Every week our staff of CD Reviewers bring you the best in Independent CD releases. Making a Scene is considered the number 1 resource for the independent musician and the fans that love them.
Steve Smith and Vital Information Time Flies + A Prayer For the Generations Wounded Bird Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Steve Smith, formerly of Journey, and recognized in many quarters as one of the all-time best drummers, has been leading his jazz group, Vital Information, for forty years now so this represents a […]
Lonnie Liston Smith JID017 Jazz Is Dead Seventeen albums in the space of just a few years and this writer realizes that this is our first coverage of the Jazz Is Dead series, helmed by producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The name, of course, is intended to be the opposite and the duo […]
Jimmy Bennett Sunday Morning Sessions Junkyard Dog Productions Sunday Morning Sessions is the gentle and unplugged side of the typically fiery guitarist Jimmy Bennett. You may recall Bennett was electric guitarist with The Bennett Brothers, Bruce Katz, John Ginty, and Alexis P. Suter albums on the American Showplace label under the late Ben Elliott to […]
Jim Alfredson Family Business Posi-Tone Yes, more organ music, but organist Jim Alfredson, on his first Posi-Tone release as a leader, invites three of the label’s horn players to join his trio of guitarist Will Bernard and drummer EJ Strickland. The three horn players should be familiar names, all leaders in their own right, who, […]
Richard X. Bennett & Matt Parker Parker Plays X BYNK Richard X. Bennett is the pianist and composer for what are essentially piano-saxophone tunes played by Matt Parker. While they are the principals, this is a quartet session, with bassist Adam Armstrong and drummer Julian Edmond. Unlike many jazz albums, this has a full twelve […]
Rudy Royston’s Flatbed Buggy DAY Greenleaf Music In-demand drummer Rudy Royston has played on countless albums as a valued sideman. You’ve seen his name associated with most releases from the Posi-Tone label that we have covered on these pages and you’re likely aware that he often contributes his own compositions to many of those albums. In […]
Yelena Eckemoff Lonely Man and His Fish L & H Productions The title sounds more like a short story than a jazz album and it is indeed a narrative put to music. Russian-born, North Carolina-based composer and pianist Yelena Eckemoff has built her reputation on concept albums, whether it’s stages of life, colors, smells, seasons, […]
Dan Rosenboom Polarity Orenda Trumpeter and composer Dan Rosenboom has been a pivotal catalyst for the creative music scene in Los Angeles over the past decade and a half. Polarity, originally envisioned as a most improvisational album became one of mostly through-composed compositions at the behest of drummer Damion Reid, which is not to say […]
Arturo O’Farrill Legacies Blue Note Composer, arranger, and bandleader Arturo O’Farrill has returned to his first love, jazz piano, after helming large ensemble projects such as last year’s …dreaming in lions. Flanked by his son, drummer Zack O’Farrill, and bassist Llany Mateo, Legacies is a mix of five trio and four solo piano performances. The […]
Alex Weitz Rule of Thirds Outside in Music Saxophonist and composer Alex Weitz is multi-talented. Many will recognize him as a videographer and, in fact, he is the man behind the camera for the popular streaming series “Live at Emmett’s Place,” of which, pianist Emmet Cohen guests on the aptly titled, Rule of Thirds, Weitz’s […]
John Pizzarelli Stage & Screen Palmetto Having just witnessed a performance from John Pizzarelli and his trio, the same musicians that grace, Stage and Screen, it’s not surprising to see the guitarist/vocalist/songwriter devote an album to the Great American Songbook. That’s primarily what he’s been doing for the past 40 years whether it be Frank […]
Blood, Sweat, & Tears What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears? – Original Soundtrack Omnivore Now that we think about the question posed in the album title, it’s one that many of us have pondered, or in most cases, probably forgot about in the intervening years. Yet, those who lived through the brief […]
Rachel Eckroth One Blackbird Sessions Having somehow failed to review Rachel Eckroth’s Grammy nominated The Garden and realizing that we haven’t yet devoted ink to one of the more versatile artists of our time, it just seemed right to make you aware of her latest endeavor. One is Eckroth alone on solo acoustic piano devoid […]
David Cook Loyal Returns Sunnyside There are plenty of musicians whose first love is playing jazz but realize that applying their talents to other genres can be more lucrative. Such is the case with pianist, composer, and erstwhile musical director David Cook who leads such big name acts as Taylor Swift, Shoshona Bean, and Shayna […]
Various Artists Shorter Moments – Blue Ballads Posi-Tone Even before the iconic Wayne Shorter passed just this past March, we had seen tributes to him in recent years by many artists across many labels. In fact, this one, Posi- Tone issued their first installment of Shorter Moments–Exploring the World of Wayne in 2021. This next […]
The Le Boeuf Brothers Hush Soundspore If the sound and music of an album can be described in one word, the Le Boeuf Brothers have managed to do just that with this title, Hush. One does not find many jazz albums with 19 tracks as this has, but the many short vignettes or interludes serve […]
Jae Sinnett’s Zero to 60 Quartet – (featuring Randy Brecker) Commitment J-Nett Music Jae Sinnett is a formidable, drummer, composer, educator, and bandleader but he may be even more widely known to most as a top-rated jazz programmer and radio personality. He is the host for NPR affiliate WHRV-FM 89.5 in Norfolk, VA. He hosts […]
The Wood Brothers Heart is the Hero Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers The Wood Brothers admonish us to slow down in the rollicking opener “Pilgrim” on their eighth album, and that slowing down to appreciate the little, oft overlooked aspects of life, is essentially the theme of this infectious record stock of songs with the kind of […]
The Infamous Stringdusters A Tribute to Flatt & Scruggs Americana Vibez Records Here they go again, those Infamous (and incredible) Stringdusters, demonstrating that to rock as creatively and successfully as they do in the progressive bluegrass realm, frequent trips back to the music’s Appalachian sources to really know the stuff, are an obligation. Besides enormous […]
Wayne Escoffery Like Minds Smoke Sessions Saxophonist, composer, and educator Wayne Escoffery returns with his steady quartet and major guests for Like Minds, his Smoke Sessions follow-up to the acclaimed 2020 The Humble Warrior. Escoffery considers the album very personal, on the one hand containing pandemic reflections and on the other, basking in the enjoyment […]
Nick Finzer Dreams, Visions, Illusions Outside in Music Trombonist, composer, arranger, producer and Outside In Music label founder Nick Finzer delivers Dreams, Visions, Illusions with his long running sextet. The album follows his 2021 album Out of Focus and is a cousin to his 2020 sextet recording Characters. Finzer’s sextet features tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist Lucas Pino, guitarist Alex Wintz, pianist Glenn Zalenski, bassist Dave […]
Triogram Triogram Circle Theory Media Jazz artists continually refer to “our generation,” “the next generation,” or “the elders” when describing the lineage of an artist or unit. Depending on your perspective, Triogram is an either “our generation” or “next generation” group of three musicians, all under 30 years of age. They are a modern jazz […]
Lucas De Mulder & The New Mastersounds Feel the Spirit The Drawbars – One Finger Only Color Red We made you aware of the funky, mostly organ-oriented music coming out of the label Color Red with our review of the Tim Carman Trio in late February. There’s plenty more where that came from, most recently […]
Mike Miz Only Human Blackbird The singer/songwriter/guitarist Mike Mizwinski, better known as Mike Miz, took a major step by moving to Nashville three years ago. Miz has a strong following in his native Northeastern Pennsylvania as a jam band icon, from early band Morning Pride to his various Miz band lineups to Phish and Grateful […]
Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen Black Leather Blues Mo Mojo Like many other regions that don’t receive national attention, northeast Pennsylvania has a vital music scene. This is the second artist (see also review on Mike Miz) that we’ve covered this week alone who hails from the area. Wilkes-Barre guitarist and emerging singer-songwriter Dustin […]
Luis Russell At the Swing Cats Ball – Newly Discovered Recordings from the Closet Vol 1.- 1938-1940 Dot Time It turns out that with all due respect Zev Feldman and Cory Weeds aren’t the only jazz archaeologists unearthing new discoveries. Firsthand this writer heard Catherine Russell describe how she found boxes of acetates when cleaning […]
Steve Swell’s Fire Into Music For Jemeel – Fire from the Road Rogue Art Steve Swell’s Fire Into Music is a band that grew out of New York’s creative improvisational scene in the late ‘80s, with this 3-CD live set, For Jemeel, Fire from the Road, dating to shows from 2004-2005 in two Texas locations […]
Joe Krown Tribute Sledgehammer Blues Joe Krown played keyboards with many people who influenced him. When I first heard Krown he was the keyboardist for Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. Krown played alongside his band mate alto-saxophonist Eric Demmer. Krown’s last project was in a duo performance with Jason Ricci. Krown opens with an instrumental tribute to […]
Behn Gillece Between the Bars Posi-Tone Between the Bars is the ninth album as a leader for vibraphonist Behn Gillece, not to mention his many sideman contributions to the label’s catalog. He brings both familiar Posi-Tone names such as pianist Art Hirahara and saxophonists Diego Rivera (tenor) and Patrick Cornelius (alto, soprano, bass clarinet) as […]
Towner Galaher Organ Trio LIVE Rhythm Royale Some of the most timeless music in jazz lies in its sub-genre, the classic organ trio. Rarely does a month go by without an organ trio or organ related band. We’ve already heard from Dave Stryker with Larry Goldings and the Vince Ector trios in this first quarter […]
Dewayne Pate On the Upside Self-released The talented musicians in San Francisco’s Bay Area never cease to amaze in their versatility across so many genres whether it be blues, soul, R&B, jazz, or Latin. We’ve heard these cross-pollinations on albums from David K. Mathews, Roy Obeido, and Bill Ortiz, among others. Now the ridiculously busy […]
David Haerle El Camino Sierra Edendale Los Angeles singer/songwriter/guitarist and indie-label owner David Haerle releases his third album, El Camino Sierra, his follow-up to 2020’s Death Valley. Like that album, the themes are rooted in California geography and personal experience. While this writer described his previous effort as “an uneven set of songs, some of […]
Ingrid Laubrock The Last Quiet Place Pyroclastic The title, The Last Quiet Place, certainly has a foreboding ring to it. Where is such a place – is it physical or is it some corner of our inner selves that becomes increasingly more difficult to reach? Saxophonist and composer Ingrid Laubrock posed these questions to herself […]
Peter Case Doctor Moan Sunset Blvd. Apart from the great, though purposely dichotomous album title, Peter Case marks his first piano driven album, the sixteenth in his storied five-decade career that’s ranged from punk, jangly rock, and introspective folk to what we can now add his latent hints of jazz and blues. While researching this […]
Canadian Jazz Collective Septology – The Black Forest Session HGBS Blue The Canadian Jazz Collective (CJC) is fronted by three of Canada’s most acclaimed and accomplished jazz treasures and familiar names to readers of these pages, especially trumpeter Derrick Gardner alongside saxophonist Kirk MacDonald, guitarist Lorne Lofsky. We introduced clarinetist Virginia MacDonald (Kirk’s daughter) on Michael Dease’s recently issued The Other […]
Mark Lewis Sunlight Shines In Audio Daddio Leave it to legally blind musician, saxophonist/flutist Mark Lewis to entitle his album this way. It’s his way of marking a new chapter for the Washington state born and now residing Lewis who has nearly two dozen albums to his credit and has spent most of his career […]
Big Harp George Cut My Spirit Loose Blues Mountain San Francisco blues singer, songwriter and chromatic harmonica player Big Harp George/George Bisharat returns with his fifth album, Cut My Spirit Loose. He features a cast of elite players, including guitarist Kid Andersen, Joe Kyle Jr. on bass, drummers June Core and Derrick D’Mar Martin, with […]
Ralph Alessi It’s Always Now ECM It’s Always Now is the eleventh release and fourth on ECM for American trumpeter and composer Ralph Alessi. Departing from previous ECM works, Alessi moves away from his NYC quartet in favor of new European- American lineup that features German pianist Florian Webber (co-writer on three compositions and fourth […]
Michael Dease The Other Shoe – The Music of Gregg Hill Origin You may well recognize that trombonist and composer Michael Dease is the second major artist to cover the music of Gregg Hill, who co-produces. Bassist Rodney Whitaker, who is a guest of Dease’s ensemble here for The Other Shoe – The Music of […]
Steve Dawson Eyes Closed, Dreaming Black Hen Music Steve Dawson’s status in his home country Canada could decorate the face of a skyscraper. Dawson has played remarkable guitar on, and/or produced, over 200 albums since emerging in the late 1990s, winning a cabinet full of trophies including seven Juno Awards for his efforts. Now in […]
Esthesis Quartet Time Zones Ears And Eyes The aptly named Time Zones brings together four improvising female jazz musicians who hail from different parts of the U.S. This is their second effort as their eponymous Esthesis Quartet released in 2021. The four musicians, educators, and composers met through festivals, conferences and sessions throughout the country […]
Pierre L. Chambers Shining Moments Dash-Hoffman “Mr P. C.” will inevitably be associated with the legendary bassist Paul Chambers, but now for the first time on record we hear from his son, poet and vocalist Pierre L. Chambers, who pays homage to his father and mother with his debut recording, Shining Moments. Proving that it’s […]
Billy Childs The Winds of Change Mack Avenue Although it’s a bit hard to fathom that Billy Childs may need an introduction, it’s likely the first time we have covered him on these pages as a leader. Childs is one of the most critically acclaimed pianists in contemporary jazz and among America’s most awarded and commissioned modern […]
David Ake Green Thumb Posi-Tone Even though this is regular David Ake’s seventh album for Posi-Tone, Green Thumb marks our first coverage for the pianist and leading educator at The University of Miami’s esteemed Frost School of Music. Now, we may have mentioned this before but because the Posi-Tone producer/engineer duo of Marc Free and […]
Dave Askren Jeff Benedict Denver Sessions Tapestry Denver Sessions is the fourth collaborative album for guitarist Dave Askren and saxophonist Jeff Benedict and follows their 2020 tribute to the recently passed Wayne Shorter, entitled Paraphernalia. The two have actually recorded together a dozen times in their 30-year history in L.A. The location and lineup are […]
Bobo Stenson Trio Sphere ECM European piano trios, many of whom come from a classical background, often sound very different from their American jazz counterparts. Such is the case for Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson who made his debut with ECM a whopping 52 years ago with Underwear and has remained in the ECM stable with […]
Vince Ector Vince Ector Organatomy Trio+ – Live at the Side Door Self-released Veteran jazz drummer and composer Vince Ector leads his jazz organ trio plus one in a live set recorded in January 2020 at Connecticut’s popular jazz venue, the Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, CT. Vince Ector Organatomy Trio+ – Live at […]
Big Shoes Fresh Tracks Qualified Fresh Tracks is the American Roots Supergroup Big Shoes’ follow-up to their acclaimed 2018 Step On It! Big Shoes originally formed as a “tribute project” to recreate the early music of the iconic band Little Feat, thus the name. As they developed it became evident that the group boasted good […]
Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia Blood Brothers Gulf Coast Records Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia’s dozens of individual albums all point to their first collaboration working as well as it does. Not to mention that they’re apparently good buddies. The title Blood Brothers encapsulates their bond and shared spirits ideally. Zito and Castiglia have long […]
Margherita Fava TATATU Self-released TATATU is the debut recording for Italian-born, Knoxville, TN-based pianist and composer Margherita Fava who has assembled a top tier quartet for her highly lyrical, soulful original six compositions. She nods to Thelonious Monk and to Jerome Kern with her two covers. Joining Favre, who forges a group sound versus a […]