CD Reviews on projects by Jazz artists
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 […]
Lauren Henderson The Songbook Session Brontosaurus Vocalist, arranger, and multi-lingual Lauren Henderson is back with her sixth musical alliance with pianist Sullivan Fortner – The Songbook Session. Fortner, considered one of today’s top pianists, has been visible lately on a few online performances with Cecile McLorin Salvant. Truth is, though, that he has worked longer, over a decade, with Henderson. […]
Leslie Beukelman Golden Daffodil Woolgathering Golden Daffodil is the first vocal release for bassist/composer Matt Ulery’s Woolgathering Records. We covered Ulery’s most recent release as a leader, Delicate Charms, (a chamber jazz outing which in no way resembles this one) last October on these pages. This is Chicago-based vocalist Leslie Beukelman’s second full-length jazz release […]
Dylan Hayes Electric Band Songs for Rooms and People Blujazz There is no photo of Dylan Hayes on the CD jacket, but a quick search reveals a 20-something. Indeed, this is his debut album and it has tons of youthful energy flowing through the keyboards, whether acoustic or electric, that Dylan Hayes plays on Songs […]
Dana Sandler I Never Saw Another Butterfly Self-released I Never Saw Another Butterfly is jazz vocalist Dana Sandler’s debut, based on a book of the same name, setting poems from children of the Holocaust to music. The album is being released today, April 21, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Originally published in 1959, the book is a […]
makAndy Milne and Unison The reMISSION Sunnyside Pianist, bandleader and educator Andy Milne brings us The reMISSION, with his new trio UNISON. Stepping into piano trio performance for the first time, the album is a stunning shift in direction for the artist. In late 2017, a life-changing cancer diagnosis forced Milne into a period of reflection over his fruitful career, a […]
Bobby Selvaggio Live from the Bop Stop Dot Time We didn’t want to leave this one behind. This is alto saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio’s eleventh album and first live recording, Live from the Bop Stop. Specifically the site is the Bop Stop at the Music Settlement in Cleveland, OH, a place where the bandleader has performed […]
#Bloomerangs Moments and Fragments Instru Dash Mental It’s unusual to begin your band name with the pound sign but in this age of text messaging and digital communication perhaps, it’s not odd. (and, for those who file CDs alphabetically like this writer, how do you deal with a #? Suggest you just go to ‘b’). […]
Enrique Haneine Unlayered Elegant Walk Enrique Haneine is a jazz-world musician, composer, pianist, drummer, improviser, and educator that is currently living in New York City and was born in Mexico City from Lebanese descent. Haneine was raised in Mexico, immersed in Latin music interwoven with classical and jazz studies, and obviously has lineage tracing its way […]
Shunzo Ohno Runner Pulsebeats Renowned trumpeter and composer Shunzo Ohno has released his 18th album as leader. This relatively short, (very short for a jazz) album clocks in at just over 30 minutes but offers a wide span of music within that condensed amount of time. Runner is comprised of three compositions; the first of […]
Lou Volpe Before & After Jazz Guitar Let’s acknowledge that moat of the artists you read about on these pages are blues musicians. Even though the record label above and perhaps some of guitarist Lou Volpe’s previous work my steer toward jazz, this writer finds plenty of blues in Volpe’s style. Think back to Larry […]
The TNEK Jazz Quintet Plays the Music of Sam Jones TNEK Jazz If you’re familiar with the music of Cannonball and Nat Adderley and their soul-jazz albums from the ‘60s and ‘70s, chances are that you know the bassist/composer Sam Jones. Jazz fans in general are likely familiar with the name as he was a […]
Laila Biali Out of Dust Self-released (in U.S.) labels elsewhere We are reminded constantly that some of the best music comes from across our northern border. Just this week we heard again from Canadian genre-defying Basia Bulat, a three-time Polaris Music Prize finalist and three-time Juno Award nominee, who released Are You in Love? This […]
Schapiro17 New Shoes: Kind of Blue at 60 Summit As you all know, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue remains the top selling jazz album of all time and people are still buying it more than 60 years later. In that time, we’ve heard tributes, arrangements of many of the tunes, especially “So What” and “All […]
J.C. Hopkins Biggish Band New York Moment Twee-Jazz As the name implies, this band is a ‘tweener” somewhere between a large ensemble or a larger band. Additionally, most units of this type would have one main vocalist while this one has five, each with a distinctly different style. The J.C. Hopkins Biggish Band is a […]
Chicago Yestet Not There Yet Tiddlywinks Music You’ve heard of quartets, quintets, septets and others but this may be the first time you’ve encountered a yestet. This is Chicago’s own acclaimed ensemble, the Chicago Yestet, releasing its third album, Not There Yet. Under the direction of Joel Adams, the 13-piece band presents an engaging, diverse release which addresses […]
Jenny Davis Rearranged Three Penny Just seeing the name Jenny Davis, not to mention her half smiling face in the promo materials, may lead one to believe that this is your basic jazz vocal album. Yet, while it has some of that character, it’s much broader with some very imaginative instrumental configurations and performances. That’s […]
Bob Baldwin Henna City Sketches Bob Baldwin leads this sizeable project with no fewer than 21 musicians and/or singers in the credits with a repertoire that’s as justifiably wide. This is the 31st album for the New York state born contemporary jazz pianist, composer, author and producer. His dad was also a jazz pianist, having […]
Vito Dieterle Anemone and Status Sphere with Joel Forrester Ride Symbol Yes, you read the title correctly. We are covering two separate albums from NYC-based saxophonist Vito Dieterle that he is choosing to release at the same time. Anemone has the classic organ quartet sound of the ‘60s while Status Sphere with Joel Forrester is […]
Funk Shui NYC Shark NATO on a Plane ZOHO Funk Shui NYC is a 15-piece ensemble led by co-leaders trombonist Rob Susman and bari sax/flutist Dave Morgan. They are ostensibly a jazz unit but it’s their wide-ranging repertoire that sets them apart. The five tunes composed by band members here ring with funk, classic rock […]
Clairdee A Love Letter to Lena Declare Music San Francisco jazz vocalist mainstay Clairdee bursts forth with an expansive project honoring Lena Horne, with a supporting cast of no fewer than 20 musicians or singers, including some stirring narration from actress/director/playwright Margo Hall. Clairdee spent three years shaping the project, originally envisioned back in 2009, […]
J D Walter Dressed in a Song Self-released This is a comeback for jazz vocalist JD Walter, the unexpected kind. With a reputation for being somewhat eccentric, adventurous, and the so-called “progressive electronic vocalist,” Walter returns from a life-threatening heart condition and surgeries on his heart and vocal cords to deliver an intimate album of […]
Mike Bond The Honorable Ones Bounce Castle Pianist Mike Bonds is making his debut as a leader with The Honorable Ones, and it’s a quite impressive one. Joined by NYC-based first callers, the core quintet has acclaimed reed man Steve Wilson on alto and soprano, rising trumpet star Josh Evans, renowned bassist and bandleader Ben […]
Sinne Eeg & The Danish Radio Big Band We’ve Just Begun BFM Jazz Jazz vocalist Sinne Eeg has been spreading her spell beyond her native Denmark where she is a huge star, to other locales in Europe and the U.S. Now that she’s combined songwriting with her classy interpretations of standards, she is quickly becoming […]
Sam Hirsh Quite Frankly Umadas Music Pianist, composer and educator Sam Hirsh makes his debut as a bandleader with Quite Frankly, recorded to celebrate the pianist’s thirtieth birthday and tenth year as a staple musician in the jazz scene in Los Angeles. Joined by a bicoastal cadre of world-class improvisers, Hirsh introduces a set of original tunes inspired […]
Robin McKelle Alterations Doxie Alterations is jazz vocalist/composer Robin McKelle’s follow-up to her 2018 Melodic Canvas which we covered on these pages. While that was mostly an album of originals, McKelle chooses here to, as she says, “fuse jazz, soul, r&b, blues and rock while keeping continuity in the music.” These are mostly familiar songs […]
Pacific Mambo Orchestra The III Side Self-released The Grammy-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra (PMO) was founded in 2010 by Mexican-born pianist Christian Tumalan and German-born trumpeter Steffen Kuehn. The 20-piece ensemble is the only active Latin Big band on the US West Coast, comprised of some of the Bay Area’s top talent. In addition, this aggregation […]
Calle Loiza Jazz Project There Will Never Be Another You Self-released This one has a rich story. Calle Loiza is the famous street in Santurce, Puerto Rico with a storied history of culture and artistic creativity. The Bomba rhythms are known to have origin near there. Some core members of this group met at a […]
Josh Deutsch/Nico Solfiato Trio Redshift Musica.org (from Italy) The duo of trumpeter Josh Deutsch and guitarist Nico Solfiato have been active since 2006 when they first met in Boston. They draw on multiple genres, sometimes covering classical and pop in addition to jazz. Sometimes they are totally acoustic but are not averse to electronic loops […]
Justin Varnes Survival Instinct: The Evilution of the Pack Self-released The title undoubtedly piqued your curiosity and there is no misspelling. Instead drummer and leader Justin Varnes is bringing awareness to one of the root causes of violence; our need to belong to a pack coupled with our need to blindly protect that pack. Thousand […]
Tony Irving & Massimo Magee Vitriol and the Third Oraculum 577 Records This is today’s free jazz from two London artists. It’s either your thing or it’s clearly not. There’re no fence sitting for music like this. For reference points think of John Coltrane’s Interstellar Space, a duo with drummer Rashied Ali. Or, the long […]
Kayle Brecher Kayleidoscope Penchant Four Kayle Brecher’s interpretation of the opening “My Favorite Things” lets you know right away that she is a unique, imaginative jazz vocalist. She respects the tradition but is also willing to take some chances. Brecher currently resides in Philadelphia but is a native New Yorker who began her career in […]