Entries from August 2017
Swingadelic: Mercerville
Swingadelic loves a good tribute. This little big band’s first date for Zoho was all about Duke–Pearson, not Ellington–and its second set on that imprint focused on the music of New Orleans icon m: Allen Toussaint . Now the group has set its sights on another singular figure, taking a t..
Date: No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews
·Piffaro: Back Before Bach: Musical Journeys
Johann Sebastian Bach did not develop as an artistic entity in a vacuum. While he may be considered the intellect that whipped music into some semblance of order, he was, by no means, the first to start or try to do so.
Date: No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews
·Bob Downes Open Music: Let Your Mind…Space Out
Any CD release by Bob Downes is a significant event but the psych-entitled Let Your Mind…Space Out is important because it also celebrates the 80th birthday of this virtuoso jazz multi-instrumentalist. It’s hard to credit that Downes, like his contemporaries m: Mike Westbrook and {{m… [ read more ]
Date: No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews
·Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band: All Smiles
The m: Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band has historically been regarded as the best ensemble of its type based outside the US, and All Smiles is generally regarded as one of their finest recordings. You’ll understand why with just a few listens. Belgian pianist and arranger Francy Bol… [ read more ]
Date: No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews
·Russell Malone: Time for the Dancers
The flame lit so brightly many years ago by guitarist m: Wes Montgomery continues to burn with intensity thanks to gifted torch-bearers like m: Russell Malone whose third album for HighNote Records, Time for the Dancers, not only mirrors Montgomery’s singular musical temperamen… [ read more ]
Date: No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews
·John Pizzarelli: Sinatra and Jobim @ 50
The year 1967…the “Summer of Love,” the Monterey Pop Festival, the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely-Hearts Club Band, Their Satanic Majesties Request, and Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits. At the other end of the popular music spectrum, the beautifully square end, was the release of Francis Albert Sinatra… [ read more ]
Date: No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews
·David Benoit and Marc Antoine: So Nice!
There’s nothing particularly noteworthy in two established musicians collaborating. It’s a tradition in jazz as old as the genre itself, so a pairing of pianist David Benoit and guitarist Marc Antoine is not a seismic event to knock the world off its axis. What we have here is a marvelous meeting of… [ read more ]
Date: No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews
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