Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra Playland at the Beach Little Village Playland at the Beach by Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra is certainly an odd entry for the Little Village label. Heck, it is an odd entry for album review/background piece, period. Yet, it was this line in the promotional materials that piqued this writer’s […]
Sean Mason Southern Suite Blue Engine This writer had one of those weird “what world are they in? moments recently encountering an article questioning why the piano is losing favor. Admittedly, while not going very far into the article and chalking it up as one of the pop-oriented articles that often hits the phone, it […]
Kerri Powers Love Is Why Wildflower Child New England singer-songwriter Kerri Powers returns with her first album since 2018 with Love Is Why, songs written during the pandemic and steeped in loss and grieving when Powers was processing the loss of her father, with whom she was very close. So, the writing process was cathartic […]
Randy Lee Riviere Blues Sky New Wilderness Blues Sky represents a shift for singer-songwriter Randy Lee Riviere, teaming again with the acclaimed producer Kevin McKendree who produced, engineered, and mixed the album. The last time we visited Riviere he and McKendree delivered a western tinged Americana effort, 2021’s Wyoming. Before that, under the moniker Mad […]
Jeremy Udden Wishing Flower Sunnyside Alto saxophonist and composer Jeremy Udden unveils a new, “old” instrument on, Wishing Flower, the Lyricon, a wind synthesizer which is a precursor to the EWI. Playing with his collaborators over the past 15-20 years, Udden leads a quartet of guitarist Ben Monder, acoustic bassist Jorge Roeder, and drummer Ziv […]
The Angelica Sanchez Nonet Nighttime Creatures Pyroclastic Nighttime Creatures is the debut of rising pianist and composer Angelica Sanchez’s nonet, culled from the ranks of some of the leading lights in the creative music scene. Somehow, we failed to cover her widely hailed 2022 trio album Sparkle Beings with Michael Formanek and Billy Hart, so […]
Vincent Hsu Music for the River Jazz Suite: The Spirit of Love River & Mississippi River Truth Revolution Bassist and composer Vincent Hsu’s stunning and surprising Music for the River Jazz Suite: The Spirit of Love River & Mississippi River finds common ground between two seemingly disparate great rivers: Love River of Hsu’s hometown of Kaohsiung, Taiwan […]
Anton O’Donnell Tomber Sur PRW Need to Know Trust that this, though the artist may be and certainly the title is unfamiliar, is a terrific singer-songwriter album. Now for the explanations: 1) Anton O’Donnell is a Scottish musician who somehow connected with longtime producer Brian Brinkerhoff who helmed this album with 18 musicians participating spread […]
Donald Vega As I Travel Imagery/Tiger Turn Acclaimed pianist and composer Donald Vega may best be known as the pianist in Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio, but this is the fourth time he has stepped out as a leader with his own project. As I Travel is an autobiographical suite of compositions that traces Vega’s emigration to […]
Chest Fever Music from Big Pink Blind Owl Let’s get the prerequisite qualifier down first; this writer has made an exception and is covering a cover band. It’s only happened three times before, and for the same reason – love and respect for the music of The Band. Two of these were with Jim Weider-led […]
Shuteen Erdenebaatar Rising Sun Motéma Music Rising Sun is the debut album by Munich-based pianist and composer Shuteen Erdenebaatar now available on all platforms. At just 25, this nascent star from Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, is leading three world class ensembles and has accumulated an impressive array of important prizes for young musicians on the European jazz scene […]
Andrea Veneziani The Lighthouse Self-released Bassist and composer, the Italian-born Andrea Veneziani delivers his second album as a leader, The Lighthouse, featuring a quartet of cornetist Kirk Knuffke, who is clearly and deservedly making the rounds these days, guitarist Charlie Sigler, and drummer Allan Mednard for the bassist’s eight originals. There is an eleven-year gap […]
Robert Rex Waller Jr. See the Big Man Cry Have Harmony, Will Travel See the Big Man Cry is the second album from I See Hawks in L.A. frontman Robert Rex Waller Jr., who collaborated with Carla Olson to record this wide-ranging effort. The two have long sung together in shows around L.A. and each […]
Chris Botti Vol. 1 Blue Note If you were expecting trumpeter Chris Botti to change his game with his new signing to Blue Note, then your expectations will only slightly be met. If, on the other hand, you adore his mellow, pristine tone and flawless execution, you can be assured that it all remains intact […]
Constantine Alexander Firetet Self-released Firetet is the debut for Chicago-based trumpeter/composer/educator Constantine Alexander who leads his own quintet through seven blazing originals. Although this is the first for the Greek American, he keeps a very busy slate in the Windy City, playing with Roy McGrath’s Menjunje, Marques Carroll’s Trumpet Summit, and the Chicago Blackhawks. His […]
Hays Street Hart Bridges Smoke Sessions Hays Street Hart sallies forth in their second outing as the piano trio of Kevin Hays, bassist Ben Street, and NEA Jazz Master drummer Billy Hart with Bridges following up their 2021 All Things Are. The latter effort was livestreamed, perhaps not even intended to be an album. Yet, […]
Art Hirahara Echo Canyon Posi-Tone The stalwart rhythm section of pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston who grace so many of the Posi-Tone label releases, have this one, Echo Canyon, to themselves. Leader Hirahara indicated that this, his ninth album for the label, was not a planned session but rather a […]
Nathan Graham Steps Saint of Second Chances Pravda Welcome singer-songwriter, Chicago’s Nathan Graham to the fold. His circuitous route has taken him from a youth absorbed in such commercial acts as Prince and Earth, Wind, and Fire to many a night supporting various blues acts at Buddy Guy’s Legends or Kingston Mines in his hometown. […]
Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm Grit & Grace Sunnyside The inside album photo reveals one female amongst seven males, symbolic in a sense of the odds that a female faces in the music world, particularly on the trombone. Yet, Jennifer Wharton is the leader of this ensemble, Bonegasm, and she plays bass trombone to boot. Grit & […]
Billy Mohler Ultraviolet Contagious Music Ultraviolet is leader, bassist, and Grammy-winner Billy Mohler’s follow-up to his 2022 Anatomy, also covered on these pages. As delineated then, Mohler has worked as a sideman, producer, and songwriter for Dolly Parton. Macy Gray. Lady Gaga, Mavis Staples, Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, and others. This is the third outing for his […]
Mendoza Hoff Revels Echolocation AUM Fidelity Imagine the sound of the iconic MC5 and four of today’s aggressive avant-garde musicians and that, as well as anything, may define the sonics of the quartet dubbed Mendoza-Hoff-Revels. They are the ferocious guitarist Ava Mendoza, who broke out on William Parker’s 2021 Mayan Space Station, covered on these […]
John Scofield Uncle John’s Band ECM As the esteemed jazz guitarist that John Scofield is, his repertoire is often wide ranging, encompassing country, folk, rock, and funk. He’s never really left the genres he grew up with behind. As Scofield’s long coveted title suggests, this new double LP, which takes its name from the Grateful […]
Caroline Davis’ Alula Captivity Ropeadope Avant alto saxophonist, composer and activist Caroline Davis and her band Alula issue through Ropeadope Davis’ first social justice album, Captivity. Davis’ electronics infused compositions speak to the lives of eight heroes who kept hope alive through incarceration. Joining Davis are turntablist Val Jeanty, bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, as well as special guests Qasim […]
Ron Blake Mistaken Identity 7tēn33 Productions Saxophonist and composer Ron Blake releases his first album as a leader in fifteen years with Mistaken Identity, a tight quartet recording featuring his longtime friend, the guitarist Bobby Broom along with bassists Nat Reeves or Reuben Rogers and drummer Kobie Watkins. As you may recall we covered Broom’s […]
Jocelyn Gould Sonic Bouquet Self-released Rather than continue to advance her quickly growing career with a batch of originals, Canadian guitarist and composer, 2021 JUNO Award winner Jocelyn Gould opts for some comfort by including standards and deferring to her colleague and mentor, guitarist Randy Napoleon, who has three of the nine tunes here while […]
Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon Together Appalseed This collaboration between two giants of folk music, Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon, seems predestined but still may not have happened if it weren’t for the intervention of the pandemic. Though a series of conversation via ZOOM, the reminiscing and sports talk soon turned to songwriting, resulting in […]
Emmet Cohen Featuring Houston Person Master Legacy Series Vol. 5 Bandstand Presents To see pianist Emmet Cohen collaborating with a legendary elder jazz statesman is nothing new. If you are at all tuned to social media, you’ll see tons of YouTube clips (bet you can find this one too) of Cohen with his guests at […]
Quinsin Nachoff Stars and Constellations Adyharopa We’re taking a bit of a calculated risk with this one, realizing that writing about classical music on these pages will turn most readers away. Yet, we did cover composer and saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff’s 2020 Pivotal Arc on these same pages, so why not inform you about Stars and […]
Michelle Lordi Two Moons Imani Two Moons is vocalist and songwriter Michelle Lordi’s fifth album as a leader, and the second with bassist Matthew Parish serving as a co-producer as he did on her 2019 Break Up the Sound. Just as that album featured a A-list cast (guitarist Tim Motzer, saxophonist Donny McCaslin, and drummer […]
Darrell Grant’s MJ New Our Mr. Jackson Lair Hill For whatever reasons, today we seldom hear about one of the longest running groups in jazz, the Modern Jazz Quartet, dubbed MJQ. Led by pianist John Lewis with vibraphonist Milt Jackson, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Connie Kay, (who replaced Kenny Clarke), they were formed in […]
Steve Gellman All You Need Self-released Multiple award-winning Maryland singer-songwriter Steve Gellman has released his thirteenth album, All You Need. The album carries the ambience of an authentic folk singer backed by an impressive casts including members of The Seldom Scene, guitarist Nina Gerber, Chao Tian (a special star on this album), Grammy winners Cathy […]
Ray Bonneville On the Blind Side Stonefly Juno Award winner and multiple Juno nominee, the Quebec-born, well-traveled and currently Austin-based blues and roots artist Ray Bonneville returns with his tenth solo album, On the Blind Side. This is Bonneville’s post-pandemic release, and understandably may be even more introspective than some previous efforts, leaning a bit […]
David Bennett Cohen Seems Like a Good Time for the Blues Self-released Blues pianist David Bennett Cohen has been on the scene for over sixty years and yet, as hardly a household name, his resume would be the envy of many, even those that are indeed well recognized. He’s a founding member of Country Joe […]
Ethan Philion Gnosis Sunnyside We covered bassist Ethan Philion’s debut as a leader, 2022’s Meditations on Mingus on the pages. Now Philion returns with his second, a departure from the large 10-piece ensemble he led then, paring down to a quartet to render mostly his own originals on Gnosis. The rarely heard term means knowledge […]
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder Sonicwonderland Telarc The internationally recognized and Grammy-winning pianist and composer Hiromi, unveils her new quartet, dubbed Sonicwonder for a slight departure in her sound that now incorporates electronics and funk. For the first time Hiromi is also playing electric keyboards and synths while trumpeter Adam O’Farrill uses pedals. Hadrien Feraud is the bassist […]
Miho Hazama – m_unit Beyond Orbits Edition Composer and conductor Miho Hazama celebrates the tenth anniversary with her m_unit on Beyond Orbits, her version of the concept of Afro-futurism, explored by many creative musicians before her, most notably Sun Ra. Although the “Afro” piece of the equation doesn’t fit, Hazama’s concept is built on her […]
Matthew Shipp The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp Mahakala There well may not be a more prolific musician than pianist and composer Matthew Shipp, who since arriving in New York in the ‘90s has over one hundred releases under his name no fewer than eight since the inception of 2022. He is now regarded as one […]
André Bisson Latchford Self-released It’s somewhat rare to hear an artist for the first time on his tenth album release and in the case of Canadian soul/R&B/roots singer-songwriter André Bisson, it raises the obvious notion of ‘look at what I’ve been missing.” Bisson has been on the scene for twenty years, boasts numerous awards and […]
Todd Sickafoose Bear Proof Secret Hatch Bear Proof is 62 minutes of continuous music by a super group of creative musicians led by Tony and Grammy-winning bassist, composer, and producer Todd Sickafoose. The album was recorded in the since shuttered Fantasy studios (Berkeley, CA) and the delay in getting it issued likely attests to Sickafoose’s […]
Bowmanville Bowmanville Stoneagle Music Bowmanville is a Chicago-based quintet with a rather unique frontline of guitar, harmonica, and violin that straddles the gypsy jazz music of Django Reinhardt and those associated with “Hot Club” sonics, and Chicago blues. There are swing numbers, blues standards and originals in this infectious and inviting set that’s mostly instrumental […]
Davis Hall & The Green Lanterns Canboro Canborough Self-released Canboro Canborough is the second album from Toronto-based drummer/multi-instrumentalist Jim Casson and his band, The Green Lanterns. Admittedly, this writer is perplexed at how “Davis Hall” fits into this, except to guess that the character, like the song titles, relates to where Casson grew up on […]
Anthony Fung Fo(u)rth Self-released Canadian, now Californian-based drummer Anthony Fung grabs your attention with his album title even before hearing the first note. The insertion of the parenthetical ‘u’ rather obviously denotes that it’s his fourth album as a leader, yet ‘forth” owes to the advice bestowed on him by the late drummer Ralph Peterson […]
Michael Dease Swing Low Posi-Tone This writer was initially puzzled to see trombonist Altin Sencalar on a small combo album by the award-winning trombonist Michael Dease but when viewing the album cover that has Dease cradling a baritone saxophone, I began to better understand this latest effort, Swing Low. We call Dease lots of things […]
Bobby Zankel/Wonderful Sound 8 A Change of Destiny Mahakala For many of you this is your introduction to Philly saxophonist and composer Bobby Zankel. Yet even those familiar with Zankel are likely not familiar with the story he tells on A Change of Destiny. Let’s take them one at a time. Zankel spent the better […]
Slowly Rolling Camera Flow Edition Flow is the digital only release that follows Slowly Rolling Camera’s (SCR) 2021 Where the Streets Lead. The band hails from Wales and is now nearing their tenth year of recording where they blend jazz forms, some neo soul, trip hop, and electronica. A reference point could be Gogo Penguin but […]
Dave Keller It’s Time to Shine Tastee Tone In previous reviews of Vermonter soul/blues artist Dave Keller, this writer recalls a quote from Keller about preferring to be a big fish in a small pond than an artist competing with many in the same locale. Do you know any other national blues artists from Vermont? […]
Brad Turner Quintet The Magnificent Cellar Music The title seems to be hyperbolic but is not a term describing the leader of the Brad Turner Quintet. Instead, it references the great trumpeter, bandleader and composer Thad Jones, and specifically his 1956 recording The Magnificent Thad Jones. The title track does just that. The label Cellar Music, […]
Heather Lynne Horton Get Me to a Nunnery Pauper Sky Singer-songwriter Heather Lynne Horton delivers the richly ethereal Get Me to a Nunnery, transporting us to some otherworldly place that seems cushioned by clouds and sounds that echo well beyond mere earthly realms. It’s a sound forged by her violin, layered voices, and the keyboards […]
Jeff Coffin – Jordan Perlson – Viktor Krauss Coffin/Perlson/Krauss Ear Up Records The prolific saxophonist and composer Jeff Coffin is back, this time with a chordless trio featuring his longtime drumming colleague Jordan Perlson and Nashville multi-genre first call bassist Viktor Krauss for nine tracks, to which each contributed. The trio recorded at Krauss’ home studio, […]
Veronica Swift Veronica Swift Mack Avenue To say vocalist Veronica Swift moves beyond jazz on her third album is a vast understatement. In her self-described ‘transgenre,’ self-titled album the range of artists and styled covered is beyond mere comprehensive in words alone, until one begins listening to find a surprising cohesiveness among tracks nodding to […]
