CD Reviews Jazz

THE GARY URWIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA & FRIENDS FLYING COLORS Summit Records Gary Urwin, leader/arranger; RHYTHM: Christian Jacob, piano; Trey Henry, bass; Ray Brinker, Ralph Razze, Ken Gomez & Chris Rios, drums/percussion; SAXOPHONES:  Rusty Higgins, Jeff Driskill, Pete Christlieb, Bob Sheppard, John Mitchell, Brandon Fields, Brian Scanlon & Greg Hawkins. TRUMPETS: Wayne Bergeron, Carl Saunders, Kye […]

Matthew Shipp Trio New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz ESP Few artists are more prolific both as a leader and as sideman than pianist and composer Matthew Shipp. Our coverage of his brilliant work is not nearly in keeping with his artistry, but we have been catching up somewhat in recent years. In 2023 we […]

Dayna Stephens Closer Than We Think Cellar Music Group Mighty saxophonist, composer, and educator Dayna Stephens steps forward with a bold new sound on his twelfth album, Closer Than We Think Now, his debut for the Cellar Music Group. You’ve seen him mostly as a sideman on these pages. He’s played with legends such as Billy […]

BRIAN BROMBERG with TOM ZINK & CHARLES RUGGIERO LAFARO Be Squared Productions Brian Bromberg, bass; Tom Zink, piano; Charles Ruggiero, drummer. This album is a tribute, by these three great musicians, to the great bassist, Scott LaFaro.  Perhaps Brian Bromberg explained it best when he wrote these words in his liner notes: “ … The […]

Gilad Hekselman Live at the Village Vanguard la.reserve Imagine this. You are one of the acknowledged top guitarists in jazz having spent nearly the past two decades on the NYC jazz scene. Not only have you dreamed of playing in jazz’s most hallowed venue, The Village Vanguard, for a weeklong residency, but your wife is […]

Sam Anning Earthen Earshift Music Melbourne, Australia’s bassist, and composer Sam Anning delivers his third septet album with Earthen, a tribute to indigenous Australian music icon, Uncle Archie Roach. The album brims with gorgeous, cinematic soundscapes and is especially noteworthy as a jazz tribute to Roach who was an award-winning singer-songwriter, musician, and respected elder. […]

LORI BELL QUARTET RECORDA ME: REMEMBERING JOE HENDERSON Independent Label Lori Bell, C flute/alto flute/composer; Josh Nelson, piano; David Robaire, bass; Dan Schnelle, drums. Lori Bell has consistently produced amazing music over her decades-long career.  She is an accomplished composer, arranger, educator, and musician who has made her mark in jazz playing the flute.  This […]

JIM ROTONDI FINESSE Cellar Music Group Jim Rotondi, composer/producer/trumpeter; Jakub Helling, arranger/conductor; NOTES & TONES JAZZ ORCHESTRA: Mario Gonzi, co-leader/drums; Danny Grissett, piano; Karol Hodas & Tim Dunin, bass; GUEST SOLOISTS: Dick Oatts, soprano saxophone; Steve Davis, trombone;  Wolfgang Lindenthal, flute; Stefan Peindl, oboe; Julia Gutschlhofer, bassoon; Melissa Danas, horn; TRUMPETS/FLUGELHORNS: Tabias Weidinger, Markus Peachmann, […]

CHRIS STANDRING AS WE THINK Ultimate Vibe Recording Chris Standring, guitar/composer; Andre Berry, bass; Chris Coleman, drums; Terry Disley, piano; Larry Steen, double bass; Lenny Castro, percussion; Aaron Janik, trumpet; Brandon Fields, alto saxophone; Katisse Buckingham & Dino Soldo, tenor saxophone/harmonica; Ido Meshulam, trombone; Rodney Lee, organ; Walter Murphy, horn arrangements. The opening tune on […]

Rachel Z Sensual Ozmosys Media Group/Dot Time Records. The renowned, virtuoso pianist, keyboardist, composer, and electronic musician Rachel Z, one of the modern-day pillars of jazz fusion, surprises with Sensual. Yes, this writer, having seen her and drummer husband, Omar Hakim, perform at the 2022 Montclair Jazz Festival in a high energy jazz fusion performance […]

Altin Sencalar Discover the Present Posi-Tone Discover the Present is trombonist and composer Altin Sencalar’s fifth album as a leader and by this writer’s count his third for the Posi-Tone label, all covered on these pages. On this date he leads a large ensemble but varies configurations.  With eight originals in these eleven, Sencalar is […]

BRANDON GOLDBERG TRIO LIVE AT DIZZY’S Cellar Music Group Brandon Goldberg, piano; Ben Wolfe, bass; Aaron Kimmel, drums. Here is a trio of musicians who make me feel warm and fuzzy as they play a group of familiar, standard tunes I know and love. Goldberg, on piano, is the group leader at the unbelievable age […]

EDY FOREY CULTURE TODAY So Soul Records Guilhem Forey, keyboards/piano/Fender Rhodes/composer/synth bass/vocals/miscellaneous BG vocals; Edy Szewy, vocals/lyricist/sampling; Tom Gordon, drums/percussions; Femi Koleoso, Isac Jamba, Jonathan Tuitt & Seiya Osaka, drums;  Leonn Meade, drums/BG vocals;  Adam King, Andrew Robb & Luca Alemanno, double bass; Sharay Reed, Michael League & Dean Mark, electric bass; Carlinhos Percussao, percussions; […]

Mark Lockheart Smiling Edition Saxophonist and composer Mark Lockheart has been on the vanguard of British jazz for four decades now, one surge in the ‘80s and the other here in the 2000s. Yet, his bent for experimentation and genre-agnostic approach would have many considering him an emerging force rather than an elder statesman for the music. […]

Julieta Eugenio STAY Self-released Argentinian-born saxophonist Julieta Eugenio returns with her trio for Stay, a self-released effort following 2023’s acclaimed debut Jump  (Greenleaf Music). Eugenio’s trio includes bassist Matt Dwonszyk and drummer Jonathan Barber, and for this outing the outstanding fellow Argentinian keyboardist Leo Genovese joins on Fender Rhodes on two tracks. The inspiration for the album can be found on […]

NEAL ALGER OLD SOULS Calligram Records Neal Alger, guitar/composer; Clark Sommers, acoustic bass; Dana Hall, drums/cymbals; Chris Madsen, tenor saxophone; Chad McCullough, trumpet/flugelhorn. Neal Alger is an educator, (professor at Elmhurst College) a guitarist, a composer, and a lover of all genres of music.  From the oldest original tune on this recording, one that he […]

Willy Rodriguez Seeing Sounds Self-released Drummer-composer Willy Rodriguez makes his debut with Seeing Sounds, not a Latin jazz record that we might expect from the experienced Puerto Rico-born, New York based musician but one that ventures into the avant-garde. Joining Rodriguez in his trailblazing adventure are trumpeter Jason Palmer, saxophonist Hery Paz, pianist Leo Genovese, bassists John Hébert and Kenneth Jimenez, special guest artist, saxophonist Dave […]

ABE POLLACK UNPRECEDENTED TIME Independent Label Abe Pollack, composer/arranger/bass/electric keyboard/guitar; Brad Brose, guitar; Uri Zelig, drums; Albert Behar, accordion/vocals; Marcus Millius, vocals; Jonathan Greene, clarinet/alto saxophone; Ryan Weisheit, tenor and alto saxophone/flute. Bassist, Abe Pollack opens the first album track with what we used to call ‘slap-bass.’  The song is titled “The World is Waiting […]

Dan Weiss Even Odds Cygnus Dan Weiss is one of the leading drummers in jazz and bandleaders of the first order, highly respected in new and improvised music, both acoustic and electronic. His swath is wide, also embracing Indian classical music, contemporary classical, West African, extreme metal, and atmospheric, emotional cinematic music.  This effort, Even […]

Triad Triad Ropeadope Leave it to Ropeadope to break the mold. That should come as no surprise to fans of the progressive label. Triad is not only a trio with instrumentation like you’ve never heard but with a debut album that’s so full of stunning surprises, that you’ll be checking your player to ensure you’re […]

Ian Carey & Wood Metal Plastic Strange Arts  Slow and Steady Trumpeter and composer Ian Carey pays homage to his recently passed visual artist father, to whom the cover and jacket art of the album owes. Leveraging a grant from Intermusic SF, Carey added a string trio to his working quartet, Wood Metal Plastic, comprised […]

TOBIN MUELLER AT THE PIANO, VOL. 2 Independent Label “ArtsForge” Tobin Mueller, solo piano. There is nothing more exposed than an artist playing solo.  Anyone who is brave enough to do so sheds all pretense and camouflage.  Tobin Mueller is not only brave, but he is also talented and prepared to mesmerize us with his […]

ALLISON BURIK REALM Independent Label Allison Burik, composer/arranger/co-producer/Alto saxophone/bass clarinet/vocals/alto flute/ guitar; Magdalena Abrego, guitar; Sylvaine Arnaud, recording engineer/mixing/co-producer; Peter Atkinson, recording engineer/winds; Harris Newman, mastering; Renee Abaroa, bone typeface on cover. For several years Allison Burik has gained notoriety and audience in the world of modern jazz and experimental music.  The opening “Be the […]

Remy Le Boeuf Heartland Radio Soundspore Heartland Radio is not the kind of title one expects from a jazz orchestra. Yet, four-time Grammy-nominated composer and saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf wanted a soundtrack for his move from New York City to Colorado. Thus, he peppers these large ensemble offerings with pop, indie rock, soul, and electronic […]

Tony Monaco Trio Over and Over Chicken Coup Hammond B3 organ master Tony Monaco returns with his thirteenth album Over and Over. Somehow, we missed his 2022 Four Brothers but did cover his 2019 Definition of Insanity. So, as mentioned there, Monaco studied under the great Jimmy Smith and is well immersed in the music […]

KELLY GREEN SEEMS Green Soul Studios Kelly Green, piano/vocals/composer/arranger; Luca Soul Rosenfeld, bass; Evan Hyde, drums; Elijah J. Thomas, flute/alto flute/piccolo. SPECIAL GUEST: Rich Perry, tenor saxophone. For Kelly Green, her album titled “Seems” is meant to be a recorded statement of hope and an optimistic musical manifesto.  She has composed five of the nine […]

GRACE KELLY WITH STRINGS AT THE MOVIES Pazz Productions Grace Kelly, alto, baritone, tenor and soprano saxophone/vocals; Cooper Appelt, upright & electric bass; Eli Bishop, classical Nylon-string guitar/tenor banjo/mandolin & mandolindo; Tamir Hendelman, piano; Adam Bravo, additional synth programming; Jake Reed, drums/percussion; Cory Wong, Shaun Richardson & Pasha Riger, electric guitar; John Schroeder, acoustic & […]

Leon Lee Dorsey, Mike Clark, and Michael Wolff Letter to Bill Evans Jazz Avenue 1 Letter to Bill Evans is the seventh installment of the partnership between bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and drummer Mike Clark, many of which we’ve covered here. For this outing, they enlisted pianist Michael Wolff, who has long internalized the music […]

Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop A Canadian Songbook TPR Toronto drummer and composer Ernesto Cervini leads his Canadian sextet Turboprop on their fifth album, A Canadian Songbook. While Cervini also leads other projects, notably Tetrahedron and Tune Town, Turboprop earned a JUNO Award nomination for their 2022 Joy, for which this is their follow-up. The band features […]

REZA KHAN MYSTICAL Independent label Reza Khan, acoustic & electric guitars/composer/producer; David Mann, composer/arranger/ producer/keyboards/drum programming/soprano, tenor & alto saxophone; Jeff Lorber, keyboards/mini-moog; Jimmy Haslip, electric bass; Brandon Rothwell, Mark Egan & Mel Brown, bass; Gary Novak, Brian Dunne, & Lionel Cordew, drums; Bernd Schoenhart, rhythm guitar/ additional acoustic guitar; Programming, saxophone; Bob James, Keiko […]

DAVID LEON BIRD’S EYE Pyroclastic Records David Leon, composer/soprano & alto saxophones/alto flute/piccolo; DoYeon Kim, gayagum/vocals; Lesley Mok, drums/percussion/glockenspiel. When Miami-born David Leon became curious about his Cuban heritage, Leon began studying with master percussionist, Manley “Piri” Lopez.   Lopez comes from a legendary family of rumberos, who became quite famous as the creators of an […]

Jacob Shulman High Firmament/Ferment Below Endectomorph L.A.-based saxophonist and composer Jacob Shulman teaches mathematics and programming in his “day job,” which might provide some clues into his far-reaching thought process. For his sophomore recording effort, he delivers two albums, two sides of the coin. High Firmament brilliantly captures, even from the opening glistening notes of […]

ONE FOR ALL featuring GEORGE COLEMAN BIG GEORGE Smoke Sessions Records Jim Rotondi, trumpet/composer; Eric Alexander, alto & tenor saxophone/composer; Steve Davis, trombone/composer; David Hazeltine, piano/Fender Rhodes/composer; John Webber, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums. SPECIAL GUEST: George Coleman, tenor saxophone. Since their inception, in 1997, I have been a big fan of “One For All” with […]

Kevin Sun Trio The Fate of the Tenor Endectomorph We have the confluence of two fierce tenor saxophonists releasing albums on the same label on the same day as documented on these pages. (hint -Jacob Shulman).  Moreover, they share the same bassist.  Yet, here our focus is on tenorist Kevin Sun, his sixth recording as […]

THE TUCKER BROTHERS LIVE AT CHATTERBOX Midwest Crush Music Joel Tucker, guitar; Nick Tucker, bass; Carrington Clinton, drums. Sean Imboden, tenor saxophone. This quartet opens with a unique take on the familiar tune, “Skylark.”  They play it in sort of a Reggae style, beginning with Joel Tucker setting the mood and tempo (7/4) with his […]

PAUL KENDALL WHISPER NOT Zoho Records Paul Kendall, tenor saxophone; Dan Kosteinik, Hammond organ; Rudy Petschauer, drums. It’s nice to hear a trio that features saxophone, Hammond B-3 Organ and drums.  Paul Kendall says years ago he was hooked on that organ sound when he worked a few gigs with Bobby Forrester at a local […]

CHRIS ROTTMAYER BEING Shifting Paradigm Records Chris Rottmayer, piano; Rufus Reid, acoustic bass; Matt Endres, drums; Russ Johnson, trumpet/flugelhorn. This is pianist Chris Rottmayer’s fourth album release. He calls Madison, Wisconsin his home and Chris is a prolific composer, a jazz artist, and a jazz educator. This current album is the result of studying the […]

DAVID LARSEN COHESION Dayolo Music David Larsen, baritone saxophone/composer; Zaccai Curtis, piano; Alex Apollo, bass; Wayne Smith Jr., drums; Darryl Yokley, tenor saxophone/composer. The tight harmonies of David Larsen on baritone saxophone and Darryl Yokley on tenor saxophone opens the first tune on this album and capture my attention. Larsen and Yokley are the composers […]

Jeremy Rose and the Earshift Orchestra Discordia Earshift Music Award-winning saxophonist-composer Jeremy Rose and owner of Australia’s most important jazz label, Earshift Music, leads his large ensemble on Discordia.  In 2023 Rose turned heads with his acclaimed Disruption: The Voice of Drums featuring the twin drummers Simon Barker and Korean stylist Chloe Kim, the latter […]

JeanFrancois Prins Blue Note Mode GAM As the title and blues hued album cover suggest, Blue Note Mode is an ode to the classic material of the Blue Note label, led by the Belgian- born guitarist JeanFrancois Prins, with a star-studded quartet/quintet/sextet through a dozen compositions over a generous 79 minutes. For added authenticity the […]

Julian Lage Speak to Me Blue Note Guitarist and composer Julian Lage has now evolved his wordless narratives by increasing his ensemble and delivering his latest, Speak to Me, across two albums with a surprising but astute choice for producer in Joe Henry. Singer-songwriter and noted producer of albums by Allen Toussaint and Solomon Burke, […]

Xavier Richardeau A Caribbean Thing Continuo Jazz This may well be a first for this writer and our readers – music from the island of Guadeloupe.  Saxophonist and composer Xavier Richardeau earned his jazz stripes in Paris and in New York before moving to the island, where he has resided for the past six years. […]

Randy Napoleon The Door Is Open: The Music of Gregg Hill OA2 Make this the fifth album bearing the subtitle, “The Music of Gregg Hill” in the past four years.  Again, it’s the jazz musicians from the fertile Michigan State University Jazz program and specifically guitarist Randy Napoleon who now presents The Door Is Open. […]

Rodrigo Recabarren, Pablo Menares, Yago Vazquez Familia Greenleaf Music This piano trio offers a divergent path from the usual piano trio, which is understandable given the backgrounds of the three members. Drummer Rodrigo Recabarren and bassist Pablo Menares hail from Chile while pianist Yago Vazquez is from Galicia, Spain. On Familia, all three contributed compositions […]

GORDON GRDINA THE MARROW with FATHIEH HONARI Attaboygirl Records Gordon Grdina, Oud/composer; Mark Helias, bass; Hank Roberts, cello; Hamin Honari, percussion; FEATURED GUEST: Fathieh Honari, voice. The distinctive sound of Gordon Grdina’s Oud instrument opens this album and draws the listener into the music like a magic spell.  The voice of Fathieh Honari floats chant-like […]

DOUG MACDONALD SEXTET SESSION Dmac Music Doug MacDonald, guitar; Josh Nelson, piano; Mike Gurrola, bass; Charles Ruggiero, drums; Doug Webb, tenor saxophone; Aaron Janik, trumpet. Guitarist and composer, Doug MacDonald leads an all-star sextet of Southern California based musicians.  Although he has headed many types of jazz ensembles, and boasts twenty-six record releases as a […]

Jim Snidero For All We Know Savant Ask jazz folks to name the top ten alto saxophonists, and you’ll be hard pressed to find Jim Snidero on many lists but if you alter the question to those who are well steeped in the music as to who is the most lyrical and possesses the purest […]