There is something wonderfully nostalgic about opening up a brand new John Coltrane album from the Impulse! label, complete with the iconic orange siding, recorded, mixed and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs, NJ and filled with liner…
Month: September 2019
RSVP….Chick Corea-Christian McBride-Brian Blade: Trilogy 2
This is the kind of reunion I can get into! The superteam of pianist Chick Corea, drummer Brian Blade and bassist Christian McBride released a powerhouse 3 disc set back in 2014. This two disc compilation is from their “reunion…
Jared Pauley: On Capitol Street
Jared Pauley not only shows mastery of keyboards and bass on this wide ranging album, but his composing skills have as wide a breath of his chops, with his own tunes ranging from upbeat post bop to sizzling Latin currents.…
****REISSUE OF THE YEAR?****THE SPICE OF PEPPER…Art Pepper: Promise Kept-The Complete Artists House Recordings
Once upon a time, saxophone players actually had their own personal sound, and NO ONE had as a fingerprint of a delivery as Art Pepper. His career is lovingly divided by his “pre-incarceraton” cool period of the 50s-60s and his…
Poncho Sanchez: Trane’s Delight
Has it really been 8 years since Poncho Sanchez’s last studio album? He released a concert one back in 2012, so our ears have been missing some conga sounds. Sanchez makes up for the loss with a hip read of…
Jazzmeia Horn @ Blue Whale 09.27.19
Even though she’s only released only her second album, vocalist Jazzmeia Horn showed during her 75 minute set at Blue Whale that she could very well be the torch carrier for today’s generation of jazz fans. Teamed with a swinging…
Al Di Meola@The Lobero Theatre
For the past few tours, guitarist Al Di Meola has performed music from his wide ranging catalogue with his electric guitar and focusing on material from his hard hitting classic Elegant Gypsy album . This time around, his “Past, Present,…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Lucy Yeghiazaryan: Blue Heaven
There are so many female vocalists out there that simply sound the same that it’s a treat when you find someone as fresh as Lucy Yegiazaryan. She’s definitely in the jazz tradition, with a tone and timing that gives hints…
Roberto Lopez: Kaleido Stropico
Sounds like the second coming of Santana are delivered by Roberto C. Lopez, as he plays a searing electric guitar, passionate acoustic tiple , bass, keyboards and percussion as he leads a team of Sacha Daoud/dr,Zal Ciasokho- Kullak Viger-Rojas/perc, Jairo…
Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: Jazz and Art
Instead of focusing on jazz artists like Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton or Thelonious Monk, Wynton Marsalis takes on music inspired by painters such as Romare Bearden, Piet Mondrian and Stuart Davis. The result is the most ambitious sounding record…