Having missed last year’s Le Coq All Star gig here in LA due to contracting COVID, vocalist Andy James and percussionist legend Alex Acuna more than made up for their absence in this return of the label’s concert with a…
Month: January 2023
WOMEN AT THE MIC…Adrianne Duncan: Gemini, Alyssa Giammaria: Moments
Adrianne Duncan plays piano and sings in a rich bohemian style with her team of Nick Mancini/vib, Dan Lutz/b, Jimmy Branly/dr, John Tegmeyer/cl and Katisse Buckingham/fl-ts on a collection of mostly originals. The sole cover is a clever take of…
SOUNDS FOR VISIONS…Collin J Rae/Red Gnein Sextet: Pandemia
Best known for publishing visual arts like photographs for publications like TASCHEN, European Photography Magazine and Secret Magazine, Collin J. Rae creates an album of sonic projects that sound like something for the background for an art exhibit. Each of…
WHEN COUNTRY WAS COUNTRY…Eddie Arnold, Hank Thompson, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Snow, etc…The Greatest Country Hits of 1955
On the cusp of being taken over by the avalanche of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, country music in 1955 was still its own insular style, not adulterated by any other genre…yet. This four disc, 108 song collection brings in…
THE FIRST TO PLAY “WORLD” MUSIC…Yusef Lateef: The Prestige & Impulse Collection
Before it became a genre of its own, exotic sounds from other countries was brought into the jazz field by multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef (1920-2013). First and best known for his big and beefy tenor sax, Lateef eventually added a plethora…
Brian Charette: Jackpot
NYC based Brian Charette digs in deep playing the organ in a humming session with tenor saxist Cory Weeds, drum legend Bill Stewart and Dizzy Gillespie alumnus Ed Cherry on guitar. The tunes are all penned by the organmeister, and…
A FORGOTTEN BEBOP VOCALIST…Earl Coleman: The Collection 1946-56
In the post WWII years, the most popular black singers had the rich baritone delivery, like Billy Eckstine, Nat Cole and Johnny Hartman. Among those bop era crooners was Earl Coleman, best known for his rendition of “Dark Shadows”” with…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****ZAPPA THE JAZZER…Frank Zappa: Waka/Wazoo 50th Anniversary Edition
Back in the early 70s, when he was a rock star for the underground, Frank Zappa got confined to a wheelchair after being pushed off stage at a concert in London. Breaking his up and band (which included Flo and…
THE LATEST FROM CELLAR MUSIC GROUP…The Ostara Project, Kirk Lightsey: Live At Smalls Jazz Club
One of the few labels with its own distinct sound, Canada’s Cellar Music Group has been a reliable supplier of vintage Blue Note-sounding hard bopping jazz. Here are a couple of their latest releases, with a dash of change in…
Eddie Palmieri Presents: Sonido Solar
Salsa legend Eddie Palmieri brings together Old School Latin sounds with this exciting band of Jonathan Powell/tp, Louis Fouche’/as, Jeremy Powell/ts, Joe Fiedler/tb, Zaccai Curtis/p, Luques Curtis/b, Camilo Molina/timb-dr, Reinaldo De Jesus/cong and Marcos Lopez/bong. Palmieri himself sits in at…