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Entries from May 2012

Peter White: Here We Go

Make no mistake about it: Peter White is a technically proficient guitarist who blends impeccable taste and admirable fluidity in his playing. He is standing on the top of the smooth jazz food chain and Here We Go will do nothing to lessen his dominance as one of the most popular artists working today.

Date: May 27th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Tom Collier: Plays Haydn, Mozart, Telemann and Others

Tom Collier is a bit of a character as, can be attested by the YouTube videos below. He has served as Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Washington since 1980. In 2011, he was appointed Chair of Jazz Studies at the school, and was awarded the Adelaide D. Currie Cole Endowed Professorship in the School of Music for the academic years 2011-2014.

Date: May 27th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Maria Neckam: Unison

Sophisticated pop, art song and modern jazz don’t often get along, but vocalist Maria Neckam is the tie that binds them. The Austrian-born, New York-based Neckam turned plenty of heads with Deeper (Sunnyside, 2010), which featured her entrancing soprano and showcased her strong songwriting skills; she returns with an equally engaging program on her sophomore outing for the Sunnyside label…

Date: May 26th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Neil Welch: Boxwork

Adjectives like “extraordinary” or “stunning” are overused epithets these days, their currency diminished. Such a shame, because Boxwork, from Washington State saxophonist Neil Welch, is stunning and extraordinary–not in the devalued contemporary sense of “quite interesting” but in the good, old-fashioned sense. From its beautifully handcrafted packaging to Welch’s handwritten notes to the music itself, Boxwork is a lovingly produced artifact, a truly creative mix of artistic endeavors…

Date: May 26th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Wet Willie: Miles of Smiles Live

On Miles of Smiles, the reconstituted Wet Willie displays all the effervescent vigor of its previous concert discs Drippin’ Wet (Capricorn, 1973) and Left Coast Live (Capricorn, 1977). In fact, the group sounds more authentic than ever, based on the maturity of musicianship displayed here.

Date: May 26th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Various Artists: Putamayo Presents: Brazilian Beat

“One of the exciting things we at Putamayo do is introduce artists to people who don’t know them,” says Putamayo Records head Dan Storper. Brazilian Beat surveys the roots and fruits of Brazil’s contemporary music, selected from Putamayo’s archive of tens of thousands of global/world music pieces.

Date: May 26th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Ergo: If Not Inertia

A few decades ago, it wasn’t evident that computers could become an integral component to music, other than some experimental persuasions set forth by the likes of eminent modern jazz trombonist m: George Lewis , who helped pioneer live electronics. But trombonist m: Brett Sroka carries the torch, yet in a different or, perhaps, more subtle light. With first-call avant-garde guitarist m: Mary Halvorson injecting her sinewy, odd-tuned phrasings, and acoustic guitarist Sebastian Kruger appearing on one track of If Not Inertia, the band’s gradually ascending theme-building exercises often cast an ethereal panorama, cloaked with haunting dissimilarities or tempestuous free form dialogues…

Date: May 25th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews