CD Reviews on projects by Jazz artists
Kazemde George I Insist Greenleaf Music I Insist is the debut as a leader for Brooklyn-based tenor saxophonist, composer, and educator Kazemde George. The title is to both signify an emphatic statement and a nod to Max Roach’s landmark 1960 protest album We Insist! Freedom Now Suite. George has previously released a series of electronic […]
Farnell Newton Feel the Love Posi-Tone Feel the Love is third Posi-Tone release for Portland, OR-based trumpeter and composer Farnell Newton. We covered his second one, Rippin’ and Runnin’, on these same pages in May 2020. Newton, who after being raised in Miami, FL attended the Philadelphia High School for creative and Performing Arts, studied […]
Adonis Rose and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra feat. Cyrille Aimée Petite Fleur Storyville The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO) under the direction of drummer Adonis Rose issues its second release, cementing the city’s French connection on a 10-song collaboration, Petite Fleur, with French vocalist, turned Crescent City resident Cyrille Aimée. It was she who […]
Marilyn Crispell and Yuma Uesaka Streams Not Two/Polyfold Music Avant-pianist Marilyn Crispell has built her distinguished career in the company of inventive saxophonists, from the AACM artists Anthony Braxton and Joseph Jarman to more recent outings with Joe Lovano’s Tapestries. She now teams in duo format with Yuma Uesaka, and emerging talent among multi-reed performers. […]
Kurt Elling SuperBlue Edition Recently this writer is pondering if there are any limits to Kurt Elling’s talent. We witnessed a two-hour radio play, Big Blind, at the virtual Detroit Jazz Festival held in the beginning of September. His 2020 project Secrets Are the Best Stories, with pianist Danilo Perez won a Grammy. Now we […]
Mary LaRose Out Here little (i) Music Seldom has there been a more appropriate title for an album but it’s fascinating for fans of Eric Dolphy and the edgy music that he made in the early sixties. Vocalist Mary LaRose dedicates Out Here, a play on ‘out there,’ entirely to the music of Dolphy, using […]
Q’d Up Going Places Tantara This is for all the folks, and there are many, who say that there’s no jazz in Salt Lake City, let alone Utah, despite the name of its NBA team. This quintet, Q’d Up, is here to negate that statement. The founder is multi-instrumentalist Ray Smith who started a band […]
Michael Stephenson Meets The Alexander Claffy Trio (with Benny Benack III) Cellar Music Group Sometimes just a couple of highly recognizable names will draw one to an album. Although familiar with Claffy and Benck III, it was Executive Producer Cory Weeds and Producer Jeremy Pelt that caught my attention and neither plays on this album […]
Mark Zaleski Band Our Time – Reimagining Dave Brubeck Origin Our Time is far edgier than one might guess, considering that the Mark Zaleski Band is reimagining the music of Dave Brubeck. Mark Zaleski is featured here on alto and soprano saxophone alongside tenor saxophonist Jon Bean, pianist Glenn Zaleski, guitarist Mark Cocheo, bassist Danny Weller, and drummer Oscar Suchanek. […]
Joe Farnsworth City of Sounds Smoke Sessions Drummer and composer Joe Farnsworth has done a great job of branding himself with ‘swing.’ His 2020 album and accompanying emblazoned merchandise are entitled “Time to Swing.” So, it’s that time again as Farnsworth reenlists pianist, NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron, and renowned bassist Peter Washington for another […]
