making a Scene

Randy Napoleon The Door Is Open: The Music of Gregg Hill OA2 Make this the fifth album bearing the subtitle, “The Music of Gregg Hill” in the past four years.  Again, it’s the jazz musicians from the fertile Michigan State University Jazz program and specifically guitarist Randy Napoleon who now presents The Door Is Open. […]

Rodrigo Recabarren, Pablo Menares, Yago Vazquez Familia Greenleaf Music This piano trio offers a divergent path from the usual piano trio, which is understandable given the backgrounds of the three members. Drummer Rodrigo Recabarren and bassist Pablo Menares hail from Chile while pianist Yago Vazquez is from Galicia, Spain. On Familia, all three contributed compositions […]

GORDON GRDINA THE MARROW with FATHIEH HONARI Attaboygirl Records Gordon Grdina, Oud/composer; Mark Helias, bass; Hank Roberts, cello; Hamin Honari, percussion; FEATURED GUEST: Fathieh Honari, voice. The distinctive sound of Gordon Grdina’s Oud instrument opens this album and draws the listener into the music like a magic spell.  The voice of Fathieh Honari floats chant-like […]

DOUG MACDONALD SEXTET SESSION Dmac Music Doug MacDonald, guitar; Josh Nelson, piano; Mike Gurrola, bass; Charles Ruggiero, drums; Doug Webb, tenor saxophone; Aaron Janik, trumpet. Guitarist and composer, Doug MacDonald leads an all-star sextet of Southern California based musicians.  Although he has headed many types of jazz ensembles, and boasts twenty-six record releases as a […]

Jim Snidero For All We Know Savant Ask jazz folks to name the top ten alto saxophonists, and you’ll be hard pressed to find Jim Snidero on many lists but if you alter the question to those who are well steeped in the music as to who is the most lyrical and possesses the purest […]

Moppa Elliott Advancing on a Wild Pitch (Quintet) – Disasters Vol. 2 Acceleration Due to Gravity (Nonet) – Jonesville Hot Cup The creative compositional mind of bassist Moppa Elliott is so full of brimming ideas that he’s released two recordings with two different bands on the same day. In fact, other than the leader, his […]

NIKOS CHATZITSAKOS TINY BIG BAND 2 Independent Label Nikos Chatzitsakos, double bass/arranger/bandleader; Wilfie Williams, piano; Samuël Bolduc, drums; Gabriel Nekrutman, baritone saxophone; Art Baden, tenor saxophone; Salim Charvet, alto saxophone; Robert Mac Vega Dowda, cornet; Joey Curreri, trumpet/flugelhorn; Armando Vergara, trombone; Alexandria DeWalt & Eleni Ermina Sofou, vocals. The band hits their stride on track […]

Mike LeDonne Groover Quartet + Gospel Choir Wonderful Cellar Music Group We’ve had countless reviews of organ-based soul-jazz albums on these pages but this is a first, not only here but likely in music.  You’ve read about Mike LeDonne as a pianist in this space but here as the B3 maestro, he leads his elite […]

Christian Fabian Trio Hip to the Skip Spice Rack This trio recording comes as a surprise for at least three reasons. It’s the first time that drummer Jason Marsalis has played in a funk/fusion mode for the entire album, and secondly, it’s rare for a trio to render a funk/fusion record as most have horns […]

The Dangerous Dan Toler Quartet Rained Out (WallyGator Music / Bearsloth Publishing) Guitarist Dangerous Dan Toler left an indelible mark on a good amount of great rock ‘n roll by his “dangerous” but sinuous style of playing. In the mid-1970s, Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts recruited Toler to take part in his solo project, Great […]

Gustavo Cortinas Live in Chicago Desafío Candente The intimacy and crystal-clear sound of this recording by composer, drummer, and educator Gustavo Cortiñas puts the listener right on the bandstand or at least in the proverbial first two. Add to that the warmth and sincerity of Cortiñas’ introductions to his compositions, and it makes for a […]

DAGGERBOARD ESCAPEMENT Wide Hive Records Erik Jekabson, trumpet/arranger/composer; Matt Clark, keyboard/piano; Gregory Howe, percussion/ composer; Mike Clark, drummer; Henry ‘the Skipper’ Franklin, bass; Mads Tolling, violin; Kasey Knudsen, alto saxophone; Mike Rinta, trombone/tuba; Ben Davis, cello; Jonathan Ring, French horn; William Winant, timpani/marimba. What better way to start the day than to put on some […]

Greg Murphy You Remind Me Whaling City Sound We last visited with pianist and composer Greg Murphy with his 1991 Cool Water on these pages. While that album celebrated his travels to Africa, this is a heartfelt love letter to his recently passed wife, Nancy. Having studied extensively with the late pianist Ellis Marsalis and […]

Johnny Griffin Live at Ronnie Scott’s 1964 Gearbox This latest discovery hit with little warning, but true audiophiles and tenor sax aficionados may already be hip to this this latest offering from Gearbox – Johnny Griffin’s Live at Ronnie Scott’s 1964.  This white-hot set has already issued on digital, CD, standard, limited edition, and Japanese […]

Giorgi Mikadze Trio Face to Face – Georgian Songbook Vol. 1 Peewee! Georgian-born pianist and composer Giorgi Mikadze leads his trio in an exploration of notable Georgian composers in this highly melodic and memorable effort, as Volume One suggests more will follow. Mikadze studied in the U.S. at Berklee and The Manhattan School of Music […]

Diego Rivera With Just a Word Posi-Tone Saxophonist and composer Diego Rivera has been prolific both as a leader and sideman for Posi-Tone in recent years but on this leader effort, With Just a Word, he augments his typical quartet configuration, inviting trumpeter (and conquero) Pete Rodriguez to form the double horn front line classic […]

Rufus Reid & Sullivan Fortner It’s The Nights I Like Sunnyside This music, most of which has been released before on Elan Mehler’s vinyl only NewVelle Records, under the title Always in the Moment comes coincidentally at a time not long after a review of Sullivan Fortner’s Solo/Game on these pages and Mehler’s Trouble in […]

Terry Adams Terrible Omnivore Notwithstanding the album title itself, which is likely just a tongue-in-cheek reference to the opposite, this is an album that attests to NRBQ’s leader and keyboardist Terry Adam’s jazz chops.  NRBQ albums have covered Monk, Sun Ra, and other jazz artists but excepting the full album for Monk, usually in the […]

Andrew Binder’s Conspiracy Deliracy Conspiracy Deliracy Self-released Bassist and composer Andrew Binder leads his spirited septet in a program of original compositions at the intersection of modern jazz and pop with tongue-in-cheek references to today’s era of fake news and outlandish theories. The ensemble features trumpeter Justin Dyar, saxophonist/flutist Brian Stark, trombonist Frank Niemeyer, Brazilian […]

LAWRENCE FIELDS TO THE SURFACE Rhythm N’ Flow Records Lawrence Fields, piano/composer; Corey Fonville, drums; Yasushi Nakamura, bass. A native of St. Louis, Missouri and currently based in New York City, pianist Lawrence Fields is making his debut recording for Rhythm N’ Flow Records.  After a long swim through the waters of great musicians like […]

Ches Smith Laugh Ash Pyroclastic Drummer and composer Ches Smith is a free spirit that keeps us constantly guessing on what his next project holds. Two are never the same and even rarely similar when considering his Haitian Vodou ensemble We All Break, his stunning Interpret It Well with Bill Frisell, Craig Taborn and Mat […]