DURING AN ERA WHEN JAZZ ARTISTS ARE KEPT IN THE CORNER OF MUSIC, IT’S DIFFICULT TO REMEMBER A TIME WHEN THE AIRWAVES WERE FILLED WITH SWING AND BOP. BEN SIDRAN, JAZZ WRITER, COMPOSER, PIANIST AND PRODUCER, IS A MAN WHO…
Month: January 2019
LUCIANA SOUZA: LONGING AND RAISING HER VOICE
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A VOCALIST? FOR SOME, IT’S TO INTERPRET A SONG; FOR OTHERS, TO DELIVER ONE’S OWN SONG. FOR LUCIANA SOUZA, HER SINGING AND WRITING IS A WAY OF GROWING AS A PERSON, A MOTHER AND A…
LET’S GET LYRICAL!!
Words are important. The beauty of them is that they can get much more specific than abstract things like sounds and colors. You can know exactly where you stand with someone by the words he or she says. I stopped…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****WHERE WAS THIS GUY HIDING? Paul Moer: Complete Trio Sessions 1957-1991
I truly thought I had heard of every jazz piano player from the 50s onward. What a total shock to discover this guy Paul Moer. And I can’t even make the excuse that he’s from Europe; he was born in…
A PILGRIM’S PROGRESS…David Friesen: My Faith, My Life
John Bunyon had his Pilgrim’s Progress, Saint Augustine had his Confessions. Composer David Friesen plays bass, piano and Japanese flute shakuhatchi on this two album set to document his own spiritual pilgrimage. The result is a deep and personal collection…
POST BOP FROM ORIGIN…Jay Thomas: I Always Knew, Piet Verbist Quartet: Suite Reunion
The Seattle-based Origin Records releases intriguing and fresh post-bop material. Here are a couple recent additions to their strong catalogue. Jay Thomas plays trumpet and flugelhorn as well as alto, tenor and soprano sax for tribute to blue pastels from…
Jack Mouse Group: Intimate Adversary
Drummer Jack Mouse leads a modern post bop team with a front line of Scott Robinson/ts and Art Davis/tp-fh while he and John McLean/g with Bob Bowman/g create hip grooves. McLean and Bowman tug back and forth on a smoky…
Eden Bareket Trio: Night
Baritone saxist Eden Bareket creates a rich post bop trio with Or Bareket/b and Felix Lecaros/dr on this nine song disc of originals. He’s got a big, fat and meaty sound, swooping into subtone territory when he digs deep with…
Gil Defay: It’s All Love
Gil Defay plays trumpet, flugelhorn and keyboards while arranging his soulful compositions for a supporting cast that includes Joel Desroches/key, Matthew Smythe/org, Ben Nicolas/dr, Bandji Allonce/perc, Antonio Penalva/g, Parker McAllister/b, Ansy Defayts-ss and other guests. Defay has a nice big…
Ralph Peterson’s Aggregate Prime: Inward Venture
Drummer Ralph Peterson leads a hip and hard hitting hard bop combo of Gary Thomas/ts-fl, Mark Whitfield/g, Davis Whitfield/p and Curtis Lundy/b through a swinging set at the Side Door Jazz Club in that jazz corner of the world Old…