Guitarist George Thorogood has always been associated with the electric guitar boogie and blues with his Destroyers band since the ‘80s. He strips down, sits down and gets down with vintage and modern blues as he plays acoustic, electric, slide…
Author: George W. Harris
Quinsin Nachoff: Quinsin Nachoff’s Ethereal Trio
Thick toned tenor saxist Quinsin Nachoff forms a supple trio with Mark Helias/b and Dan Weiss/dr to create an album of six sleek and spacious originals. Nachoff relies on his rich sound to glide along the pulses created by his…
The Brett New York Orchestra: Gold Jazz
Composer/arranger Brett Gold leads an impressive and modern jazz orchestra through a rich mix of textures and themes. The rhythm team of Ted Kooshian/p, Sebastian Noelle/g, Phil Palomi/b and Scott Neumann/dr is flexible enough to work successfully through pieces like…
THE FIVE FRESHMEN? The Black Market Trust: Just One of Those Things
OK, so technically, they all don’t sing, but still four out of five guys in the band do, and they do both solos and harmonies the best thing this side of the classic Four Freshmen days. They also play accompanying…
Plug and Play: Evergreens
Lonely moods permeate the duet recording between Benoit Delbecq, who plays piano, e-drumming, keys and “tronics”, and Jozef Dumoutin who brings in a Fender Rhodes along with keyboards and tronics. As expected, there’s more noodling around than a Japanese soup…
Glen Morrow: Cry For Help
Rock steady beats are delivered by leader Glenn Morrow as he sings and plays guitar with a barroom band of Ric Sherman/g-voc, Mike Rosenberg/b-voc and Ron Metz/dr along with guest Andy Burton/key for eleven originals. Morrow’s voice gives a hint…
Russell Malone: Time For The Dancers
One of the most lyrical of guitarists, Russell Malone delivers a rich album with a fluid team of Luke Sellick/b, Rick Germanson/p and Willie Jones III/dr. While his last album referred to melody, and the implication of this title leans…
FEMALE VOCALS FOR A NEW MILLENNIUM…Michelle Bradley: Body and Soul, Kathy Sanborn: Recollecting You, Janet Lawson: The Janet Lawson Quintet
Here is a trio of vocalists that have created intriguing ways of jazz interpretations. Michelle Bradley has a rich vibrato, and uses it well as she swings through a collection of standards. The team of Art Fristsoe/p, Tim Ruiz/b, Jerre Jackson-Richard…
BJ Leiderman: BJ
Best known for his musical prowess on programs like NPR’s Morning Edition, keyboardist/composer BJ Leiderman puts out a debut album that could easily be compared to vintage Billy Joel. He’s got a streetwise voice, and uses it well on the…
Jah Sun: Between the Lines
Jason Andrew McCommas, aka Jah Sun, mixes reggae and Southern African sounds in an infectious and agreeable mix on this collection of originals. The supporting team mixes and matches, with much of the support by Dubtonic Kru with occasional strings…