Will Bernard & Beth Custer SKY Dreck-to-Disk Guitarist and composer Will Bernard should be a familiar name to readers of these pages as we’ve covered him on straight-ahead trio, organ trio, and ensemble releases for Posi-Tone, and his 2022 exploratory effort Pond Life. The ever-adventurous Bernard now goes in yet a different direction, with his […]
Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band Cry Me a River Alma The Cuban Canadian composer and pianist Hilario Duran delivers his first big band project in 17 years with Cry Me a River. He leads a 19-piece ensemble and features special guests Paquito D’ Rivera, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, and the Toronto-based duo […]
Jim Campilongo & Steve Cardenas New Year Sunnyside Jim Campilongo and Steve Cardenas are two longtime friends and guitarists, who, although playing as a tandem for twenty years, had never had the opportunity to record together until now. That makes it a momentous celebratory occasion, worthy of the album title, New Year. Readers of these […]
Jason Moran – Marcus Gilmore – BlankFor.ms Refract Red Hook Over the past decade, Jason Moran, whether leading his own ensembles or trios; or paired with Archie Shepp or Charles Lloyd, has been one of the leading piano voices in jazz. He also serves as the Artistic Director for Jazz at The Kennedy Center in […]
Dan Levinson Celebrating Bix! Turtle Bay Records In one sense this feels like a continuation of the story we brought you about Gennett Records this past June where the Buselli/Wallarab Jazz Orchestra delivered the 2-CD set The Gennett Suite, the second part of which featured mostly to the music of cornetist and premier jazz soloist […]
Christian Dillingham Cascades Greenleaf Music Bassist and composer Christian Dillingham debuts on Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf Music, a testament to the quality of Dillingham’s music, and his first jazz album as a leader. Dillingham has a gospel, classical, and pop background as a sideman having appeared on jazz albums by Greg Ward, gospel with Kirk Franklin, […]
The Christopher Dean Band w/ “Chicago” Carl Snyder Need a Friend Lost World Music If not mistaken, Need a Friend is the fifth album for guitarist/singer-songwriter Christopher Dean on “Chicago” Carl Snyder’s Lost World Music label. Dean has been touring steadily with his own combo for close to thirty years while “Chicago” Carl Snyder has […]
Madd for Tadd (Kent Engelhardt & Stephen Enos) Central Avenue Swing and Our Delight (2 CD set) Tighten Up The first order of business is to explain the various heading here. Madd for Tadd is a 15-piece big band co-led by saxophonist Kent Engelhardt and trumpeter Stephen Enos, devoted to the music of legendary jazz […]
Brandon Sanders Compton’s Finest Savant The adage “it’s never too late” fits drummer Brandon Sanders who at age 52 is making his recording debut after playing drums for the better part of three decades. Though the title may suggest otherwise, Sanders is based in New York and has a ‘day job’ as a social worker, […]
Hiss Golden Messenger Jump for Joy Merge Jump for Joy is the tenth album for the North Carolina-based Hiss Golden Messenger (HGM), led by frontman and singer-songwriter M.C. Taylor. The band first hit the scene in 2009 and have been consistent since, delivering their trademark mix of folk, pop, and modern-day cosmic country. Over the […]
Richard Baratta Off the Charts Savant We’ve covered film producer and drummer Richard Baratta’s previous two releases here that were both focused on movie music compositions. On Off the Charts he casts aside that successful formula in favor of music that inspired him while growing up. Instead of choosing highly recognizable fare however, he instead, […]
Various Artists Shorter Moments – Citizen Wayne Posi-Tone This March we covered Shorter Moments–Exploring the World of Wayne, a Posi-Tone release of various artists interpreting the late Wayne Shorter’s ballads. It was their second tribute to the iconic jazz composer. Now the third and final tribute arrives just the documentary, Zero Gravity, arrives on August […]
Maci Miller Nine Self-released The natural inclination when one sees the Philadelphia-based jazz vocalist Maci Miller’s album title is to think that it is her ninth recording. While it’s only her second, there is plenty of meaning behind the title as she assures us in her liner notes. There are nine songs, nine musicians, and […]
Willie Morris Conversation Starter Posi-Tone While you may have seen the name Willie Morris gracing Posi-Tone releases such as those of Josh Lawrence and Something Blue, Conversation Starter is the saxophonist and composer’s debut as a leader. Hailing from St. Louis, Morris has studied at Eastern Illinois University and at Julliard where he learned from […]
The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio The Long Haul Self-released Singer-songwriter Mike Jacoby has moved away from his multi-instrumental solo act that’s sustained him through his last three albums, in favor of a trio. This is not a ‘power trio’ in the context of a blues-rock act; but simply a way to generate musician interaction, thereby […]
Mitch Woods Friends Along the Way Club 88 When one views this double-CD project from pianist and vocalist Mitch Woods, with its abundance of blues artists, the immediate reaction is that this must be a career accumulation of sessions, as the title says, “along the way” and that it seems like an artifact of the […]
Maia Sharp Reckless Thoughts Self-released Maia Sharp has been writing songs for 25 years, some for her own albums and others for artists such as Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, Lisa Loeb, Trisha Yearwood, Art Garfunkel, Cher, Edwin McCain, Terri Clark, and many more in her genre agnostic – hard-to-pin-down approach which she has carried into […]
Ember August in March Imani We covered alto saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis’ stunning 2022 Heat Map on these pages as well as bassist Noah Garabedian’s 2022 Consider the Stars. Yet, this is our introduction to the trio Ember, comprised of both Curtis, Garabedian, and drummer Vincent Sperrazza, whose name graces several releases from Posi-tone, also […]
Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: BIG MO & Little Joe Self-released Two friends for more than decade, Atlanta based pianist Joe Alterman, more than half a century Les McCann’s junior, delivers his heartfelt tribute to his bluesy piano mentor with Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: BIG MO & Little Joe. Alterman covers all phases of […]
Blue Cranes My Only Secret Jealous Butcher/Beacon Sound Portland, OR has increasingly gained a strong reputation for roots music and though there are several prominent jazz musicians that hail from the area, the city’s jazz presence lies relatively under the radar by comparison. Enter the Blue Cranes, a quintet delivering their eighth recording, the pandemic, […]
William Matheny Grand Old Feeling Hickman Holler/Thirty Tigers West Virginian singer-songwriters have a knack for narratives that paint vivid character sketches of desperate characters, even if those desperate ones are themselves. William Matheny is one of them. His latest That Grand, Old Feeling follows his 2018 acclaimed Strange Constellations and not only features his keen, […]
Gregory Lewis Organ Monk Going Home Sunnyside Now we have a new twist on the classic organ trio with Hammond B-3 maestro Gregory Lewis (who we just heard recently as a sideman on Melvin Smith’s Perseverance) taking on the music of the iconic pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. We certainly hear Monk covered In many […]
Beth Bombara It All Goes Up Black Mesa It All Goes Up, the seventh album from rocking Americana singer, songwriter, and guitarist Beth Bombara, follows her 2019 acclaimed Evergreen, which unlike some her previous work, delivered hopeful themes. This one is even brighter, as the songwriter reconnected with an old classical guitar during the pandemic and forced herself […]
Jonathan Suazo Ricano Ropeadope Getting directly to the point, although Ricano is the debut for the Puerto Rican saxophonist and composer Jonathan Suazo, it rivals last year’s Best Latin Jazz Grammy-nominated Música De Las Américas by fellow Puerto Rican Miguel Zenón. It’s that impressive. Suazo has both Puerto Rican and Dominican roots and fuses these Afro forms […]
Allan Harris Live at Blue Llama Love Production Renowned vocalist and guitarist Allan Harris follows up his outstanding 2021 studio release Kate’s Soulfood with his first live album in thirteen years, Live at Blue Llama. The club is a relatively new, state-of-the art-venue in Ann Arbor, MI. The live set, which includes a mix of covers and originals […]
Darlingside Everything Is Alive More Doug/Thirty Tigers The folk ensemble Darlingside follow their acclaimed 2020 Fish Pond Fish with Everything Is Alive, their fifth, which marks a slight change in their united front, in favor of more individual statements. Band members Dave Senft (vocals, bass), Don Mitchell (vocals, guitar, banjo), Auyon Mukharji (vocals, violin, mandolin), […]
SUSTO My Entire Life New West My Entire Life is the fifth album for the Americana outfit, SUSTO and the first time we have covered them on these pages. The 12-song set was produced by Wolfgang Zimmerman (Band of Horses), Justin Osborne and Johnny Delaware, three of the band’s principals. My Entire Life follows their critically […]
The Contenders The Contenders Southern Moon Sometimes an album, even one that’s been out of print for some time, just refuses to die. Such is the case for The Contenders, an immensely talented group of Carolinian singer-songwriters with eclectic tastes that merged in the late’70s in Nashville. The scene was ripe and burgeoning at the […]
Gerry Gibbs Thrasher People Family Whaling City Sound Just to set your expectations, drummer, keyboardist, and composer Gerry Gibbs is the son of the esteemed composer Terry Gibbs, who issued The Terry Gibbs Songbook at age 96, one that we covered here. In 2021 Gerry issued a trio recording, with his Thrasher Trio(s), the Grammy […]
Alan Ferber Nonet Up High, Down Low Sunnyside Although readers of these pages have seen trombonist Alan Ferber as a sideman on several projects that we’ve covered, this is your introduction to Ferber as a bandleader and composer, leading his nonet, as he’s done for over twenty years. The members are leading voices on their […]
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & What’s Next Turkish Hipster – Tales from Swing to Psychedelic DÜNYA Often this writer has heard musicians stating that each album should be different in some way from the previous. Few take this to heart more than composer and multi-instrumentalist and cultural scholar Mehmet Ali Sanlikol. Across his seven albums he […]
Matt Von Roderick Celestial Heart BFD Trumpeter/vocalist/composer Matt Von Roderick continues to push the envelope. Case in point in his own words – “Half of CELESTIAL HEART is composed of unique arrangements of standards from the American Songbook, while the other half of the album is comprised of completely free, creative improvisation and spontaneous composition. The mixture […]
Angie Wells Truth Be Told Café Pacific Truth Be Told is the second album from Philly native and Los Angeles based vocalist and songwriter Angie Wells. Combining spiritual, socially conscious, and ‘feel good” material, the multi-talented Wells describes it this way, “My sophomore project is a collection of originals and cover tunes that I chose […]
The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling Get Your Back Into It! Alligator Get Your Back Into It! is the third album (and third on Alligator) for 2020 BMA Winners Chicago veteran guitarist/vocalist Nick Moss and harmonicist Dennis Gruenling, who return after their widely acclaimed, three-time BMA winner Lucky Guy! We often throw around terms […]
Leo Genovese, Demian Cabaud & Marcos Cavaleiro Estrellero Sunnyside Argentinean pianist Leo Genovese (Esperanza Spalding, Leni Stern) met his fellow countryman, bassist Demian Cabaud, while they both attended Berklee in Boston. Their twenty-year friendship has never diminished, even as Cabaud settled in Porto, Portugal. It was in Portugal, that the duo met drummer Marcos Cavaleiro, […]
Sofia Goodman Secrets of the Shore Joyous Secrets of the Shore may seem like an odd title for the Nashville based composer-drummer Sofia Goodman and her eponymous Group. This is their second album, and they move away from the funk-fusion that marked their debut, 2018’s Myriad of Flowers, into a mostly introspective post-bop mode. As […]
Greg Joseph Drop the Rock Sunnyside In what at times seems like our never-ending quest to bring you every possible variation of the classic jazz organ trio, we now present the trio of drummer/composer Greg Joseph, organist Larry Goldings, and guitarist Steve Cardenas in Joseph’s debut role as bandleader for Drop the Rock. The hand-picked […]
Melvin Smith Perseverance MISMAWO Music Perseverance is the seventh album by the saxophonist and composer Melvin Smith. The album is split evenly between an acoustic saxophone led quartet and a saxophone led organ trio. The tracks alternate as such with Smith doubling on soprano and tenor. With his gospel background, he merges spiritual material with […]
Sammy Figueroa Busco tu Recuerdo (Searching For a Memory) Ashé Records Searching For A Memory (Busco Tu Recuerdo) is a project that took massive amounts of courage for GRAMMY-nominated percussionist Sammy Figueroa to even consider, let alone complete. Figueroa’s first album in nearly a decade is dedicated to the memory and music of his father, the […]
Greg Joseph Drop the Rock Sunnyside In what at times seems like our never-ending quest to bring you every possible variation of the classic jazz organ trio, we now present the trio of drummer/composer Greg Joseph, organist Larry Goldings, and guitarist Steve Cardenas in Joseph’s debut role as bandleader for Drop the Rock. The hand-picked […]
Guy Bélanger Voyages & Other Stories Bros Quebec’s Guy Bélanger is a multiple Maple Blues Award winner for Harmonica Player of the Year and is otherwise well recognized as both an instrumentalist and singer-songwriter in his nearly fifty-year career. Voyages & Other Stories is his seventh solo album, a mix of originals and covers, featuring […]
Russ Lossing Alternate Side Parking Music Aqua Piazza Alternate Side Parking Music marks the debut of pianist/composer/improviser Russ Lossing’s new quartet, King Vulture with reedist Adam Kolker, bassist Matt Pavolta, and drummer Dayeon Seok. Even more importantly, this is a brilliant album that will have you smiling and probably even laughing as Lossing’s compositions often […]
Nicole Zuraitis How Love Begins Outside in Music Jazz singer-songwriter and vocal/instrumentalist, the Grammy-nominated Nicole Zuraitis, teams with bassist and co-producer Christian McBride on How Love Begins, a seldomly expressed and at times irreverent but realistic dissertation on the ebbs and flows of modern love. Besides the multi-talented Zuraitis and McBride, the supporting cast includes Gilad Hekselman on guitar, Maya Kronfeld on […]
Douyé The Golden Sèkèrè Rhombus Nigerian-born, L.A.-based jazz vocalist Douyé puts a completely refreshing spin on the Great American Songbook on The Golden Sèkèrè, her fifth album named after the beaded Nigerian percussion instrument. Blending her African heritage with these well-known songs introduces a unique soundscape that in essence makes these familiar songs sound new. Having sourced a bounty of songs from […]
Wayne Smith Jr. Be Still Blue Collar Drummer, composer, and educator Wayne Smith Jr. is a vital member of the Sun Ra Arkestra, stepping out here as a leader for one of the more calming albums we’ve heard recently. Leading a quintet that includes trombonist Brent White, alto saxophonist Matthew Clayton, guitarist Ian Macaulay, and […]
Franck L. Goldwasser Who Needs this Mess!!? Crosscut Veteran blues fans recall “Paris Slim’s” sets with the Mannish Boys and perhaps some of his other collaborations with West Coast blues artists. Now the French-born guitarist/vocalist, using his given name Franck L. Goldwasser, returns with a solo album, Who Needs this Mess!!?, on which the title […]
Kaisa Maensivu & Kaisa’s Machine Taking Shape Greenleaf Music The Finnish, now New York-based bassist and composer, Kaisa Maensivu, leads a high-profile unit that she calls Kaisha’s Machine. While her name may be unfamiliar, her New York debut, Taking Shape, her second album overall, comes courtesy of Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf Music, bringing instant credibility to […]
Sunnyside While it might be a bit unusual reviewing two albums in the same space, we have two solo piano efforts from two different artists that are on the same label, both essentially interpreting standards. Understand this is not an effort to compare the two or necessarily draw distinctions between the two but their different […]
Brian Kalinec The Beauty of It All Berkalin Texas singer-songwriter Brian Kalinec writes about common, everyday subjects but has a special gift for infectious hooks and memorable rhymes. He grabs us right away with his opening autobiographical title track, welcoming us into an album brimming with comforting folk songs. Acclaimed producer Merel Bregante at Cribworks […]
Patrick Cornelius Book of Secrets Posi-Tone Multi-reedist and composer Patrick Cornelius didn’t intend to originally make Book of Secrets using his arsenal of alto and soprano saxophones, alto flute, and clarinet, thinking that he’d just play the soprano saxophone. Producer Marc Free suggested the variety and the results have yielded arguably the most well-thought out […]
