jazz/blues adds may 13, 2013

jazz

cecile mclorin salvant.  woman child.  mack avenue.  New star vocalist for your shows, cecile won the 2010 thelonious monk competition–had studied classical in Miami, then jazz with clarinetist jean-francois bonnel in Paris.  her voice is velvet, her delivery impeccable, and musical aesthetic errorless.  & then there’s the a-list band, prime among them  aaron diehl @ the piano; with herlin riley on drums, rodney whitaker, double bass, james chirillo, guitar.

hamilton de holanda + andre mehmari. gismonti pascoal. adventure.  Many good ideas converge:  de holanda playing  10-string mandolin duets with pianist andre mehmari,  the playlist tributes compositions and style of two Brazilian legends– hermeto pascoal (percussion, fender) and egberto gismonti (guitar, piano).  another generous, intelligent and thoughtfully-crafted production from Brazilian focused record label, adventure.  piano and mandolin together has the splendor of –almost two pianos, but in the background sounds the surprise of the string.  loved it!

benjamim taubkin + adriano adewale.  the vortex sessions.  adventure.  Piano and percussion duets with two Brazilian musician/composers could not be more different from gismonti/pascoal.  Setting is north London’s Vortex jazz club,  where –in 2008– Brazilian producer luiza morandini brought together pianist taubkin and percussionist adewale for an evening of improvisation.  is there any place on earth that casts a bigger shadow than Brazil?
angela davis.  the art of the melody.  nicholas.  Australian alto player-now Philadelphia educator/musician- davis demonstrates  affection for melodic line in her eclectic playlist:  martha by tom waits, we’re all alone by boz scaggs, and several originals.  once again, the group is as good as the leader:  linda oh, on bass; chris ziemba, amazing piano; and rajiv jayaweera, drums.

food:  thomas stronen + iain ballamy.  mercurial balm.  ecm.   Second ECM recording for established  European electronic/ambient music ensemble  food– led by percussionist thomas stronen, and British sax player iain ballamy.  other members are christian fennesz, guitar; eivind aarset, guitar; prakash sontakke, guitar, vocals; nils petter molvaer, trumpet.
late night thinking music.

stefano battaglia trio.  songways. ecm.  Elegant, drapey music from Milanese pianist battaglia, and his Italian trio–salvatore maiore on double bass, and roberto  dani, drums.  battaglia’s early classical training and specialty in j.s.bach shines out from the core of his original setlist.  diaphanous interplay btw musicians.

emily bear.  diversity.  qwest.  Twelve year old composer emily bear began playing piano @ 4, won the morton gould young composer award @ 6, and this cd–produced by quincy jones–is her sixth release.  very polished playlist–with classical musician zuill bailey on cello, francisco mela on drums, carlitos del puerto, bass.  jazz with a new-age/wyndham hill vibe– the kid is a prodigious  talent.

denise king + olivier hutman.  give me the high sign.  cristal.  Philadelphia singer denine king teams up with French pianist/composer olivier hutman in this luscious production: vibrant voice floats btw gospel, r&b through the decades, soul.  supports from darryl hall, double bass; steve williams, drums;  olivier temme, tenor sax;  stephane belmondo, trumpets.  mostly originals written by king/ hutman–though  arrangements (by hutman) are strong for both singer and band members.  he’s been around- used to play with charles aznevour, yves montand.

alex acuna + jan gunnar hoff + per mathisen. barxeta. losen.   High voltage trio led by Peruvian-born drummer acuna with Norwegian keyboardist hoff, and bassist, mathisen continues their nod to weather report  influences–acuna was an early drummer, but this time out they circle the globe for musical inspiration.  muscular, all originals written by the band–title pronounced with the x=sh.

jeffrey gimble.  beyond up high.  cafe pacific.  Though raised in Texas blues country, vocalist gimble was drawn to jazz and vocalising;  debut recording is all covers but he switches from  ac jobim, to  michel legrand to bill withers with ease.  breezy arrangements and band.

john jensen + robert redd.  conversations.  patuxent music.  Standards playlist from pianist robert redd, and trombonist/vocalist john jensen.  old school, sweet, and polished.

roby glod + roberta piket + mark tokar + klaus kugel.  op der schmelz live.  nemu.  Free form  jazz recorded @Luxembourg jazz venue, op der schmelz ( the Foundry) :  international jazz collective includes French roby glod on alto/soprano;  New Yorker roberta piket, piano; Ukraine-born mark tokar, double bass; &  German klaus kugel on drums.  long cues looking for depth through improvisation without sacrificing beauty.

blues

james cotton.  cotton mouth man.  alligator.  Chicago blues harp master james cotton ( age 77) can still play harmonica— mostly original playlist with vocal cameos by  gregg allman, keb mo, ruthie foster (my fav) , wayne haynes , delbert mcclinton.  title track with joe bonamass on lead guitar fires the playlist.  cotton’s still passionately there.

jaye hammer.  i can lay the hammer down.  ecko.  New release from soul singer, jaye hammer.

jimmy vivino + the black italians.  13 live. blind pig.   The bio is good, and the music too–homeland is  Jersey to upstate NY, Woodstock in particular.  jimmy & and black eye-talians include catherine russell, vocals; felix cabrera, harmonica;  danny louis, keyboards;  mike merritt, guitar  + more.  jimmy plays guitar, sings, occasionally writes a song.  best songs are when russell sings too.  energy!

various artists.  classic harmonica blues.  smithsonian folkways.  Fabulous archive blues harp recordings with elaborate notes to match.  all worth a listen, too numerous to list,  find your path.

jazz/blues adds may 6, 2013

jazz

joe locke.  lay down my heart.  motema.  One could just play this recording and that would be enough.  mostly covers, 2 originals, from vibist joe locke–who has been on the jazz scene for 30 years & played with everyone from cecil taylor to dizzy gillespie; he is our great contemporary vibraphone artist.  supports are jaimeo brown on drums; ryan cohan @ the piano; dave finck, bass.jussi reijonen.  un.  self.  Finnish childhood/Jordanian young adulthood gave reijonen expertise in both fretless guitar and the oud which he applies to jazz and the world music genre.  as you know, i am a sucker for all this Middle Eastern instrumentation:  multiple percussion from tareq rantisi, sergio martinez;  ululating vocals with eva louhivuori, plus lyric piano with utar artun, and bruno raberg on bass.

joshua redman.  walking shadows.  nonesuch. The quartet–redman, tenor; brad mehldau, piano & producer; larry grenadier, bass;  brian blade, drums–meet a string orchestra conducted by dan coleman.  not the first time in jazz history–think miles davis and gil evans.  though redman’s project does not shake the earth, it claims beauty and a pristine sensibility.  almost all covers, but fresh.

craig taborn.  chants.  ECM.    Eagerly anticipated recording from pianist/composer taborn–here with double bassist thomas morgan and drummer gerald cleaver– explores jazz minimalism and delicate interplay within their trio of instruments.  part of a new generation of jazz artists looking for spaces within the music, and an alternative to the old-school solo format.  hurrah for them!

nik bartsch.  ronin live.  ECM.  Masterless samurai –ronin– taking their show on the road;  pianist/composer bartsch leads the 5 member group  through nine improvised  moods.  from the ronin tours 2009-2011, the selections flesh out impressions, energy of  place.  pretty compelling stuff:  loved” tokyo, mannheim x 2, lorrach, amsterdam”.   cast includes: sha on alto/clarinet;  bjorn meyer, bass; kaspar tast, drums; andi pupato, percusssion; thomy jordi, bass– and pianist bartsch is really exceptional.

jacqui naylor.  dead divas society.  ruby star.  Vocalist naylor revisits signature music from past divas.  best ones are the more modern, less iconic—amy winehouse, shirley horn, freddie mercury, dusty springfield, luther vandross.  her voice is great, but it’s too deep to “be” blossom dearie, or peggy lee.  and not deep enough to be nina simone.  cd made me want to find the originals.

chris clark quintet.  cedar wisely.  songlines.  Moody duets between composer/ tenor player clark and alto/soprano peter epstein anchor this project from U of Nevada educator & alum. with david ake @ the piano; zack teran, bass; jesus vega, drums.  quiet mostly.

alex snydman.  fortunate action.  self.  Debut release from CA-based drummer snydman working with a rotating trio of players—chris pattishall, doug abrams, miro sprague @ the piano;  alex derian, tyler heydolph on bass.  mostly originals written by band members.

black host.  life in sugar candle mines. northern spy.  Improv to free and back again, this CD– fronted by drummer gerald cleaver needs a long show to bloom.  Cues meander mostly in a good way;  the quintet is young and mischievous–brandon seabrook , guitar;  pianist cooper-moore;  pascal niggenkemper on bass; darius jones on alto.  where are these mines?

david arnay.  8.  studio N.   8 means we go from solo to octet in that many cues.  pianist arnay plays” caravan” alone, then  a bass duet with edwin livington; add on peter erskine, drums, for the trio.  mostly originals, accessible idea shows how quickly music arrangements become quirky, complex with more.

chad carter.  let me love you. JKBJ.  Swoony arrangements for vocalist carter feature a baby big band with strings & guitar.  standards, special guest jimmy heath on tenor, and  frank owens on keyboards.

will calhoun.  life in this world.  motema.  The roster is larger than the music format–trio or quartet, but drummer/leader calhoun blends his affinities for north African (Mali, Morocco) musical logic with coming up in the worldly  Bronx.  All good;  charnett moffett shares the bass spotlight with john benitez and ron carter;  marc cary @ the piano;  wallace roney, trumpet;  donald harrison, alto  + cheick, tidane seck, alione wade.  the tent is big, as we say.

blues

the fabulous thunderbirds.  on the verge.  severn.  Around since 1974, Austin, Texas bluesmen are still fabulous.  lead singer/vocalist kim wilson makes his harmonica growl nicely, and band members continue to write good tunes.  with  mike keller, johnny moeller, guitars;  kevin anker, keyboards, composition;  randy bermudes, bass; jason moeller, drums.

al “carnival time” johnson.  beyond carnival.  rabadash.  Very jumpy and carnival-esque music from New Orleans based vocalist/pianist al johnson;  almost all originals.

scott ramminger.  advice from a father to a son.  arbor lane.  New Orleans project that really rocks…fronted by vocalist/tenor/bari scott ramminger — but I keep listening for pianist david torkanowsky.  plenty of horn color and guests: +  johnny vidacovich on drums;  the mccrary sisters on vocals; dave chappell on guitar, george porter jr, bass.  all originals.

alan wilson.  the blind owl.  severn.   Magnificent labor of love from producers @ severn records focuses on the short, brilliant career of alan wilson ( 1957-1970), vocalist/composer/guitarist and stunning harmonica {he makes it sound like the reed that it is}  player for the legendary  band canned heat.  of course, i knew none of this except that “going up the country” was the Woodstock song.  two CDs.

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jazz/blues adds april 29, 2013

jazz

nicole mitchell’s ice crystal.  aquarius.  delmark.  Chicago girl makes very good!  flutist mitchell guides the compostion, but shares the stage in an amazing quartet:  vibist jason adasiewicz (great), bassist  josh abrams, and drummer frank rosaly.   collective performing, digging in, making room for what comes next.  Mo’better flute.

ellery eskelin.  trio new york II.  prime source.  Standards stood on their ear in this equal partnership trio.  tenor player eskelin  leads/produces but dialogue between sax and the B-3 of gary versace deserves a wow.  gerald cleaver on drums is ever-present, and no slouch in the rhythm department.

raquel bitton.  rhythm of the heart.  self.   Lush, full Latin orchestra with bandoneon, horns, percusssion for Parisian-raised, vocalist bitton’s tribute to Corsican singer tino rossi, heartthrob of the French cabaret.  easy listening, adorable rolling r’s, superb piano work from rebecca mauleon.

 benoit delbecq & fred hersch double trio.  fun house.  songlines.  Co-production of French almost avant-garde pianist delbecq and NYC downtown jazz pianist hersch;  together they inhabit a strong ECM ethos.  Best title– coleman’s lonely woman, maybe le rayon vert.

double every thing supports:   mark helias & jean jacques avenel on bass; steve arguelles & gerry hemingway at drums, electronics.

elgar djangirov trio.  break through.  motema.  Virtuostic–but relentless– from Krygystan-born, Kansas City-raised young pianist eldar.  Previous recordings have more peace, less frenzy as  here he unpacks standards, and originals.  with armando gola-bass;  ludwig afonso-drums;  guests, chris potter and joe locke.

john gunther.  safari trio: surrender.  dazzle.  Trio led by U of Co. reed player/educator gunther shapes a beauitful playlist from Brazilian-inspired originals to traditional Turkish.  gunther plays soprano, alto, flute, clarinet;  brad shepik, guitar;  john hadfield, drums.  sound = dynamic, exotic, conversational.  my pick of the week.

bruce torff.  look again.  summit.  NYC-area keyboardist/songwriter torff assembles a quality band but lets us down with his original songs, sung meandering-ly  by vocalist pete mcguiness.  i tried but could not connect with this one;  joel frahm, tenor;  matt wilson, drums;  pete mccann, guitars.

jeff berlin. low standards  random act.  The trio–berlin on electric bass, mike clark on drums, and richard drexler, piano/acoustic bass–get a
compelling moody, murky fusion groove going.  covers–loved  carla bley’s vashkar–all have merit.

phil woods. right to swing. jazzed media.  Jazz alto giant woods performs with the DePaul U jazz  ensemble.  but this recording is the production of bob lark, director of the ensemble and head of the prestigious De Paul jazz program.  music is fine, but i was dismayed to see no women in either ensemble that performs.

stefan redtenbacher.  the cooker.  self.  Da funk!  great music to cook by, confessing that’s how i took this for a spin.  redtenbacher’s big horn-y band (UK and US “hornheads” get credit) is the Funkestra.  suitable for blues, dancing, high energy activities-like cooking.  names on the notes:  lenny pickett, jim hunt, dave limina, rob taggert.

michael blanco.  no time like the present.  cognitive dissonance.  Here, I liked the solo bass solo, postcard, better that the collaborations, though broadway/jazz bassist blanco is a-list player.  with jonathan kreisberg, guitar;  david cook, piano;  john ellis, sax; mark ferber, drums

molly holm.  permission.  rinny zin.  Berkeley, CA singer/songwriter/educator comes with exalted pedigree but her voice does not deliver.

musician supports are all first class:  famoudou don moye & deszon claiborne on drums; frank martin, piano; jeff chambers, bass.

blues

lisa biales.  singing in my soul.  big song music.  Gentle country vocalist meets a French-based blues rhythm trio on a old-timey/standards/gospel playlist…and it sparkles.   thibaut chopin, upright bass; anthony stelmaszack, guitars;  simon boyer, drums + ricky nye, piano/production.

hans thessink. wishing well.  blue groove    A deep voiced murmuring delta-blues stylist { born in Holland, working in Vienna, Austria} , thessink plays varied string instruments, has traveled the world, sung with the many, and holds the listener with a whisper not a scream.

mike schermer.  be somebody.  finedog records.  Bills itself as Texicali-music, hmmmm?  Austin-based mighty mike schermer writes and plays various guitars.  his guests include marcia ball, piano;  elvin bishop, slide guitar;  with core band credits to damien llanes, drums, and ronnie james, bass.

ron dziubla.  nasty habit. rip cat.   Ridiculously juicy, froggy  sound from saxman dziubla–formerly Duane Eddy’s tenor/bari master.  classic playlist–harlem nocturne creates its own second hand smoke curls.  with farfisa, piano;  pete curry, percussion; sam bolle, bass; rj ronquillo, guitar.

jazz/blues adds april 22, 2013

jazz

the catholics.  yonder.  bugle.  Headliner for me this week.  where exactly did they come from?  down under,….or yonder? impossibly friendly band–double percussion, ditto guitars { tres, acoustic}, regular bass, 4 horns {tenor, soprano, trombone, pocket trumpet} + a piano accordion.  originals are the best, many are long;  led by bassist lloyd swanton.

john medeski.  a different time. okeh. Solo debut from medeski, martin and wood pianist;  a man meets a 1924 Parisian-made Gaveau piano– inspiration becomes quiet revolution.  somewhere between classical minimalism and graceful improvisation, medeski lets the venerable piano have its song and silences.

the engines with john tchai.  other violets.  not two.  Tribute to, and with, the late john tchai, south african tenor player, made in 2011.  organized by dave rempis, alto for Chicago-based the engines [ jeb bishop-trombone, nate mcbride-bass; tim daisy-drums].  recording is luscious but x-perimental. very long cues needing night time to stretch out.

swingadelic.  toussaintville.  zoho.  Playlist salutes compositions by  New Orleans icon allen toussaint ;  NYC-based “little big band” –14+ guests including queen esther–swings into a variety of juicy arrangements.  southern nights and ruler of my heart top this chart.

terry klinefelter.  zingaro. vectordisc.  Philly-area pianist/vocalist klinefelter heads a trio– lee smith on bass, byron landham, drums–but knits a number of guests into her ambitious playlist.  Co-starring denise king, steve giordano,  jerry weldon, and a string trio on the title track.

michael dease.  coming home. d-clef. Young trombone talent dease breathes a different musical life into jazz standards:  the piano’s blues etude, and freddie hubbard classic take it to the ozone.  excellent supporting cast:  renee rosnes, piano;   christian mcbride, bass;  steve wilson, alto, and ulysses owens, drums + guests.

michael blake.  in the grand scheme of things.  songlines.  Terrific quartet jazz fusions from canada.  blake, via NYC, composes and weaves a restrained tenor thru an all originals playlist;  trumpet/ electronic from jp carter, exotic drum lines from dylan van der schyff, and gorgeous keyboard and Moog moods from chris gestrin.   Willie, the lonely cowboy, a beauty.

christian mcbride & inside straight.  people music.  mack avenue.  Smooth as silk combo led by bassist/composer mcbride, with all the jazz young Turks–warren wolf on vibes;  steve wilson on alto; carl allen or ulysses owens  on drums; peter martin, piano.

jaimeo brown.  transcendence.  motema.  Mesmerizing, dynamic work from drummer/producer jaimeo brown, mixing gospel samples from the Gee’s Bend singers–who toured with the Gee’s Bend Quilt project back in the 90”s;  inspired by Alabama African American community life, blues vocalise & world riffs = everybody wins.  a brilliant cast:  geri allen, piano; chris sholar, guitar/electronics; jd allen, constant tenor; Indian vocalist falu; dartanyan brown, bass.

larry carlton & robben ford.  unplugged.  335.  Guitar + guitar, recorded live in Paris @ new morning jazz club from blues legends carlton and ford.  with supports from bassist fifi chayeb, and claude salmieri, drums.dave haskell group.  pivot point.  coastal sky.  More guitars, including guest appearance by robben ford, leader haskell has been a guitar master since the 1980′s when he dropped out of the gigging world to fly airplanes.  he’s back with a core band–dan zemelman, aaron germain, allan hall– and guests.

stephen anderson trio.  believe.  summit.  UNC scholar/musician anderson leads his trio –jeffrey eckels, bass; ross pederson, drums–with guest joel frahm on tenor.  anderson, who trained in classsical and jazz @ north texas state, produces fine originals, and robust arrangements.

blues

john primer & bob corritore.  knockin around these blues. delta groove.  Chicago blues vocalist/guitar musician primer meets harmonica cat corritore;  barrelhouse chuck drives the piano, boogie-woogie style.  traditional blues playlist, smart arrangements.

nicole hart & anni piper.  split second. blues leaf.  Girly duets–Florida blues girl joins with Aussie blues lady;  OK, but a little too much tired rockabilly.

andrew jr. boy jones.  i know what it’s like.  43rd big idea.  On the blues scene for decades, jones comes out of the west Texas tradition– back in the day, his vocals  and guitar were heard with freddie king’s band, thunderbirds, and mustangs.  new cd features kerrie lepai on vocals, with many seasoned players.

mighty mojo prophets.  flyin home from memphis. delta groove. Sophomore release from five blues scholar/musicians out of CA.–though not west coast swing.  tom eliff on vocals; mitch dow, guitars;  alex schwartz, drums;  dave deforest, bass;  mike malone, keyboards.  with horn and harmonica cameos.

jazz/blues adds april 15, 2013

JAZZ

madeleine peyroux.  the blue room. decca.  Real revelations here from honey-voiced peyroux with both a jazz rhythm combo (5 players) plus strings.  all covers–buddy holly to leonard cohen to warren zevon (my fav) –her mix of country, jazz, blues loves them all.  the actual “blue room” is the oldest bar in Burbank, CA.

dave douglas quintet. time travel. greenleaf.  Fearlessly staking out new ground with each project, trumpeter douglas reassembles the  musicians from 2012′s Be Still (minus bluegrass vocalist aiofe o’donovan).  all original playlist, with  jon irabagon–tenor; linda oh–bass; matt mitchell–piano; rudy royston–drums.

jim snidero.  stream of consciousness.  savant.  Smart guitar-ish trio led by alto player snidero.  all (very good) original compostions played effortlessly by of-the-moment musicians:  linda oh on bass;  rudy royston, drums, and paul bollenback on guitar.

barbara morrison.  a sunday kind of love.  savant.  Solid collection of standards about yearning and love from LA-based vocalist morrison featuring the big tenor sound of houston person.  with stuart elster on piano, bassist richard simon, and lee spath, drums.

jay d’amico quintet.  tango caliente. CAP. Old style combo playing, with excellent trumpet/ (richie vitale) and tenor/flute (andrew sterman) interplay.  misleading title, with not a tango in sight;  all originals, good band, arrangements, just no tangos.

eli yamin and evan christopher.  louie’s dream for our jazz heroes. self.

Clarinet in the foreground from evan christopher, with eli yamin at the piano;  lots of ellingtonia, louis armstrong, mary lou williams.

jared gold.  intuition.  posi-tone.  Excellent organ trio:  drummer mcclenty hunter, dave stryker on guitar, and leader/composer jared gold pushing keys and pedals.  covers and originals; very groovy, toe-tapping.

charnett moffett.  the bridge:  solo bass works. motema. Oddly–musically severe, but a beauty.   seasoned “young lion” bass player moffet  mixes it up on the 20-count roster:  shorties like Haitian fight song, and monk medley fly into longer cues like kalengo, eleanor rigby.  check it out.!

tommy flanagan, jaki byard  the magic of 2.  resonance. Brilliance from 1982, recorded live ( on cassette!!) at the keystone korner in San Fran. CA, two of the greatest jazz pianists–duets and solo.  byard (teacher to many formidable players, jason moran among them)  and flanagan, the smooth, lyricist could not be more different in their moves:  jaki finds repeated resistance in the melodies, as tommy looks for the lines of beauty.  enjoy this.

 kahil el’zabar quartet.  what it is!.  delmark.  Arriving with the pedigree of an avant-garde jazz elder, this 58th recording by composer/drummer el’zabar is very friendly.  must be the company he’s keeping:  kevin nabors on tenor;  justin dillard on keyboards, and junius paul on bass.  softness is available;  check out “from the heart” with its thumb piano (West Africa) solo.

sean nowell.  the kung-fu masters.  posi-tone.  A whole lotta blowing going on here–but an affirming quote about plateaus from bruce lee.  so the band composition is two keyboards–organ, adam klipple, and art hirahara on piano-like things;  nowell on tenor, brad mason on trumpet; michael dease on trombone, and then a super energetic drummer, marko djordjevic + evan marien, bass.

CSC funk band.  funkincense. electric cowbell.  I took this little puppy for a ride in the car and had to pull over.  Have no idea who they are;  no liner notes, composition credits give names–but alas, besides being from Brooklyn, this grooves ‘n funk fabulosity is under my radar.  play it, please—afro-funk-world-jazz-ethiopique-dance-boogaloo.  a musical identity crisis of the best kind.

blues

anders osborne.  three free amigos.  alligator.   Reluctant as i am to praise osborne’s easy and beautiful recording–in fear that it will be “kidnapped” like the boz scaggs memphis–i can not pretend otherwise.  friendly blues-esque originals that seem familiar, polished with casual but complex arrangements.  band has more than 3 amigos:

osborne-vocals, guitar;  carl dufrene, bass; michael burkhart, B-3; billy iuso-guitar; maggie koener, vocals.

blues mix 10:  super soul mix.  ecko.  Collection of soul artists like Mrs. Jody, Sir Ced, Jaye Hammer with various pleadings:  Stop it, Pay Before you Pump, All I Need, Just Like Dat, Sit her on the Table.   how can you go wrong?

johnny and the motones.  shake it.  altenburgh.  Wisconsin-based blues and r&b  group featuring john altenburgh, chris o’keefe, and mitch viegut.

arthur big boy crudup.  sunny road.  delmark.  Blues brilliance from 1969, vocalist/guitar master  arthur crudup takes on the melancholy of loss and hardship.  sit back and listen;  with jimmy dawkins & mike thompson on guitar;  mark thompson on bass, and willie “big eyes” smith, drumming.

jazz/blues adds april 1, 2013

jazz

gerald clayton.  life forum. concord.  Classically educated pianist/composer clayton represents a musical family–john and jeff clayton = elders.  his third recording is an argument to the “jazz is dead” alarm;  original compositions with even more original arrangements;  a brilliant supporting cast of musicians– vocalists gretchen parlato & sachal vasandani, reed-men logan richardson and dayna stephens; ambrose akinmusire on trumpet and steady drummer justin brown.

ben sidran.  don’t cry for no hipster. nardis.  Vocalist/keyboardist sidran explains historically the word “hipster”, and then, without affectation, defines it in his playlist.  music  by Monk, Sidran, and the author of “sixteen tons”. successful.

beata pater.  red.  b & b records.  Vocalizing from the Polish-born singer/composer/violinist pater showcases her mezzo-soprano voice and technique in originals and covers.  not my usual cup of tea because it all sounds the same after awhile, this is her third recording in a series dedicated to colors.

lisa hilton.  getaway.  ruby slippers.  Jazz pianist/composer with  strong blues expressiveness, hilton has been recording since the mid 1990′s.  excellent trio format– with larry grenadier on bass, and nasheet waits (regular player on jason moran gigs) drumming.

jovino santos neto.  piano masters series. # 4.  adventure music.  Solo improvs  from Brazilian-Seattle-based pianist/composer santos neto.  cues are short, a few covers, the piano (a Fazioli) sounds like a milllion bucks.

lauren white.  meant to be.  self produced.  Jazz and cabaret from vocalist white and the quinn johnson quintet (+ cameos).  mixed quality but worth a listen.

bill harris quintet.  this time the dream ‘s on me.  self produced.  American songbook standards  with a bluesy style from alto/tenor player harris.  traditional quintet fills out with trumpet, piano, bass and drums.

scott healy ensemble.  hudson city suite.  hudson city records.  Ellingtonia re-visited in pianist/composer healy’s decades-in-the-making contemporary original.   a small, “big band” with 6+ horns of various hues, magic drums from kendall kay, and healy’s  defining piano line.

ryan keberle +catharsis.  music is emotion.  alternate side records.  Trombone leader/composer keberle has sideman-ed for a wide spectrum:  ivan lins, alicia keys, maria schneider.  his tight group, catharsis, is all about the blend of his horn and that of trumpeter mike rodriguez, with jorge roeder on bass and eric doob on drums.  smooth.

rich thompson.  less is more.  origin. Strong straight-ahead jazz quintet led by drummer thompson.  excellent band includes terell stafford on trumpet/flugel and tenor doug stone, with master keyboardist gary versace, and jeff campbell on bass.

jim ridl.  blue corn enchilada dreams.  self produced.  Ambitious, bilingual music/poetry release from keyboardist/composer ridl grew out of a love for the American southwest.  band rounds out with stellar terell stafford on trumpet/flugel, bassist john benitez, and donald edwards on drums.

pedrito martinez.  rumba de la isla.  calle 54.  Musical mix  of Cuban and Spanish flamenco– congero martinez gathers a great band:  cajon master pirana, alfredo de la fe on electric violin, nino joselle-guitar, claps. + john benitez on bass, percussionist roman diaz.  beautiful graphic design,  one of the better Latin releases to come along.

blues

tinsley ellis.  get it!.  heartfixer music.  Blues and rock guitarist ellis  doing mostly originals with kevin mckendree on organs, clavinet;  lynn williams, drums, ted pecchio, bass.

boz scaggs.  memphis.  429 records.  Recent “discovery” pour moi, and this fun thing just adds to his oeuvre.  lots of guests–charlie musselwhite, jim cox  playing killer piano, spooner oldham on wurlitzer.  try ” cadillac walk.”

brad vickers & his vestapolitans.  great day in the morning. manhattone. Old time blues styling with fabulous fiddler, charles burnham.  leader vickers plays bottleneck  guitar;  margery peters on vocal + fiddle;  bill rankin, drums;   many guests.

sterling koch.  let it slide.  self -produced.  Lap steel guitar music from leader/vocalist koch and his trio (seems like there are more):  gene babula, bass; john goba, drums.  great songs–slow, fast, always deep in the blues and twang.

albert king.  born under a bad sign.  stax records.  From 1967, blues guitar and vocalist king plays the release classics+ bonus alternate takes.  musician credits include isaac hayes or booker t. jones on piano; donald “duck” dunn on bass, al jackson jr. on drums, steve cropper, more guitar.  fresh.

jazz/blues adds-march 25, 2013

jazz

charlie hunter/scott amendola.  not getting behind is the new getting ahead.  Exciting release from guitarist hunter and drummer amendola– just the two of them, exploring the blues, making a big, non-airbrushed sound.  original song titles comment on the “nooks and crannies” of USA  and hard lives of many Americans.  not anthem-ic;  very talented cats.

sunna gunnlaugs.  long pair bond.  sunny sky.  Gorgeous piano work from Iceland composer/keyboardist gunnlaugs and her trio–husband, scott mclemore on drums and progrimur “toggi” jonsson on bass.  harmonic challenge that finds soft curves in gunnlaugs’ signature minimalist jazz pieces.  for me, this is her best CD–drop the needle, they are all keepers.

jason robinson.  tiresian symmetry. cunieform.  This has its charms;  lots of deep horns—tuba, bass trombone, bass clarinet, contra bass clarinet.  robinson leads, composes, plays tenor/soprano.  his supporting cast is A+: marty erlich, marcus rojas, jd parran, bill lowe, george schuller, ches smith, drew gress.  long cues, demanding.

roscoe mitchell.   duets with tyshawn sorey, and guest hugh ragin.  wide hive.    Legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago saxophonist mitchell collaborates with trumpeter hugh ragin and composer/drummer/multi-instrumentalist tyshawn sorey.  explorers at work, unmasking “the bells” and their disguises.  once again, wide hive records in the East-Bay area goes out on a musical limb. bravo!

tomasz stanko new york quartet.  wislawa.  ECM.  Two discs from 70-year-old Polish trumpeter stanko working with a NY quartet: Cuban pianist david virelles ( fresh from his work on chris potter’s the sirens); double-bassist thomas morgan, and drummer gerald cleaver.  stanko, tries on a new style of playing–drawing inspiring for his long cues from the poetry of Polish Nobelist wislawa szymborska with whom he claims to have “poetry slammed” back in Warsaw.

giacomo gates.  milestones.  savant.  At the age of 40, after working construction on the Alaska pipeline and other points far north, gates began a singing career.  his favored technique is vocalizing or scat singing songs that may not have lyrics.  mixed bag effect for me, thouhg the band is good–dave stryker, guitar;  lonnie plaxico, bass;  john di martino, piano;  freddie hendrix-trumpet;  vincent ector, drums.  music is of course by or famously recorded by miles davis.

kendrick scott and oracle.  conviction. concord.  Drummer/composer scott and his quartet oracle accomplish smooth stylings in
their very sophisticated recording;  loved the bruce lee “Be Water” spoken word.  Young and strong band:  taylor eigsti @ piano; joe sanders, bass;  mike moreno on guitar;  john ellis on tenor.

aguanko.  elemental.  PKO.   Albert nacif, congero leader of the group aguanko, composes and practices medicine in Michigan.
his enthusiasm for Cuban music + a radio shift on WEMU led him to record an all -original playlist.  with jose pepe espinosa  on bongos, timbales, and a local band from the Ann Arbor area.

ron oswanski.  december’s moon.  tames/palmetto.  Oswanski plays B-3, piano, accordion;  his band walks proud–john abercrombie, electric guitar;  john patitucci, acoustic bass; clarence penn & ian froman, drums;  jay azzolina, acoustic guitar, and tim ries, soprano/tenor.  Mostly originals–except a Kenny Wheeler and Fred Hersch–the vibe is chilled with the very best light swing. even the polka works.

greyboy allstars.  inland emperor.  knowledge.  San Diego-based funk band– I could feel a frown coming on–but, listening put an end to that.  title track is a scorcher, as is the last, and the first two;  open mind refreshes ignorance.  band does not lack for stars: karl denson, reeds;  aaron redfield, drums; robert walter keyboards;  chris stillwell, bass;  elgin park, guitar.

better than alright.  MSU Professors of jazz.  self-produced.  Michigan State University jazz professors release a 2CD, all originals; bassist rodney whitaker charts African American migration within the US;  saxophonist diego rivera explores Latin influences in his suite, and etienne charles, trumpeter, focuses on jazz rhythms from the Caribbean.

eric alexander.  touching.  high note.  With his soft, strong tenor sound, eric alexander sounds like so many of our favorites– george adams, john coltrane.   the mostly ballads, lesser-known covers recording features harold mabern on piano, john webber on bass, and joe farnsworth, drums.  Blues-y, sophisticated,  irresistible-all at once.

blues

beth hart.  bang bang boom boom. mascot.  gorgeous girl writing terrific songs in a stylized blues elegance.  lots of confidence in the pop arrangements, and hart’s slightly burned-out delivery. she won me over.

clay swafford.  rooster.  lost cause.    Boogie-woogie piano from Alabama pianist “rooster” ( (red-hair from birth) swafford.  some cues have gospel vocalist diunna greenleaf, one has rooster playing with bob corritore and his all stars.  swafford, heir to the pinetop perkins piano tradition, plays with grace and heart.

andy poxon. tomorrow.  ellerSoul.  Under the wing of duke robillard, 18 year old andy poxon makes his debut;  all originals from the singer/songwriter/guitarist,  carrot-top poxon tackles all blues musical traditions:  soul, R&B, hillbilly, classic country, a full menu.

j.j. grey & mofro. this river. alligator.  Perhaps best for last,  variety pack of many blues delicacies:  twangy “sombody else”,  delicate blues, especially the title track, .  all originals , all danceable;  formerly known just as mofro, excellent band includes grey-vocals, guitars and bass; anthony farrell on keyboards;  anthony cole-drums;  art edmaiston-tenor & bari; dennis marion-trumpet; andrew trube-more guitars., todd smallie-bass.

jazz/blues adds–march 18, 2013

jazz

rondi charleston. signs of life.  motema music.  Chicago-born singer/songwriter charleston wasn’t always a musican.  after julliard, she went to journalism school, and distinguished herself as an investigative reporter for NY metro media;  compositions come from personal experiences–a dangerous family rafting trip, relics in her Civil War home, and a film score she wrote with pianist fred hersh.  Not your ordinary vocalist with the band; dave stryker, guitar; brandon mccune, piano; clarence penn, drums; ed howard, bass.

james danderfer.  the hummingbird brigade.  reigning parade.   Inspired by the New Orleans tradition, this eleven-piece, mostly brass,  band plays a full menu of R & B, funk, NoLA, on leader/reed player james danderfer’s second recording.  All originals;  danderfer tweets that he is the #1 clarinettist in Canada.

jack mouse group.  range of motion.  origin records.  Chicago based drummer who has played with everyone gathers the best of his windy city players in this all-originals session:  art davis, trumpet & flugel;  john mclean, guitar;  bob bowman and kelly sill, bass.  Mouse is crafty and smooth.

brad goode.  chicago red.  origin records.  Excellent band with international focus:  brad goode, trumpet from Chicago; paa kow,, on drums from Ghana;  bijoux barbosa on electric bass from Sao Paulo;  bill kopper on guitar, sitar ;  rony barrak, on darbouka from Beirut; jeff jenkins on piano.  title track and W.C. Handy cover are delightful.

lenny white. lenny white live. BFM records.  From the vault and the unforgettable Japanese tour, says victor bailey who plays bass on this 1997 high-energy, polished, early example of  Planet Fusion.  drummer lenny white leads mark ledford trumpet;  bennie maupin, saxes; patrice rushen–with the grooviest keyboards, + donald blackman, and foley (????) on bass.  Love the 1990s–close enough to have not been stylized.  yet.

tine bruhn & johnny o’neal.  nearness. burner records.  Danish vocalist bruhn and former jazz messenger pianist o’neal team up with a playlist of standards.  quiet, unaffected delivery with gentle piano runs and arrangements:  Stacy Dillard on tenor.   Maybe i needed more oomph.

paris combo.  5.  drg records.  Was all set to love this but no!.  Billed as global, but I think more Parisian, quintet:  vocalist belle du berry; potzi on guitar; francois jeannin-drums;  david lewis, trumpet, piano;  emmanuel chabbey, double bass.  The playlist all ran together; couldn’t tell one song from another.  Project has style, polish, energy–what went wrong?  failure to compose compelling music.

the kandinsky effect.  synesthesia.  cunieform records.   A different kind of recording out of  Paris,  from the  jazz trio synesthesia-- warren walker on sax + effects; gael petrina on bass + effects;  caleb dolister, drums + laptop.  almost ambient, but wakes  you up with random rhythm excitement.  Very soothing for writing all these jazz notes.

david weiss.  venture inward. positone records.  Compositional credits—mostly charles moore and andrew hill–place the sound of this recording in late miles davis territory.  the trumpet ( david weiss) and the tenor (j.d. allen) dominate;  guitar by nir felder, luques curtis on bass, and jamire williams, drums.  note to self:  listen to more andrew hill.

cory weeds.  “with benefits.  cellar live .  Smooth quartet of four world-class musicians:  cory weeds, tenor player, club owner, and owner of the Vancouver-based cellar live label;  bill coon, guitarist/composer;  peter washington, bass and lewis nash, drums–masters from the NY jazz universe.  I left my “dots” all over this.

craig wuepper.  leaps and bounds.  cellar live.  Prefaced with a story of how he got the piano he wrote the songs on, drummer/composer  craig wuepper involves the  listeners in his process.   what shines through is the collaboration and good will among band members:  trumpeter jim rotondi; david schnitter, tenor;   the solid rhythm  section–david hazeltine, piano; dennis irwin, bass.

living by lanterns.  new myth/old science.  cunieform records.  My pals at cunieform lost me on this one;  missed the seminar on Sun Ra back in the day.  Vibraphonist jason adasiewicz and  drummer mike reed assemble a new group, called living by lanterns that reworks unpublished compositions and improvisations by jazz oracle sun ra.  with mary halvorson, guitar;  ingrid baubrock, tenor; greg ward, alto; taylor ho bynum, cornet.

blues

duane allman.  skydog: the duane allman retrospective (excerpts).  rounder records.  With this compilation from the seven CD discography of duane allman you have here a superb ready-made blues show.  goodness me, everything is brilliant– his early work with
the allman joys, the escorts,  31st of february, clarence carter, king curtis, duane’s restrained version of goin down slow, but nothing is as good as the 13 minute boz scaggs loan me a dime.  i must have been living under a rock to miss this music when it originally came out.  oh, don’t overlook the eric clapton/duane allman acoustic duet, mean old world.

southern hospitality.  easy living.  blind pig records. Five-man blues band, produced by tab benoit, features  lap steel guitarist damon fowler and pianist/B-3/vocalist victor wainwright.  excellent originals, great arrangements–some retro.  with jp soars on various guitars, chuck riley, bass and chris peet, drums.

the cash box kings.  black toppin.  blind pig records.  Second release for the CBK, this one is dedicated to Chicago blues from the 1940-50′s;  mostly original compositions by vocalists joe nosek and oscar wilson;  strong band with lots of guitar twang–billy flynn, beau sample, gerry hundt, joel paterson.

 james hunter six.  minute by minute.  fantasy.  British blues vocalist/songwriter james hunter working with daptones producer gabriel roth  and a killer band gets the R&B revival sound perfect:  great horn section–damian hand, tenor; lee badau, bari; +andrew kingslow, piano and kyle koehler, organ; jason wilson, double bass; jonathan lee, drums.

jazz / blues adds –march 11, 2013

jazz

robert hurst.  bob: a palindrome.  bebob records.  In-demand bassist/educator/composer bob hurst assembles a “wildbunch” of Detroit musicians :   jeff “tain watts-drums; marcus belgrave (who mentored hurst since the teen years) -trumpet/flugel;  adam rudolph on percussion; robert glasper-piano and Rhodes;  bennie maupin on flute, clarinet, and  branford marsalis on tenor/       soprano.   Great arrangements take advantage of the superb talent ;  hurst, runs the  whole composition/ producing show.

larry coryell.  the lift.  wide hive records.  Musical nods to jimi hendrix and coryell’s own acoustic genius, master guitarist turns 70 this year and is not slowing down.  working with a small group– matt montgomery on bass; lumpy on drums, and chester smith on organ–all original compositions, and one-take cues, this recording oddly diagrams thirty years of  rock-jazz guitar permutations with a few shout-outs to blues, soul and everyone else along the way.

mike prigodich.  a stitch in time. mexican mocha music.   A young man gets cancer, fights back, and his second chance is as a jazz pianist;  the cinderrella-story puts a smile on your face when you listen to his debut CD.  It’s high energy, polish, all originals, and a seven piece band that sounds like a giant band–with edge.  Jazz, blues, world— we are on the planet Fusion.  The husband focus group loved it;  so did I.

lydia liebman. familia. vectordisc.  Featuring the dave liebman group, vocalist and daughter lydia makes her debut recording with compositions of jobim and lesser-known brazilian guitarist guinga.  a labor of love from an adoring parent (dave liebman), the formula of 50/50–instrumental to vocal–just underscores the not ready for prime time quality of lydia liebman.  much as i like quiet, this is just too quiet.

john stein.  bing bang boom. whaling city sound.  Gentle, quiet songs from experienced guitarist john stein (teaches @ berklee in Boston);  he tributes duke ellington, but the better stuff is his own original brazilian-esque compositions.  band includes john lockwood on bass; young jake sherman at various keyboards; and outstanding drummer ze eduardo nazario.

jim pearce.  you are an edgy visionary seer.  oak avenue.  Triple-threat–pianist, singer-songwriter, pearce has his devotees who return again and again to the quirks and clever of his lyrics; seven CD’s to date.  he’s a tad goofy for me, but i see the appeal;  bluesey but urbane, best compositions are when he sings.

dylan ryan/sand.   sky bleached.  cunneiform records.  LA drummer ryan and his trio–timothy young on guitar, devin hoff on bass– are very electrified;  this CD made be think how great bill frissell is.  But, as a label, cunneiform PR really demands that you listen to it.

rob mazurek octet.  skull sessions.  cunnieform records.  Cornetist mazurek combined his Chicago-based exploding star orchestra (nicole mitchell on flute, john herndon on drums and jason adasiewicz on vibes)  with his other group, the Sao Paolo Underground  (mauricio takara  on cavaquinho, guilherme granado on keyboards), plus thomas rohrer on the brazilian viola (rabaca) and carlos issa on guitar.  that’s a big, very colorful ensemble… the original compositions are long, so stretch out in the evening.

curtis hasselbring.  number stations. cunneiform records.   Ambitious, stylized project from NYC trombonist/guitarist hasselbring that ends up being much more meditative than intimidating.  the packaging comes with a lot of hoopty-doo about “mysterious shortwave radio broadcasts” from the Cold War days.  Fine, maybe buried somewhere deep, it’s there. musicians are A-list:  trevor dunn- basses; mary halvorsen-guitar; ches smith-drums/marimba; satoshi takeishi-drums/percussion; matt moran-vibes; chris speed- tenor/clarinet.

verve jazz ensemble.  it’s about time.  verve.   the young and the talented are presented with all their musical chops.  tatum greenblatt, trumpet and flugelhorn;  jon blanck, tenor;  matt oestreicher, piano; chris  de angelis, bass;  john feldstein, drums.  yes, we have heard these tunes many times, but the quintet does fine work– check out Big Swing Face, 1st take and the alternate.  applause for the young!

jaleel shaw.  the soundtrack of things to come. changu records.  Alto/soprano sax player shaw comes out of the mingus big band and roy haynes quartet.  All original compositions, many pieces were commissioned by the Brooklyn Museum;  shaw’s inspiration in many cases was family loss and spirituality.  Band members include  boris kozlov, bass;  lawrence fields, piano, and johnathan blake on drums.

melton mustafa.  the traveling man.  zaki records.  Miami-based trumpeter/composer/educator mustafa gathers a great band:  patrick bartley on alto; mulgrew miller, piano;  jason jackson, trombone; essiet essiet, bass; victor lewis, drums; ray mantilla, percusssion.  The horn sound is generous, and the compositions– all originals, arranged by mustafa.

blues

adrian younge presents the delfonics.  wax poetics records.  loved this one, a baker’s dozen of dreamy,  romantic odes from the guys who brought us “la la means I love you”.   Octogenarian William Hart is the iconic falsetto, and songwriter;  hip-hopper Adrian Younge is the LA  producer with a plan.  Enduring.

frank bey with anthony paule band.  you don’t know nothing.  blue dot records.  Back in the day, blues singer bey was the opening act for otis redding.  he took some time off, then re-surfaced in the Philly and Jersey blues circles.  now he’s out in San Fran. where this CD was recorded live.  He appears to be the real deal;  the anthony paule band has a gentle way with the mix of covers and originals.

otis clay.  truth is.  echo records.  this is good too, and David E. has left his black dots on favorites.  Otis, a legend from the soul, R & B, and Chicago blues world continues into his seventh decade. This recording excels with its arrangements and  a terrific chorus of back-up singers– that’s the gospel roots.  Pretty damn charming, especially disco-esque #12.

sena ehrhardt.  all in.  blind pig records.  Blues of a different stripe, but good, too.   backed by three guitars and drums, Minneapolis-based vocalist and songwriter ehrhardt jumps into her second recording with no fear.  she’s gorgeous, writes her own music and very appreciative of  jim gaines, her producer.

jazz adds/ march 3, 2013

jazz   (this is what i did not send last week)

new york voices.  live.  palmetto records.  Grammy-award winning vocal quartet NY Voices ( lauren kinhan, kim nazarian, damon meader, peter eldridge) have recorded with paquito d’rivera, and i loved their latin interpretations.  This show– American standards with lush arrangements by WDR Big Band — was performed at the Cologne philharmonic in 2008.  World class musicians the production was shaped and charted by conductor michael abene.

blake meister.  septagon. inner circle.  Voted #1 album of 2012 in the DC area, meister is a bassist with an excellent band–gary thomas on tenor/flute; paul bollenback on guitar; marc copland at piano; ralph peterson, drums.  All original compositions, recorded on greg osby’s inner circle label.

stockton helbing.  crazy aquarius.  armored records.  More smooth horn-y sound from alumni @ the power-house North Texas State jazz dept. in Denton.  drums, composition and arrangements by helbing, but the head-liners are david lown on tenor, paul tynan on trumpet/flugel.  great, tight band, this recording grew out of a band camp encounter.  with  james driscoll, bass, noel johnston, guitar and david braid, piano.

gabriel alegria / afro-peruvian sextet.  cuidad de los reyes.  saponegro records.  What did I expect from this CD?   Old-style latin or maybe pan-pipes.  none of that;   rather,  elegant  jazz-world styling with mostly originals by leader/trumpeter alegria and his sax/vocalist laura leguia.  Rest of the band is no slouch:  shirazette tinnin on drums; john benitez, double bas; yuri juarez  on guitars.

charles lloyd/jason moran.* hagar’s song.  ECM.  Duets from two great artists–jason moran at the piano, and the indomitable charles lloyd on tenor, alto, bass &alto flute.  the playlist is fresh covers of tunes you thought you knew, but the anchor is a 28 minute original [hagar's song] that owes to ellington and jazz history.  excellent.
* check out the New Yorker piece on jason moran by alex wilkinson in march 11, 2013 issue.

christian howes with richard galliano. southern exposure. resonance records.  Violin and accordion but so much more.  Galliano, student and friend of bandoneon master astor piazzolla, is a Parisian one-man-band with his fiery technique and compositional skills.  Howes may be from Ohio but he circles the globe with this afro-brazilian-cuban-celtic serenade.  band includes scott colley on bass, lewis nash on drums, josh nelson, piano.

aaron diehl.  the bespoke man’s narrative.  mack avenue records.  Five originals+ five classics from young piano wiz aaron diehl.  his debut recording sounds like keyboard magic but the back story is amazing technique, sophisticated improvisation whether he’s jazz-ing Ravel’s le tombeau de couperin,  homage-ing the MJQ with the cylinder, or  playing it solo and straight on single petal of a rose.  he’s not alone:  warren wolf on vibes, david wong on bass, rodney green on drums—don not miss this one!

kyle eastwood.  the view from here.  jazz village records.  Mr. Eastwood, son of clint, plays bass but his real strength is band leader/composer/ stylist of this fine recording.  Quality in the british band:  andrew mccormack on piano; stunning horns from graeme blevins on tenor & soprano and quentin collins on trumpet/flugel; drummer martyn kaine.  #9 is great, but it’s all great energy, tight.

mark egan/ karl latham/john hart.  unit 1.  wave tone records.    Very electric, groove-y sound from trio:  mark egan on bass; john hart on guitar; karl latham, drums, recorded at Bula club in Newtown N.J.  Titles, though all jazz covers, offer the barest suggestions;  long cues.

UCF jazz ensemble.  the blues is alright. flying horse records.  Central Florida  University’s calling card for recruiting jazz students has a great playlist– and as you know I usually run away from big band collections. Charts and composition by UCF performers;  jeff rupert, director.

rob parton big band.  we’ll be together again.  jazz tech records   Chicago  trumpet/flugel studio musician assembles his dream big band for this tribute to horn master clark terry.  Full, clean, high sound;  many covers and an original fantasy for trumpet & jazz orchestra by eric richards.