cd review

Ally Fiola & The Next Quest Interblaze – featuring Jeff Coffin Self-released Nova Scotian alto saxophonist and film composer Ally Fiola delivers her second album, the contemporary jazz, New Orleans flavored Interblaze. Her guest accompanists are quite impressive beginning with multi-Grammy nominated tenor saxophonist Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones) and […]

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Simon Moullier Isla Self-released Scanning the album photograph and instrumentation for this quartet, one might think that emerging and prolific vibraphonist and composer Simon Moullier presents an ethereal, almost New Wave-like sound.  Well, that’s dead wrong.  This quartet swings!  Isla is Moullier’s third album in less than three years and while the others were rendered […]

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Christopher Hale Ritual Diamonds Earshift Music Bassist-composer Christopher Hale reimagines Korean ritual drumming and contemporary jazz, creating mysteriously beautiful sound rich in rhythmic complexity and harmonic colors for Ritual Diamonds. In some respects, this is similar to, almost a sequel to the concept album Disruption: The Voice of Drums released in 2022 by the same […]

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Vivienne Aerts Typuhthang Self-released Like you, this writer is having trouble pronouncing the album name. In fact, for a self-released project, this is an incredibly ambitious and unusual one. Vocalist, performer, and composer Vivienne Aerts has gathered 100 next-generation female musicians to launch a special touch for International Women’s Day on March 3. In collaboration […]

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Jesse Davis Jesse Davis Live at Smalls Jazz Club Cellar Music Group and SmallsLIVE Living Masters Series  Admittedly some readers of these pages may have first associated the name Jesse Davis with Taj Mahal’s late guitarist, better known as Jesse Ed Davis. Yet, alto saxophonist Jesse Davis has been a staple within the jazz community for nearly forty […]

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East Axis No Subject Mack Avenue We don’t associate the label Mack Avenue or Christian’s McBride’s Brother Mister Productions with improvised, avant-garde offerings except for his own New Jawn but that has changed with the issuance of this quartet, East Axis and their debut, No Subject. Based on the sounds heard here, more of this […]

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Planet D Nonet Blues to Be There A Salute to Duke Ellington Eastlawn The Planet D Nonet is a Detroit-based group, actually numbering ten, lead by percussionist and music personality RJ Spangler and trumpeter/vocalist James O’Donnell. Prior to this salute to Duke Ellington the band has engaged in what they feel are neglected jazz and […]

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John Bailey Time Bandits Freedom Road Versatile and in-demand trumpeter and composer John Bailey has played alongside Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Jr., and Latin jazz giants Ray Barretto and Arturo O’Farrill as well as with major jazz musicians in NYC. The backing ensemble he has recruited for Time Bandits, his third album as a leader, […]

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Richie Goods & Chien Chien Lu Connected Vol. 1 Richman Music Renowned bassist Richie Goods and respected vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu are documenting what looks to be the first in a series of collaborations. You may have already heard some of their work as “We Three Kings” was released in the Fall of 2020 and “Rain,” which […]

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Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets Pan Africa Impact Jazz Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Derrick Gardner has been regarded prominently ever since his 2005 debut with Slim Goodie. He has also received international acclaim for his 18-piece ensemble Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band, highlighted by their critically acclaimed 2020 recording debut Still I Rise, which we covered […]

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Nadje Noordhuis Full Circle Newvelle The Australian-born trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis leads a first-rate quartet on Full Circle, the fourth album in NewVelle Records’ Renewal Series.  Flanked by pianist Fred Hersch, bassist Thomas Morgan, and drummer Rudy Royston, Noordhuis, who composed all eight compositions, gives each of her bandmates plenty of solo opportunities.  This is a […]

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Rodney Whitaker Oasis – The Music of Gregg Hill Origin Detroit native, Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University, and esteemed bassist Rodney Whitaker is back with his third album dedicated to music of his East Lansing neighbor, composer Gregg Hill, with Oasis. If this, the first one this writer has heard, is any […]

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Steve Tintweiss Spacelight Band Live at NYU:1980 INKY DoT Media Why bring something so ‘old’ to these pages?  Admittedly, it’s due to Steve Tintweiss, the bassist and composer, who appeared on several avant-garde or free jazz recordings of the ‘70s and ‘80s, including the most intriguing album this writer has heard this year – Albert […]

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Roberta Donnay BLOSSOM-ing Village Jazz Café BLOSSOM-ing, a tribute to the music of Blossom Dearie, is the tenth album for the award-winning vocalist Roberta Donnay.  We’ll get to Donnay shortly but just in case you need a little background on Blossom Dearie, we’ll start with the famed vocalist who made her mark mostly in the […]

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Whit Dickey Quartet Root Perspectives TAO Forms Drummer and composer Whit Dickey is one of the foremost stalwarts of New York’s improvised music scene. His own label, TAO Forms, has spawned James Brandon Lewis’ poll winning Jesup Wagon, and Dickey’s own Expanding Light and Astral Long Form: Staircase in Space.  His latest, Root Perspectives, is, […]

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