CD Reviews on projects by Jazz artists
John Daversa Quintet Cuarentena: With Family at Home Tiger Turn John Daversa has been amazingly impressive in his career by especially in the past couple of years. His 2018 American dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom earned him three Grammys, Including Best Large Jazz Ensemble, Best Improvised Solo and Best Instrumental Arrangement of A […]
San Gabriel 7 Red Dress – Featuring Vocalist Songwriter Femi Knight JRL-SGS This is yet another new discovery not only for this writer but likely for most folks outside of California. Even though San Gabriel 7 was formed 14 years ago and have issued nine albums prior to this, Red Dress, they have carried on […]
David Sills Natural Lines Gut String Here’s another rather unique jazz configuration as prolific reedist David Sills forms his David Sills Double Guitar Quintet for the generous 70 plus minutes Natural Lines. At times, you’d think this was primarily a guitar album as Sills gives plenty of solo room to guitarists Mike Scott and Larry […]
The Flying Horse Big Band Florida Rays – featuring songs of Ray Charles Flying Horse Orlando’s own Flying Horse Big Band, on their seventh release, pay] tribute to perhaps the city’s biggest musical icon, Ray Charles on this expansive outing directed by Jeff Rupert, a tenor saxophonist who doesn’t play on the album, but conducts […]
John Beasley and MONK’estra Plays John Beasley Mack Avenue This year seems to especially have many jazz artists turning to the music of Thelonious Monk but this is nothing new for John Beasley and his MONK ‘estra who have plied their first two volumes of Monk material into two GRAMMY nominations. Over the course of […]
Champian Fulton Birdsong Self-released New York-based pianist and vocalist Champian Fulton celebrates Charlie Parker’s centennial with her latest, Birdsong., featuring her friend and saxophone luminary Scott Hamilton (who of course plays tenor, not alto liker Parker did). Hamilton appears along with Fulton’s long-standing quartet made up of bassist Hide Tanaka, drummer Fukushi Tainaka and her […]
Matt Wilson Hug Palmetto A few weeks ago, fellow drummer Jeff Cosgrove brought us a trio album, History Gets Ahead of Itself, from one of his main inspirers, Matt Wilson. Saxophonist Jeff Lederer, a mainstay of Wilson’s quartet appeared on that album as he does here, along with Wilson’s other long-running bandmates, cornetist Kirk Knuffle […]
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol The Rise Up: Stories of Strife, Struggle and Inspiration Dunya Prolific composer and multi-instrumentalist Mehmet Ali Sanlikol delivers his ambitious project: THE RISE UP: Stories of Strife, Struggle and Inspiration with his dynamic jazz orchestra Whatsnext, written for and featuring NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman as soloist, The Rise Up is an epic three-part artistic masterpiece that combines traditional Middle […]
Raphael Pannier Quartet Faune French Paradox/L’Autre In May we brought you the masterful work of alto saxophonist/composer and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenon’s Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera. Zenon is the lead voice and musical director of the quartet on this brilliant debut from French drummer Raphael Pannier. Zenon is a mentor of Pannier’s and […]
Adam Miller Unify Emtechnik Australian guitarist Adam Miller has released his latest album, Unify. Recorded in Los Angeles, Miller’s trio features prominent LA musicians – bassist Joel Gottschalk and drummer Justin Glasco. All Miller originals, these songs are born from settling not only into a new city, but a new country, all the conflicting emotions associated with such. The album is equally […]
Kenny Washington What’s the Hurry A-Train Entertainment Although What’s the Hurry is the debut studio album for Bay Area jazz and blues vocalist Kenny Washington, you may have heard him before. This writer became acquainted with his warm, professional, perfectly intoned, and well-articulated vocals on the two vocal albums from pianist David K. Mathews – […]
Radam Schwartz Organ Big Band Message From Groove And GW Arabesque This is a year of some inventive organ releases and now one of the pacesetters for the jazz organ, Radam Schwartz, teams with drummer David F. Gibson and the Abel Mireles Jazz Exchange Big Band for a swinging trip through music inspired by Richard […]
Paul Kelly and Paul Grabowsky Please Leave Your Light On GawdAggie/Cooking Vinyl Australia’s greatest and most enduring songwriter, the exceptionally versatile Paul Kelly collaborates with perhaps the country’s best jazz pianist, and strong composer in his own right, Paul Grabowky – not “Me and Paul” but Paul and Paul. Yes, these are songs for just […]
Quinsin Nachoff Pivotal Arc Whirlwind Recordings Say the words “classical music” and it scares off plenty of would-be listeners, even the most fervent jazz listeners. Yet, we have so many examples of classical music in jazz from Miles to Mingus to Corea to Wayne Shorter and to the more contemporary Ambrose Akinmusire, to name a […]
Susan Tobocman Touch & Go Soliterra Records Touch & Go could be the breakout album for vocalist/composer/arranger Susan Tobocman. This is her fourth album as a leader but here she steps forward with five originals of the dozen tunes, two of which are instrumentals, rare for one known mostly as a vocalist. Of course, Tobocman […]
Nicole Zuraitis All Wandering Hearts Dot Time All Wandering Hearts is Grammy® nominated vocalist, pianist, composer and arranger Nicole Zuraitis’ fourth album as a bandleader and it explores the raw emotions and tribulations of life on the road as a full-time musician. Listeners will take a journey through genre-bending jazz-adjacent soundscapes that are both complex and […]
Orquesta Failde Failde Con Tumbao Egrem Word is surely getting around in this ever smaller world of ours. In the past few months, this writer has been contacted by artists and/or producers in Russia, Sweden, and Cuba. We have covered some of the jazz artists on the Russian label, Rainy Days and will be telling […]
Zen Zadravec Human Revolution Marmite (FACTOR) Two weeks ago, we brought you the outstanding big band debut from trumpeter and Canadian resident Derrick Gardner’s Big dig! Band in which Zen Zadravec was the pianist. Now the Canadian pianist, saxophonist, and composer Zadravec and his quintet Human Revolution, of which Gardner is a key member, brings […]
Mafalda Minnozzi Sensorial – Portraits in Bossa and Jazz Self-released Internationally acclaimed vocalist Mafalda Minnozzi presents Sensorial – Portraits in Bossa & Jazz. Under the musical direction of guitarist Paul Ricci and with the help of heavyweights like pianist Art Hirahara, bassists Essiet Okon Essiet and Harvie S, drummer Victor Jones and percussionists Will Calhoun and Rogério Boccato, Sensorial revisits and reimagines the Brazilian songbook, intersecting with NYC jazz. Pianist Hirahara just […]
Benny Rubin Jr. Quartet Know Say or See Self-released This is the second release for emerging saxophonist Benny Rubin Jr., formerly from Flint, MI and now based in New York. Rubin leads a quarter, plays tenor and alto, and provided a mix of originals, some very edgy and free-form with a balance of standards that […]
Ryan Cohan Originations Origin Acclaimed pianist, composer, producer, and Guggenheim Fellow Ryan Cohan brings his broad spectrum of musical influences and sensibilities across multiple genres into focus through a personal lens in this most ambitious work. Throughout his previous five critically acclaimed albums and as a collaborator with numerous leading jazz figures and world-class ensembles Cohan […]
Derrick Gardner Big dig! Band Still I Rise Impact Jazz This is the debut project for trumpeter, composer, and arranger Derrick Gardner. His Big dig! Band is a classic jazz orchestra – spectacular saxophone, trombone, and trumpet sections, studded with world-class musicians and anchored by a rock-solid rhythm section. For Still I Rise, Gardner has gathered musicians […]
Jorge Perez-Albela – (featuring Sissy Castrogiovanni) The Time Is Now Self-released Back on Mother’s Day we brought you the wonderful album, Terra, from jazz and world music vocalist Sissy Castrogiovanni. Now it’s her husband’s turn. The Time Is Now is the debut for drummer, percussionist, educator, and now band leader Jorge Perez-Albela. Like his spouse’s […]
Event Horizon Jazz Quartet Event Horizon GRB Event Horizon Jazz Quartet is a Chicago-based group of Midwestern musicians, all educators as well, making their debut. The principal composers are reedman Jim Kaczmarek and keyboardist Scott Mertens, who between them penned the 11 originals. Kaczmarek likes to call their unit a collective as bassist Donn DeSanto […]
Tom Ranier This Way Self-released It would be difficult to find a more versatile musician than the multi-instrumentalist Tom Ranier. The veteran studio musician has performed in high profile events such as the Grammys, Oscars, Emmys, and Golden Gloves and has performed with many high profile jazz and pop stars. These activities keep him so […]
Dylan Jack Quartet The Tale of the Twelve-Foot Man Creative Nation Music Last October on these pages we covered the inventive set of covers from the duo, guitarist Eric Hofbrauer and drummer Dylan Jack, entitled Remains of Echoes which has them addressing not only jazz but rock. Any group that puts Miles and Ornette Coleman […]
Antonio Adolfo BruMa: Celebrating Milton Nascimento AAM Music Last year on these pages we brought you Antonio Adolfo, pianist/composer/arranger, one the founders of Brazilian jazz from the early ‘60s, and his Samba Jazz Alley, a tribute to early bossa nova before it became hugely popular globally. Adolfo is a multi-Latin Grammy winner and Grammy nominee […]
Dave Bryant Night Visitors SE There are plenty of free jazz, improvisational ensembles that are doing great explorative work yet some, at least for many listeners, are just not quite accessible enough. By now, if you’ve gotten this far, you know that we’ve covered plenty of free, avant-garde material, but you may not realize that […]
Azat Bayazitov The Doors Are Open Rainy Days We have touted the merits of the St. Petersburg, Russia-based Rainy Days label more than once on these pages. They consistently bring us great jazz releases. The Doors Are Open is a quintet offering from tenor saxophonist Azat Bayazitov, the follow-up to his debut If You Still […]
Swingadelic Bluesville Zoho The content on this site skews towards blues so it’s more than fitting we offer up Swingadelic’s Bluesville. The blues purists will call it jazz. The jazz folks may call it blues. Surely this is a big band that often plays at Swing 46, a dinner/dance venue in NYC’s Broadway theater district […]
Dave Douglas & Elan Mehler If There Are Mountains Newvelle Records Ostensibly this is an album review, but it is also vehicle to inform you about the special treasure, Newvelle Records. So, we’ll keep you in a bit of suspense by describing the album first. Label co-founder Elan Mehler is also a pianist, who for […]
Madre Vaca Winterreise Madre Vaca Seeing the name of Austrian composer Franz Shubert on the cover led me to believe this was some slight twist on classical music by jazz musicians. (and not the kind of music we would cover on these pages). Obviously, I was wrong. As the album unfolded it was stirring modern […]
John Minnock (with Dave Liebman) Herring Cove Dot Time This is the second collaboration between vocalist John Minnock and NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Dave Liebman, who also serves as executive producer. It’s Minnock’s third release as a leader, and his first for the label. The album pairs Minnock’s signature no-holds-barred wit with introspective lyrics to paint a compelling […]
Jeff Reed Look for the Light Stricker Street Look for the Light is the debut for jazz bassist Jeff Reed as bandleader who brings a collection of originals and jazz standards performed by a quintet. Let’s first share some information on Reed before getting to some of the remarkable stories that are the foundation for […]
Cathlene Pineda Rainbow Baby Orenda This is the third album, and by far the most personal, for pianist/composer Cathlene Pineda, who leads a quartet on Rainbow Baby. The theme comprises four years of motherhood, pregnancy. Loss, and ultimately love. She was thriving at the time of her second album, Passing: A California Suite, which was […]
Alexa Tarantino Clarity Posi Tone Alexa Tarantino is a woodwind virtuoso who has a fluid, swinging style with remarkable tone. In that sense, the album title is fitting. Clarity is her second release as a bandleader following last year’s Posi tone Winds of Change. She is also a composer and educator. Tarantino is the principal […]
John Scofield Swallow Tales ECM Master bassist Steve Swallow will turn 80 this coming October and remains highly vital whether as a member of his wife, Carla Bley’s Trio, or as a sideman. Many acknowledge Swallow as one of jazz’s best bassists, but this recording shines a light on his compositional skills as well. More […]
Kenny Carr Hard Jazz Self-released There’s a subtle clue in the title Hard Jazz that refers to guitarist Kenny Carr’s spot in Ray Charles’ band for over ten years. Yes, “Hard Times,” the title of one of Brother Ray’s biggest songs and a term this writer has heard others exclaim in the context of blues […]
Mayita Dinos The Garden Is my Stage Dash Hoffman Maybe this writer is just a bit biased toward landscape designers. After all, my wife is one of them. However, she doesn’t have dual talents of being vocalist like Mayita Dinos, who is making her debut as singer, with songs naturally themed on nature and gardens. […]
Miguel Zenón Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera Miel Music Okay, those in the know might be questioning why we are reviewing an album that came out last August. There are several reasons: 1) Miguel Zenón’s Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera received a 2020 Grammy nomination, 2) Zenon was just this week awarded Best […]
Vanderlei Pereira and Blindfold Test Vision for Rhythm Jazzheads Vanderlei Pereira is a renowned Brazilian drummer who has been in the states for over thirty years. With extensive experience as a sideman in his native country as well as in the U.S., this marks his first recording as a bandleader with his newly formed band, […]
Farnell Newton Rippin’ & Runnin’ Posi-Tone This is likely the first review on these pages from the niche jazz label, Posi-Tone, which issues a select number of albums annually, generally just one or two per month on average. Owner and man of many hats, Marc Free, produces, records, markets and more than anything, has discerning […]
Jocelyn Gould Elegant Traveler Posi -Tone Elegant Traveler is the debut for the well-traveled Canadian jazz guitarist/composer/arranger and now bandleader Jocelyn Gould. Gould works with a core quarter augmented by one, two, or three horns on five of the ten selections, mostly originals with a few standards. While earning her master’s degree at Michigan State, […]
Sissy Castrogiovanni Terra MANU There is always a fascination for this writer when world music meets jazz, and to a good back story as well. It also doesn’t hurt to have eye catching album art, On Sissy Castrogiovanni’s self-produced Terra, most stateside listeners, except those who speak the Sicilian dialect, will not identify with the […]
Carla Bley/Andy Sheppard/Steve Swallow Life Goes On ECM This may mark the first time we’ve covered an ECM album on these pages and although this is the third in the series for Bley/Sheppard/Swallow trio, this writer confesses to have only heard this one. The renowned improvisational pianist/composer Carla Bley is 80 and bassist Steve Swallow, […]
Fred Randolph Mood Walk Creative Spirit The picturesque jaguar prowling down a path lined with upright basses could connote many things – beauty, power, ferocity, and boundless energy, to name just a few. Unfortunately, though, most will likely access bassist/composer/bandleader Fred Randolph’s fourth album, Mood Walk digitally, and will totally miss the provocative image which […]
Dave Askren Jeff Benedict Paraphernalia – Music of Wayne Shorter Tapestry Now that Wayne Shorter is no longer performing, this is the second album to feature his music this year although Shorter did play on the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s Music of Wayne Shorter while this quartet effort, Paraphernalia, from guitarist Dave Askren and […]
Joan Watson-Jones Choices EOS 4 Joan Watson-Jones is a vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and host of producer of The Jazz Room, an online radio program of jazz music and interviews. Choices is her fourth albums, comprised of her originals and two standards. Watson-Jones is a mainstay in the New England jazz scene, and she brings aboard […]
Arturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra The Four Questions ZOHO Grammy Award-winning pianist/composer Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s Four Questions marks O’Farrill’s first album in his famed catalog to exclusively include all originally written compositions. Special guest Dr. Cornel West is featured as soloist, conductor, and percussionist on the title […]
Kathleen Grace with Larry Goldings Tie Me to You Monsoon The last time this writer heard the superb and sultry vocalist Kathleen Grace was on her last recording, 2013’s No Place to Fall, which was essentially an Americana recording imbued by the likes of Greg Leisz’s pedal steel, Dave Raven’s drums, and plenty of electric […]