Time to celebrate Christmas! Nativity scenes or mistletoe? These three albums give their answers… Tenor saxist Kirk Whalum has delivered albums of spirituals and tributes to his home town of New Orleans throughout the years, and this man of God…
Month: November 2021
DUETS…Cameron Mizell & Charlie Rauh: Local Folklore, Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson: Searching For The Disappearing Hour
Two can play at this game! Cameron Mizel plays acoustic and electric guitar while Charlie Rauh sticks to acoustic on this gentle and pastoral collection of 10 originals. Mizell uses the electronics for effects, surrounding Rauh’s droplets on “A Forgiving…
HOLIDAY CHEER…Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet: Fools For Yules, L. Shankar: Christmas From India, Jeff Hamilton Trio: Merry & Bright, CeCe Gable: Next Year’s Song, Acute Inflections: Someday At Christmas
Here’s a collection of stocking stuffers, both big and small, to get you into the right spirit of things. The Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet consists of Ginny Carr Goldberg, Robert McBride, Holly Shockey and Lane Stowe, teaming up with Frank…
XMAS CHEER…Patricia Vonne: My Favorite Holiday, Blackmore’s Night: Winter Carols, Benny Benack III with the Steven Feifke Big Band: Season’s Swingin’ Greetings
Don’t stub your mistletoe… Joyful toned vocalist and composer Patricia Vonne mixes genres on this wide ranging collection of Christmas Cheer. Things range from a traditional a cappella and lovely “Carol of the Bells” to some Link Wray-styled 50s rock…
Michael Feinberg: Hard Times
Acoustic and electric bassist Michael Feinberg leads his octet of Jeff Tain Watts/dr, Orrin Evans/p, Godwin Louis/as, Billy Buss/tp, Gabriel Globus-Hoenich/perc, Noah Preminger/ts, randy Brecker/tp and Leon Genovese/key through a collection of rhythmic originals. Feinberg’s bass does some hip work…
Eberhard Weber: Once Upon A Time-Live In Avignon
Recorded in concert back in 1994 in Avignon, France, bassist Eberhard Weber gives a rich solo concerto of mostly originals to display the wide ranging sounds of his instrument. Many of the times of this concert, Weber’s strings and harmonies…
JAZZY JINGLE BELLS FROM BLUE NOTE…Norah Jones: I Dream of Christmas, Jamie Cullum: The Pianoman At Christmas-The Complete Edition.
Blue Note Records celebrates Christmas with old and new stocking stuffers Norah Jones releases her first Christmas album, keeping it safe and secular, with a team of Tony Scherr-Nick Movshon/b, Russ Pahl/psg, Dave Guy/tp, Raymond Mason/tb, producer Leon Michels/sax/fl and…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****COMMANDMENT BREAKER…Joey DeFrancesco: More Music
Look, I try to live a life pleasing to God. I try to obey the Ten Commandments. But with a guy like Joey DeFrancesco, it’s hard to keep the tenth, namely “Thou shall not covet”. I had no problem with…
OVERLOOKED YET INVITING FEMALE VOICES…Terry Morel: Her Complete Recordings 1955-1962, The Best Voices Time Forgot: Lodi Carr/Norma Mendoza
It continues to boggle the mind when one starts realizing how many excellent female vocalists were on the jazz scene in the 1950s and 60s. You only scratch the surface with Ella, Sassy, Chris Connor and Peggy Lee, as Spain-based…
Daniel Garcia Trio: Via de la Plata
Daniel Garcia plays piano, Rhodes and some synths with his core trio of Reiner Elizarde/b and Michael Olivera/dr and a rotating guest team of Ibrahim Maalouf/tp, Gerardo Nunez/g and Anat Cohen/cl. In the Spartan setting, Garcia’s team evokes thoughts of…