Hard bop pianist Sonny Clark is no stranger to Mosaic Records. He was a sideman on three classic units previously reissued, one with Buddy DeFranco , another with Tina Brooks, and the last alongside Grant Green. In this limited edition,…
Month: July 2023
VINYL REVIVAL…Jack DeJohnette: Sorcery, Idris Muhammad: Black Rhythm Revolution!, Leon Spencer: Where I’m Coming From, Ornette Coleman: Something Else!, Mal Waldron : Mal/2, Billie Holiday: Songs For Distingue’ Lovers, Eartha Kitt: Bad But Beautiful, Yusef Lateef: Psychicemotus
At the time, no one realized that listening to vinyl records actually trained the listener’s ear. I discovered this while teaching a high school class this year. I assign various songs/albums for the kids to listen to, and after the…
Matt Catingub: From Samoa to Sinatra
Pianist Matt Catingub uses modern recording technology to mix recordings of his mother, Mavis Rivers, with a collection of studio musicians in big band, string and small combo sessions. If that info were not in the liner notes, I never…
Ben Powell: New Jazz Standards Volume 6-The Music of Carl Saunders
Playing violin and viola, Ben Powell gives tribute to the recently departed swinging trumpeter Carl Saunders with vibrant reads of his compositions. He’s teamed up with the stellar Christian Jacob/p, Kevin Axt/b and Peter Erskine/dr many times overdubbing the two…
Greg Abate/Paul Del Nero Quartet: Reunion-Live At WICN
Before a small radio studio audience, the team of Greg Abate/ts-as-ss-fl, Paul Del Nero/b, Matt DeChamplain/p and Gary Johnson/dr drove up the wattage on this swinging collection of mostly originals. Abate shows his bop chops on the alto as Johnson…
Bill O’Connell: Live in Montauk
Pianist/leader Bill O’Connell mixes his two loves of bop and Latin on this album recorded at Gosman’s Dock, Montauk NY. The core of O’Connell with beefy toned Craig Handy/ts, Santi Debriano/b and swinging Billy Hart/dr are nimble and peppy, with…
ENGLISH ACOUSTIC BLUES AND FOLK…John Renbourn: A Maid In Bremen, Pentangle: Live At The BBC 1967-1968, Bert Jansch: Strolling Down The Highway, Span: , Live at the Demontfort Hall
One of the underappreciated parts of English music was acoustic blues and folk scene on the other side of the pond. Bands like Pentangle, The Incredible String Band and Fairport Convention were a major influence on the American music scene,…
Douye’: The Golden Sekere
Nigerian born vocalist Douye’ does an excellent job bridging the gap between jazz and African sounds on this album of standards, presented through the lens of Africa’s horn. She’s teamed up with American artists like Sean Jones/tp, Buster Williams/b and…
PAGING CHUCK BEDNARIK…Kane Kalas: High Hopes
Dedicating this album to his father and the world of Philadelphia, baritone crooner Kane Kalas delivers a hoot of an album that is as tasty and filling as lunch at Pat’s Steak House. He mixes and matches with various vocalists,…
Adrian Younge and Tony Allen: JID018
I keep trying to figure out the allure of the Jazz Is Dead series, as the albums all seem to be variations of the same theme. Here, Nigerian drummer Tony Allen teams with producer Adrian Younge get together for what…