Mark Ortwein It Was Time Terra Voce The kneejerk reaction when learning that Indiana-based musician, composer, and educator Mark Ortwein was a one-man woodwind section playing tenor, alto, soprano, and baritone saxes, along with bassoon, electrified bassoon, clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute was that perhaps this would be a self-indulgent exercise. As it turns out, […]
Leap Day Trio Live at the Café Bohemia Giant Steps Arts The Leap Day Trio (Matt Wilson, Jeff Lederer, and Mimi Jones) christen the reopening of Greenwich Village’s famed Café Bohemia sixty years later. What a story! The club originally opened in 1955, when Charlie Parker offered to play the room for free drinks. The […]
Alex Weiss Most Don’t Have Enough ears & eyes The socially conscious Most Don’t Have Enough is the third album for tenor saxophonist Alex Weiss and his first with his working quintet since 2019, Glad Irys. This adventurous, fiery unit has Dan Blake on soprano saxophone and Yana Davydova on guitar, forming a formidable front […]
Various Artists Tribute to a Song Poet: Songs of Eric Andersen Y&T Music / EARecords This massive 3-CD and digital tribute to the living legend folk artist Eric Andersen has been available since early in 2023 but we’d be remiss not to inform you about it, even now. It’s a staggering list of artists paying […]
Tim Carman Trio Key Lime Color Red Music Fans of the blues trio GA-20 no doubt recognizes the talents of those players, in this case our reference is to Boston-based drummer Tim Carman, the leader of his eponymous organ trio. Yes, this classic soul-jazz in the spirit of 60s icons Big John Patton, Jimmy Smith, […]
Tomer Cohen Not the Same River Hypnote Tomer Cohen is an Israeli-born jazz guitarist making his debut on Not the Same River, introducing us to his sound which incorporates folk, Israeli music, and jazz in a trio format. His bandmates have strong ties to the SF Jazz Collection – bassist Matt Penman and drummer Obed […]
Don Aliquo Growth Self-released Veteran reedist Don Aliquo, originally from Pittsburgh, but resident of Nashville for the past two decades, may still be a relatively new name as he is not part of the more publicized jazz scenes in New York or Chicago. Aliquo was mentored from childhood by his father, the still active 93-year-old […]
Joe Locke Makram Circle 9 Veteran vibraphonist and composer Joe Locke reunites his quartet for an album that feels both old and new at the same time. The ‘old” are the two standards that bookend the album’s seven originals, either penned by Locke or band members with Locke doing all the arranging. Locke’s quartet features […]
Buddy Mondlock Filament Self-released Buddy Mondlock is one of the better, albeit lesser known Nashville-based singer songwriters. After all, any songwriter who co-writes with Guy Clark is in a lofty category, just be virtue of that. Yet, there’s much more here on Mondlock’s latest, Filament, than just “The Dark,” the co-write with Clark. The album […]
Leon Lee Dorsey w/ Mike Clark and Russell Malone Cantaloupe Island Jazz Avenue 1 The bass-drum team of Leon Lee Dorsey and Mike Clark are on a certifiable roll. This writer has reviewed three of their efforts, all with pianists – Manuel Valera, the late Harold Mabern, and most recently Mike LeDonne. The duo now […]
Christopher McBride Ramon KYO Music Saxophonist and composer Christopher McBride’s Ramon is a more than appropriate album for Black History Month as he weaves in the four pillars of Black music, blues, gospel, soul, and R&B as well as a suite devoted to the unfortunate murder of Trayvon Martin. The recent Grammy winner with Steven […]
Ann Hampton Calloway Fever: A Peggy Lee Celebration Palmetto Having heard Ann Hampton Calloway sing recently, there’s a bluesy, sultry style to her vocals that should interest the readers of this blues-oriented publication. Calloway has all the key attributes of nuance, power, range, and emotion as well as the presence of the best entertainers, and […]
Jesse Davis Jesse Davis Live at Smalls Jazz Club Cellar Music Group and SmallsLIVE Living Masters Series Admittedly some readers of these pages may have first associated the name Jesse Davis with Taj Mahal’s late guitarist, better known as Jesse Ed Davis. Yet, alto saxophonist Jesse Davis has been a staple within the jazz community for nearly forty […]
East Axis No Subject Mack Avenue We don’t associate the label Mack Avenue or Christian’s McBride’s Brother Mister Productions with improvised, avant-garde offerings except for his own New Jawn but that has changed with the issuance of this quartet, East Axis and their debut, No Subject. Based on the sounds heard here, more of this […]
Bill Warfield and the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra Time Capsule Planet Arts Jazz, blues, and soul lovers will all find recognizable fare on this large ensemble recording from Bill Warfield and his famed Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra as they cover such gems as “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free,” “Light […]
Planet D Nonet Blues to Be There A Salute to Duke Ellington Eastlawn The Planet D Nonet is a Detroit-based group, actually numbering ten, lead by percussionist and music personality RJ Spangler and trumpeter/vocalist James O’Donnell. Prior to this salute to Duke Ellington the band has engaged in what they feel are neglected jazz and […]
Dave Stryker Prime Strikezone As readers of these pages know, jazz/blues guitarist Dave Stryker is prolific yet this offering, Prime, is his first featuring his working trio – organist Jared Gold and drummer McClenty Hunter, each of whom have issued albums as leaders as well. This represents the classic soul-jazz organ trio with eight new […]
Diego Rivera Love And Peace Posi-Tone Bandleader, composer, educator and saxophonist Diego Rivera returns for his fourth release for PosiTone with the inspired Love And Peace. Rivera fronts a quartet, backed by the label’s mainstay rhythm section of pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston. We have covered Rivera on these pages […]
Dave Liebman Live at Smalls Cellar Music Group – Smalls Live Living Masters Series He’s played for over sixty years and attained NEA Jazz Master status, so who can blame saxophonist and composer Dave Liebman for electing to play free jazz at this stage of his career – “I have been recording since I was […]
Sunny War Anarchist Gospel New West It’s been a remarkable run for the punk-blues artist Sunny War, known for her fingerpicking acoustic guitar skills and her deceptively casual, quiet approach to songs, many of which are topical. While her early independent records cast her mostly in a blues vein, her music encompasses much more as […]
Ben Wolfe Unjust Resident Arts Bassist, bandleader and composer Ben Wolfe’s 2019 Fatherhood, a mix of jazz and classical was so provocative, it left us curious as to what his next move would be. The wait is over. Wolfe returns Unjust, eschewing the classical side of his personality for more of a free, improvised jazz […]
Helene Cronin Landmarks Self-released Landmarks is the follow-up to singer-songwriter Helene Cronin’s acclaimed 2019 debut, Old Ghosts and Lost Causes, yet she brings a more fully realized louder and denser sound to this effort. Comparing the two, one notices several similarities though as the main drivers for both are Cronin and producer Matt King who […]
Eddie 9V Capricorn Ruf Did you ever play a game with friends where you might give each other names – like bowlers or gangsters? Well, apparently while on the road with another band, the guitarist/singer Brooks Mason was in such a situation and thus the name Eddie 9 Volt (shortened to Eddie V) was bestowed […]
Pocono Jones & The Bear Live at Cambridge Sound Studios Self-released This is our second review for Pennsylvania-based folk/blues artist Paul Wilkinson, billed here as the The Bear in keeping with the solo effort from 2021, 400 Bears. He is joined by Pocono Jones, aka Brad Hinton for a live acoustic performance that took place […]
Jim Brunberg Songs of Stupid Hope Self-released Portland-based singer-songwriter Jim Brunberg is no newcomer though he has been out of the limelight in terms of recorded music for the past fifteen years, but he hasn’t strayed from some aspect of music. He’s long been an owner of multiple music venues in Portland and has composed […]
Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets Pan Africa Impact Jazz Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Derrick Gardner has been regarded prominently ever since his 2005 debut with Slim Goodie. He has also received international acclaim for his 18-piece ensemble Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band, highlighted by their critically acclaimed 2020 recording debut Still I Rise, which we covered […]
Christine Correa Just You Stand and Listen with Me Sunnyside Vocalist Christine Correa and her hand-picked quartet do an admirable job recasting the iconic We Insist! Freedom Now Suite from Max Roach, Oscar Brown Jr., and Abbey Lincoln in their version, Just You Stand and Listen with Me. The prevailing notion of course, is that […]
Yvonnick Prené Listen! Sunnyside One can count the number of jazz harmonicists practically on one hand, at least the most well-known ones such as Grégoire Maret, Hendrik Muerkens, and the legendary Toots Thielemans. Enter upstart chromatic harmonica master, Parisian born, New York-based Yvonnick Prené. If we’re not mistaken Prené’s previous recording was a trio date, […]
Tyler Mitchell Octet Featuring Marshall Allen Sun Ra’s Journey Cellar Music Group – SmallsLIVE Living Masters Series Bassist Tyler Mitchell and alto saxophonist/EVI Player Marshall Allen first met as band members of the cosmic Sun Ra Arkestra in the mid-eighties. Of course, the venerable now 98-year-old Marshall, the Arkestra’s current director, has been a member of the band since […]
The Heavy Hitters The Heavy Hitters Cellar Music Group The Heavy Hitters is a new name and the eponymous debut for a group co-led by pianist Mike LeDonne and tenorist Eric Alexander. Yet, there are plenty of reference points for this one. In recent years we’ve seen more than one ‘super group” assembled to carry […]
Teresa James With a Little Help From Her Friends Blue Heart The Grammy-nominated Texas born, California-based vocalist Teresa James makes the ten Beatles songs on her With a Little Help From Her Friends sound like a steaming, rowdy set from your favorite roadhouse or at times a sweaty dancefloor from the Stax /Motown/Philly soul era […]
Peach & Quiet Beautiful Thing Peach & Quiet Music The play on words duo Peach & Quiet are Canadians Heather Reed and Jonny Miller, both of whom sing, write songs, and play acoustic guitars. Their dozen originals draw on folk, blues, Americana, and throwback Laurel Canyon rock. This is their sophomore release and they have […]
John Bailey Time Bandits Freedom Road Versatile and in-demand trumpeter and composer John Bailey has played alongside Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Jr., and Latin jazz giants Ray Barretto and Arturo O’Farrill as well as with major jazz musicians in NYC. The backing ensemble he has recruited for Time Bandits, his third album as a leader, […]
Richie Goods & Chien Chien Lu Connected Vol. 1 Richman Music Renowned bassist Richie Goods and respected vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu are documenting what looks to be the first in a series of collaborations. You may have already heard some of their work as “We Three Kings” was released in the Fall of 2020 and “Rain,” which […]
Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets Pan Africa Impact Jazz Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Derrick Gardner has been regarded prominently ever since his 2005 debut with Slim Goodie. He has also received international acclaim for his 18-piece ensemble Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band, highlighted by their critically acclaimed 2020 recording debut Still I Rise, which we covered […]
Gail Ceasar Guitar Woman Blues Music Maker Foundation Gail Ceasar is a self-taught Piedmont blues and bluegrass singer/guitarist, who through the help of the Music Maker Foundation is releasing an authentic blues album. Ceasar has been playing this regional style blend of bluegrass and the blues, learned from her uncle Joe, since she was ten […]
Something Blue Personal Preference Posi- Tone Every so often producer Marc Free and engineer Nick O’Toole of Posi-Tone Records take the opportunity to showcase new artists. Sometimes this is under the banner “New Faces” but at others the pair introduces new artists in the company of label mainstays. Such was the case with 2018’s Something […]
Michael Feinberg Blues Variant Criss Cross Bassist and composer Michael Feinberg gathers an elite group of jazz musicians to honor the spirit of Elvin Jones specifically and John Coltrane’s classic quartet in general. The bassist contributes six originals, one from Tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger, one from pianist Leo Genovese, and his own arrangement of Herbie […]
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Making a Scene Presents Jim Hynes’s Top 30 Jazz Releases Covered in MAS Plus Honorable Mentions (alphabetically by artist – not rated) By Jim Hynes Let’s begin by saying every single jazz release we have reviewed has an appeal for some reason, which makes it difficult to develop these lists. Keep in mind that this […]
Nadje Noordhuis Full Circle Newvelle The Australian-born trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis leads a first-rate quartet on Full Circle, the fourth album in NewVelle Records’ Renewal Series. Flanked by pianist Fred Hersch, bassist Thomas Morgan, and drummer Rudy Royston, Noordhuis, who composed all eight compositions, gives each of her bandmates plenty of solo opportunities. This is a […]
Lisa Hilton Paradise Cove Ruby Slippers Productions Paradise Cove marks the 26th album for pianist, composer and producer Lisa Kristine Hilton, and her second release in 2022, following March’s Life Is Beautiful. It also marks the debut of her new, L.I.L.O Quartet (all first initials) featuring returning mainstay bassist Luques Curtis with trumpeter Igmar Thomas (Hilton’s former roommate at […]
Laszlo Gardony Close Connection Sunnyside Hungarian-born pianist and Berklee College of Music Professor Laszlo Gardony delivers his fourteenth album and sixth with his trio of bassist John Lockwood and drummer Yoron Israel. The trio has been playing together for more than twenty years so the deep level of understanding facilitates a lively session that has […]
David Bloom and Cliff Colnot Shadow of a Soul Fire and Form Shadow of a Soul is an expansive, largely orchestral album from guitarist, flautist, composer, educator David Bloom and esteemed arranger Cliff Colnot. This is their fourth collaborative album with 15 original compositions from Bloom and 13 arrangements by Colnot, with the two arranging […]
Amelia White Rocket Rearview Self-released Amelia White is a singer-songwriter who has emerged as one of the most honest and direct in the talented field of Americana artists, many of whom, like White, call East Nashville their hometown. Rocket Rearview is White’s eighth album, her pandemic album (just about all artists have one of those, […]
Rodney Whitaker Oasis – The Music of Gregg Hill Origin Detroit native, Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University, and esteemed bassist Rodney Whitaker is back with his third album dedicated to music of his East Lansing neighbor, composer Gregg Hill, with Oasis. If this, the first one this writer has heard, is any […]
Bruce Cockburn Rarities (Digital Only Release) True North For fans who cannot get enough of Bruce Cockburn’s music (this writer being one of them), the artist is releasing Rarities, sixteen rarely heard and newly mastered recordings for digital only consumption. These include two previously unreleased songs that are not included on the Rumours Of Glory limited-edition box […]
Kate Baker and Vic Juris Return to Shore – The Duo Sessions Strikezone We’re just a tad late for this one; shame on us if we were to overlook it. The husband-and-wife duo of vocalist Kate Baker and the late esteemed guitarist Vic Juris is one of the most intimate, tender recordings in recent memory. […]
Skip & Dan Wilkins Quartet In the Stars Deer Head At this same time almost exactly three years ago we reviewed Someday from the Skip and Dan Wilkins Quartet, an homage to the Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap, PA, relatively local for this writer. Yes, it’s a rather unlikely spot to find a […]
Santi Debriano & Arkestra Bembe Ashanti Jojo Panama-born and New York-based composer and bassist Santi Debriano has been a longtime bandmate for Kirk Lightsey but is an accomplished bandleader as well. Ashanti is his eighth release as a leader and the first for Jojo Records. Bembe is quite the ensemble, boasting a five-horn front line, with four […]
