Every album released by Maria Schneider is a sonic event, but this one is particularly important, as it not only contains two discs of music, but it touches on an important topic, namely balancing the tension between living in a…
Author: George W. Harris
David Boswell: The Story Behind The Story
David Boswell mixes acoustic, electric and synth guitars to lead a post bop team of Mitchel Forman/p, MB Gordy/dr, Jimmy Haslip/b, Scott Kinsey/p-key, Gary Novak/dr, Otmaro Ruiz/p-key, Bart Samilis/b and Andy Snitzer/sax through a collection of originals. Much of the…
Immanuel Wilkins: Omega
The debut album by alto saxist and composer Immanuel Wilkins ushers in a new generation of artists and attitudes. Pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Daryl Johns and drummer Kweku Sumbry are all fairly new names under the sun, along with the…
Zen Zadravec: Human Revolution
Pianist and composer Zen Zadravec leads a team of Todd Bashore/as-ss, Derrick Gardner-John Douglas/tp, Kenny Davis-Mike Pope/b and Mark Whitfield Jr/dr for some vintage hard bop sounds. Zadrevec shows strong hands as he throw red meat chords to Bashore’s ravenous…
CeCe Gable: More Than A Song
CeCe Gable has a way to hold back on a lyric and letting it go at just the right time, using her timing to perfection as she teams with bassist Harvie S along with Roni Ben-Hur/g, Brian Landrus/gs-bcl and Sylvia…
Quinsin Nachoff: Pivotal Arc
Compositions by tenor saxist and composer Quinsin Nachoff are filled with moments of classical tendencies along with sweeping soundtrack emulations on this album of interpretations ranging form string quartet to full orchestra. The Molinari String Quartet is featured on a…
The Markese-Fumo Express: File Under Kool
Vintage cool sounds of the 50s and 60s when it was hip to be hep are captured by the duet of John Fumo on trumpet/flugelhorn and Don Markese, who plays just about every woodwind in the musical canon. The two…
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****ECHOES OF AN ERA…Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: Just Coolin’
Blue Note Records dug deep into its vault and found a jazz version of Eugene O’Neill’s Our Town in this March 8, 1959 session of an early edition of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s classic studio.…
Bob Gluck: Early Morning Star
Pianist and composer Bob Gluck brings together an artsy team of clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, bassist Ken Filiano, drummer Tani Tabbal and vocalist Andrea Wolper for a collection of ruminations. Wolper’s voice ranges from dark shadows in multiple languages on “Tzur…
Jean-Pierre Zanella: Rio Minas
A trip to Brazil has Jean-Pierre Zanella guide you with his alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet and flute along with Pierre Francois/p, Remi Jean Leblanc/b, Paul Brochu/dr and guests Sashana Souza Zanella/voc, Andre Dequech/p, Muhammad Abdul Al Khabyrr/tb and Ron…