It’s albums like this that break my heart. Back in 2010 when it was recorded, The Jazz Bakery was the place in LA to hear jazz. I have a box full of their calendars, and just to torture myself, I…
Month: December 2019
Munyungo Jackson: Morning Sun
He’s played on albums ranging from Miles Davis to Marcus Miller. Here on his own, Munyungo Jackson plays a surfeit of percussion instruments from all over the world on this panoramic collection of upbeat and life affirming tunes. The ensembles…
WARM STRINGS…Tomas Janzon: 130th & Lenox
Rich guitar workings by men who should be better appreciated… Tomas Janzon has a sleek Herb Ellis sound as he mixes and matches with vibist Steve Nelson and a rotating team of Nedra Wheeler-Hilliard Greene/b and Donald Dean-Chuck McPherson/dr. The…
Woody Herman: The Complete Decca, Mars, MGM Sessions (1943-54)
In the past, Mosaic Records has released music by Woody Herman covering his days with Columbia and his famous “Four Brothers” second Herd. This 7 disc limited edition (2000 copies) set contains all of the material before, during and after…
Petros Klampanis: Irrationalities
Petros Klampanis states in his liner notes that this album is “inspired by the courage…to constantly reinvent themselves.” It’s dedicated to “people…not afraid to ask difficult questions and…embrace the irrationality that exists in the answers.” That’s a lot to ask…
Remy Le Boeuf: Assembly Of Shadows
Inspired by the music of Ornette Coleman, Remy Le Boeuf leads a rich and adventurous big band conducted by Gregory Robbins through a rich suite as well as an interpretation of Coleman’s own “Honeymooners.” Le Boeuf plays alto sax, soprano…
Landline: Landline
Consisting of Chet Doxas/ts, Jacob Sacks/p, Zack Lober/b and Vinnie Sperrazza/dr, Landline creates soft and tentative post bop originals. Doxas’ tenor sax ranges between a furry fog during the thoughtful “Michael Attias” to some heavy tonguing for the quirky and…
Nooky Jones: Like Candy
Minneapolis-based vocalist Nooky Jones releases a hip and funky ep with rich horns and old time additudes. The mix of beat and brass give an AWB support for Jones’ rich voice on pieces like “Gimme Some More” and he’s upbeat…
ARTSY SOUNDS…Yazz Ahmed: Polyhymnia, Captain Supernova: The Voyage Never Ends
Sounds from colliding worlds… Yazz Ahmed plays trumpet and composes music that mixes jazz, Arabic sounds from her Bahraini heritage and melds them with “sacred poetry, sacred hymns dance and eloquence” on this ecumenical album. The sounds travel from a…
Ben Bryden: Figure Of Eight
Tenor saxist Ben Bryden teams with Phil Robson/g, Desmond White/b and Raj Jayaweera/dr and guest tenorist Steven Delannoye for a collection of tues that range from fluid post bop to rock. Of the latter, Bryden rides over Jayaweera’s hard hitting…