the bassist […]

Miho Hazama – m_unit Beyond Orbits Edition Composer and conductor Miho Hazama celebrates the tenth anniversary with her m_unit on Beyond Orbits, her version of the concept of Afro-futurism, explored by many creative musicians before her, most notably Sun Ra. Although the “Afro” piece of the equation doesn’t fit, Hazama’s concept is built on her […]

Matthew Shipp The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp Mahakala There well may not be a more prolific musician than pianist and composer Matthew Shipp, who since arriving in New York in the ‘90s has over one hundred releases under his name no fewer than eight since the inception of 2022.  He is now regarded as one […]

Todd Sickafoose Bear Proof Secret Hatch Bear Proof is 62 minutes of continuous music by a super group of creative musicians led by Tony and Grammy-winning bassist, composer, and producer Todd Sickafoose.  The album was recorded in the since shuttered Fantasy studios (Berkeley, CA) and the delay in getting it issued likely attests to Sickafoose’s […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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, […]

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 […]