Guitarist and vocalist Dave Van Ronk was one of the progenitors of what became called the “folk” movement of the late 50s and early sixties, leaving a trail of artists like Bob Dylan who were influenced by his rootsy mix…
Month: July 2018
MUSCLES ARE FLEXED Jerry Vivino: Coast to Coast, Paul Kreibich: Thank You Elvin
Back in the 60s and 70s, the jazz sound was muscular, macho and confident. Someone added something to the water, or maybe it’s the hormones in the food we eat, but something took the power out of jazz. These two…
Mike Aiken: Wayward Troubadour
Mike Aiken brings his voice and a collection of guitars to team with Amy Aiken and a rotating team of Tom Hurst/dr, David Roe/b, Kenny Vaughan/g, Michael Webb/B3, Ben Probus/fid and guests on voice for an acoustic trip of bluegrass…
Black Art Jazz Collective: Armor of Pride
I tend to get suspicious of people or groups that are named after a race. Does the BAJC really “maintain it’s roots in the African American culture”? Why does the excellent post bop music here by Wayne Escoffery/ts, Jeremy Pelt/tp,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****PLAY GARNER FOR ME…Erroll Garner: Nightconcert
Thankfully, someone has been rummaging through the archives of legendary pianist Erroll Garner. Two years ago, Mack Avenue released the swinging Ready Take One, and now we get a wonderful concert from the apotheosis of Garner and his trio of…
Barrett Martin Group: Transcendence
Here’s a rhythmic delight by drummer Barnett Martin, featuring a rotating team including Andy Coe/g, Hans Teuber/sax, Dave Carter/tp, Evan Flory-Barnes/dr and a rotating team of percussionists, etc. The moods can range from an African tribal pulse as on “Invocation,”…
Jungsu Choi Tiny Orkester: Tscuss Jazz Era
A clever mix of tradition and modern is produced by this “ Tiny” Orchestra 12 musicans and guest vocalists. Composer and arranger Jungsu Choi does some clever work re-working pieces by Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington, the former with a…
George McMullen Trio: Boomerang
The unorthodox trio lead by trombonist George McMullen with NickRosen/b and Alex Cline/dr works impressively on this collection of originals. McMullen’s tone is rich and warm, comfortable in open spaces as on the swinging p ost bop “Boomerang” and can…
Ron Di Salvio & Bart Platteau: The Puglia Suite
Sublime jazz sonatas are delivered by pianist Ron Di Salvio as he teams up with the flutes of Bart Platteau on these 15 intuitive conversations. Platteau’s vibrato is warm and elegant on dreamy themes such as “Puglia” and the pastoral…
Solon McDade: Murals
Classic sounds of post hard bop are delivered by the quintet of Donny Kennedy/as, Jeremiah McDade/ts, Paul Shrofel/p, Rich Irwin/dr and leader Solon McDade/b. The bassist’s compositions have irresistible pulses, most of them introduced by the leader’s hip lines before…