Santi Debriano Flash of the Spirit Truth Revolution To understand the eclectic nature of bassist/guitarist/composer Santi Debriano’s Flash of the Spirit, it helps to understand his makeup. The native Panamanian, who moved to New York at age 4, has never abandoned his original heritage, so for essentially an entire lifetime he has lived in several […]
David Detweiler Astoria Suite NEXTLEVEL/Outside in Music Born and raised in Houston, TX but having lived on opposite sides of the United States in both New York and Florida, Saxophonist and composer David Detweiler is well acquainted with shifting definitions of home. In 2010, Detweiler returned to New York, moving to Astoria, with his wife […]
J.T. Lauritsen & The Buckshot Hunters Blue Eyed Soul Vol. 2 Hunter Records Jan Tore Lauritsen, better known as JT, hails from Lillestrom, Norway. He began playing piano at an early age but soon switched to the Hammond B-3. Lauritsen had his first paying gig at the age of fourteen. Because the B-3 was too […]
The Grasso-Ravita Jazz Ensemble Jagged Spaces Self-released This is the recording debut for co-leaders guitarist Skip Grasso and bassist Phil Ravita. Each of the nine tunes was written by a band member in the quintet that also features saxophonist Benny Russell, pianist Greg Small, and drummer Nuc Vega. Four tunes are from Grasso, two apiece […]
Miguel Zenon and Luis Perdomo El Arte Del Bolero (Digital Release Only) Miel Music Last year we were late bringing you the eighth Grammy-nominated album, Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera, from reigning Saxophonist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association, Miguel Zenon. Zenon has also received four Latin Grammy nominations among his many […]
Jon KT The Real Cover Up KT Productions Jon Lindley was born in England and currently lives in Wisconsin. He is an independent music producer and audio engineer. He started with music at an early age and taught himself to play drums and keyboards. After many years of working in the woodworking industry, he decided […]
Rhythm City Rhythm City Autumn Hill Drummer Rob Silverman released his own Drumology two months ago, an album that brought together jazz and rock drummers in primarily a jazz fusion vein. Now Silverman returns with a St. Louis-based trio, Rhythm City, featuring pianist Ptah Williams, and bassist Larry Kornfield for another mostly fusion inspired outing. […]
Markus Gottschlich Found Sounds Self-released The U.S.-based Austrian pianist, composer, bandleader, and Steinway Artist Markus Gottschlich leads his trio with guests across a concept album. Found Sounds aims at helping people examine and re-examine their relationship to their environment. In developing the album, his third as a leader, Gottschlich recorded and collected sounds (thus the […]
Jeff Ellwood The Sounds Around the House Self-released Sometimes a musician can get comfortable as an in-demand sideman and it takes a little push to step forward as a leader. Such is the case with tenor saxophonist Jeff Ellwood who steps into that role for the first time with The Sounds Around the House. In […]
Paul Wilkinson 400 Bears Self-released This is a pleasant surprise from a local artist to this Pennsylvanian-based writer. Normally these kinds of efforts are hit or miss at best but Paul Wilkinson, longtime guitarist for the West Chester-based roots rock band Mason Porter, debut solo album , 400 Bears, impresses from the opening notes and […]
Bill Evans Live at Ronnie Scott’s (with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette) Resonance Ah, Black Friday is here. This one features legendary, influential pianist Bill Evans across 20 tracks live at London’s iconic Ronnie Scott’s in 1968 with his short-lived but remarkable trio of Jack DeJohnette and Eddie Gomez, who were at Scott’s for a […]
MicroCorgi MicroCosmos Self-released MicroCorgi is a New York -based trio debuting and featuring Andrew McGowan (keys), Yuto Kanazawa (guitar), and Ilya Dynov (drums). They hail from far corners of the globe and have diverse influences such as European Jazz, Japanese rock, Afro-beat, and New Orleans brass band music. Having formed in 2018, they forged a […]
John Calvin Abney Familiar Ground Black Mesa Oklahoma has produced some of the best roots music in recent years. Think John Moreland, John Fullbright, Michael McClure, Jason Boland, Turnpike Troubadours, and Carter Sampson to name a few. Yes, some notices that John Calvin Abney was missing from that short list. He is the multi-instrumentalist, solo […]
Deborah Silver Glitter and Grit (featuring Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel) Bismeaux Productions Rather inexplicably, considering that vocalist Deborah Silver reached #1 in Billboard on both the Traditional Jazz Album and the Heatseeker Album chart with her 2016 release, The Gold Standards, her latest release, Glitter and Grit, where she is backed by Ray […]
Paulette McWilliams A Woman’s Story Blujazz Chances are that you’ve heard Paulette McWilliams sing before. If you’ve heard Richard L’Hommedieu’s interview and/or seen the accompanying cover story (11/17/2020) you’re already aware of this but suffice it to say, McWilliams is the primary female voice on Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til you Get Enough,” Aretha Franklin’s […]
Carla Marciano Quartet Psychosis – Homage to Bernard Herrmann Challenge This one comes from across the pond and yes, saxophonist Carla Marciano and her quartet hail from Italy. This is this writer’s first exposure to her remarkable tone and passionate approach to her instruments – alto and sopranino saxes. It’s no surprise that she is […]
The Mariel Bildsten Quintet Backbone Outside in Music Maybe you are guessing that this is a debut and if so, you’re right. However, trombonist Mariel Bildsten has considerable side-woman experience and plays in several big bands, notably as the lead trombonist in Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. She also plays in the Eyal Vilner Big Band, […]
Brandi Disterheft Trio featuring George Coleman Surfboard Justin Time Bassist-composer-singer Brandi Disterheft’s fifth album, Surfboard, features two iconic octogenarian masters — virtuoso tenor saxophonist George Coleman and the definitive Brazilian drummer Portinho — as well as world-class pianist Klaus Mueller. Disterheft’s kinetic, harmonically erudite basslines anchor ensemble interpretations of choice tunes culled from the blues, mainstream jazz, and the Great Brazilian and American […]
Kevin Burt Stone Crazy Gulf Coast Records Iowan Kevin Burt has been on the Midwest blues scene honing his soulful presentation for some twenty-five years. He is a self-taught guitarist, harmonica player and vocalist, who has shared the stage with B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, Lonnie Brooks and many others. His festival […]
Chad McCullough Forward Outside in Music Trumpeter and composer Chad McCullough releases Forward, his eighth as a leader. McCullough leads a quartet made up of three of Chicago’s best: pianist Rob Clearfield, bassist Matt Ulery, and drummer Jon Deitemyer. Renowned producer Ryan Cohan augments the affair by contributing additional programming and part-writing to Forward; creating ambient layers for McCullough’s lyrical compositions and augmenting […]
Shemekia Copeland Uncivil War Alligator Records Shemekia Copeland is the daughter of the four-time Blues Music Award winning bluesman Johnny “Clyde” Copeland. Growing up in a household surrounded by music she inherited the urge to perform. At the age of eighteen Shemekia released her 1998 Alligator Records debut “Turn The Heat Up” receiving her first […]
Alonzo Demetrius Live from the Prison Nation Onyx Productions Trumpeter Alonzo Demetrius and his working band The Ego deliver, as you would guess from the title, a socially conscious album, recorded live this past May from Boston’s Berklee School of Music. Demetrius is working on acclaimed drummer Ralph Peterson’s label, and, as such is the first instrumentalist to record […]
Cesar Orozco & Kamarata Jazz Rooted Forward Self-released Rooted Forward is the fourth album from César Orozco and Kamarata Jazz. A pianist, composer, arranger, and educator (who just so happens to be a classically trained violinist, too!), Orozco has always celebrated the rich musical traditions of Cuba and Venezuela, the two places that most greatly informed […]
Dustin Laurenzi’s Natural Language A Time and a Place Woolgathering Tenor saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi’s A Time and A Place, follows-up his 2016 self-titled album with his quartet of Chicago-based musicians, Natural Language, intact. Their sound embodies unbridled invention and cohesiveness that creates moods and textures in favor of aggressive soloing although there is some of that too, mostly […]
The Allman Brothers Band The Final Note – Painters Mill Music Fair 10-17-71 Warner Theater, Erie, Pa 7-19-05 (2 CDs) Allman Brothers Band Recordings/Peach Records These two live recordings of the Allman Brothers Band, as the dates suggest, represent two incarnations of the lineup, neither ever heard on record until now. The Final Note is […]
Benn Clatworthy & System 6 Bennie’s Lament Skipper Productions London-bred and Los Angeles-based saxophonist Benn Clatworthy has been a fixture on the Los Angeles jazz scene since 1980. Clatworthy was originally heavily influenced by late-’50s John Coltrane, but would soften his tone and sometimes sound a little like Warne Marsh with touches of Sonny Rollins. He debuted in 1990 with Thanks Horace (which […]
Doug Webb Apples and Oranges Posi-Tone Posi-Tone, the highly selective label that only issues about a dozen recordings annually, a label that we began covering on these pages this year, now releases Doug Webb’s Apples & Oranges, the latest from the veteran saxophonist and composer, one of the label’s longest tenured artists. Some of the […]
Andy Watts Supergroove Booga Music/Vizztone Label Group Andy Watts was bitten by the blues bug when he was twelve. He started playing guitar and developing a reputation as Israel’s Ambassador of the blues, bringing in the world’s leading artists to perform and record with his band The Blues Rebels. They released their first album “Open […]
Eric Revis Slipknots Through the Looking Glass Pyroclastic GRAMMY award-winning bassist and composer Eric Revis, if nothing else, is consistently explorative and experimental. Slipknots Through a Looking Glass, his debut for Pyroclastic Records is definitely “out there.” Like his label mates he lives on the cutting edge. Revis is not embarrassed to admit that his music is […]
Igor Kogan In a Big City Self-released In a Big City is the debut studio album as a bandleader for bassist /composer Igor Kogan for this quintet setting, He features 9-time Grammy Award nominee vocalist Tierney Sutton on “Vocalise.” The members of his fiery, versatile, contemporary sounding quintet are Jeremy Lappitt (tenor saxophone), Joshua Aguiar […]
Joan Osborne Trouble and Strife Womanly Hips Music Trouble and Strife, self-produced on her own label, is her tenth solo studio album and the first album of Joan Osborne’s original material in six years, since 2014’s Love and Hate. It’s Osborne, one of the best and certainly most versatile singers of our time, responding to […]
Hazar Reincarnated (featuring Al DiMeola) IAN Productions Any time there’s a chance to a great guitarist play Luiz Bonfa’s iconic “Black Orpheus,” that’s reason enough to investigate an album from a new artist, at least to this writer. Hazar is a superb acoustic guitarist who teams with luminary guitarist Al DiMeola, percussionist Mehmet Katay, pianist […]
Jim Waller Big Band Bucket List Self-released Have you ever noticed that the word ‘debut” appears often on these pages for upstart and veteran jazz artists alike? Yes, we now bring you yet another from veteran multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and educator Jim Waller. As the title indirectly suggests, this is Waller’s fulfillment of a dream […]
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 […]
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 […]
Johnny & The Mongrels Creole Skies Independent This is the full length debut recording by Johnny & The Mongrels. The band was founded by Fort Collins, Colorado residents Johnny Ryan and Jeffrey Bostic. The two singer-songwriters, vocalist Ryan, and bassist Bostic first met in April of 2015. The seasoned bassist had already toured with his […]
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 […]
Tony Davis Golden Year Posi-Tone Most jazz listeners are surely acquainted with one of the genre’s foremost trombonists, Steve Davis. The good news is his 25-year-old son, guitarist Tony Davis (hence referred to as Tony to avoid any confusion) has also picked up the mantle and is continuing the family’s musical legacy. Not only does […]
Mick Hayes My Claim To Fame Move The Needle Music Upstate New York’s Mick Hayes was gifted his first guitar by his parents when he was only seven. By the time he was twenty he was a member, and songwriting contributor, to the Buffalo based band “Only Human” who opened for both Marshall Tucker and […]
Billy Prine A Place I Used to Know Memphis International Records Billy Prine releases A Place I Used To Know on July 10 by Memphis International Records and is his first album release since 2013. It features two songs written by his legendary, late brother John Prine. Originally from Chicago and now living in Nashville, […]
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 […]
The Forrest McDonald Band fea. Andrew Black Blues In A Bucket World Talent Records Forrest Howard McDonald was born in Austin, Texas the son of a Constitutional historian. He first picked up the guitar when he was fourteen and studied at both the Dick Grove Conservatory of Music in Studio City and at The Guitar […]
The Staples Unlock Your Mind Omnivore Recordings/Warner Records The American musical treasure, The Staples Singers a.k.a. The Staples, are Lifetime Grammy Award recipients and inductees in both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and The Gospel Hall of Fame. Roebuck “Pops” Staples founded the folk/gospel group with his children Cleo, Pervis (who left the […]
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 […]
John Craigie Asterisk the Universe Zabriskie Point John Craigie is the modern-day troubadour who has knack for drawing listeners to his articulate cons filled with dry wit and unexpected twists. He has spent more than a decade on the road honing his storytelling skills, brought to the fore once again with his latest project, Asterisk […]
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 […]
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 […]
Holy Hive Float Back to You Big Crown The expectations for this debut release from Holy Hive and their self-described “folk soul” were rather high following a string of live shows, singles, and their Harping EP. It’s fair to say the trio delivered on them as well with their retro mashup of folk and ‘60s soul. It’s, […]
