CD Reviews Jazz

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, […]

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, […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Terry Gibbs Legacy Band The Terry Gibbs Songbook Whaling City Sound The vibraphonist and composer Terry Gibbs thought he was done with music at age 92 but the muse struck, and he gathered several lyric writers (Steve Allen, Michael Dees, Jerry Gladstone, Arthur Hamilton, and Bobby Troup. and a dream band to play 15 of […]

Daniel Hersog Open Spaces (Folk Songs Reimagined) Cellar Music When Cory Weeds and his Vancouver-based Cellar Music is issuing an artist, it behooves this writer to take notice. Conductor, arranger, trumpeter, and composer Daniel Hersog is releasing his second album, Open Spaces (Folk Songs Reimagined) and the idea of taking familiar songs and transforming them […]

Senri Oe Class of ‘88 PND/Sony Masterworks Every so often a story comes along that’s worth sharing, almost aside from the music itself. Contrary to the usual path of a jazz musician crossing into the pop world to achieve commercial success, here we have the former Japanese pop star Senri Oe going in the opposite […]

Nanny Assis Rovanio: The Music of Nanny Assis In + Out Multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer Nanny Assis delivers just his second album as a leader but the first with mostly his own compositions. Demonstrating his love for collaboration, Assis invites twenty guests, including renowned bassist Ron Carter, trumpeter Randy Brecker, guitarist Chico Pinheiro, pianist Fred […]

Noah Haidu Standards Sunnyside The iconic trio of Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette, known as the Standards Trio, established the template 40 years ago with their first of 21 albums on standards. Rising star Noah Haidu has now carried that legacy forward with an esteemed trio of his own featuring bassists Buster Williams and Peter […]

Dred Scott The Pacific Jazz Group Ropeadope Pianist Dred Scott just took a gigantic left turn, but we shouldn’t be at all surprised given the vast ground the maverick pianist has covered with 11 albums as a leader, over 50 as a sideman, and performances with Anthony Braxton, Cecil McBee, Andrew Cyrille, Joe Morello, Charlie […]

Yosef Gutman Levitt Soul Song Soul Song Yes, you read that correctly as Yosef Gutman Levitt’s Soul Song is the name of the inaugural album on a label of the same name he just founded.  The South African born bassist who wowed us with the sound of his five-string acoustic bass guitar on Upside Down […]

Javon Jackson “With Peter Bradley” – Soundtrack and Original Score                                                                                             Solid Jackson Tenor saxophonist and hard bopper Javon Jackson has delivered his first original film score for the art-world documentary With Peter Bradley. Bradley is an abstract artist who is finally beginning to receive some long overdue acclaim. The film documents the artist’s daily practice, […]

Charlie Apicella & Iron City Meet The Griots Speak Destiny Calling OA2 Yes, this could be the longest band title ever but in essence the duality speaks to straight ahead jazz musicians combining forces with Improvisers in an effort to challenge the straight ahead plays to improvise. So, who’s who in this experimental foray?  Guitarist […]

Don Braden Earth Wind and Wonder Vol.2 Creative Perspective Music Saxophonist, composer and arranger Don Braden encores his 2018 initial rendering of the songs of Earth Wind and Fire and Stevie Wonder with Earth Wind and Wonder Volume 2.  Braden’s imaginative arrangements make these tunes surprisingly enjoyable in a jazz context; thankfully they stay far away from smooth […]

Phil Haynes & No Fast Food CodaI(s): No Fast Food III Corner Store Jazz Drummer Phil Haynes and his trio No Fast Food with NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Dave Liebman and bassist Drew Gress have initiated an ambitious three-year release schedule with the double CD Coda(s): No Fast Food III CodaI(s: No Fast Food III. […]

Christine Jensen Day Moon Justin Time Saxophonist, composer, and conductor Christine Jensen steps in with a brilliant album, Day Moon. Her sister, Ingrid, of course, is a renowned trumpeter and original member of the female supergroup Artemis. Christine is usually very busy leading her own fabled jazz orchestra in Canada, but the pandemic gave her […]

Steven Feifke Catalyst La Reserve Bandstand Somehow, we didn’t cover Steven Feifke’s 2023 Grammy-winning large ensemble album with Bijon Watson, and the Generation Gap Orchestra so we’re in play for this follow-up, Catalyst where Feifke does all the heavy lifting as pianist, composer, arrange, orchestrator, bandleader, and producer. Feifke became the youngest ever GRAMMY winner for […]

Jeremy Dutton Anyone Is Better Than Here Self-released Jeremy Dutton is a drummer and composer making his bandleader debut with Anyone Is Better Than Here. We’ve come to know Dutton as a vital force behind leading contemporary jazz artists on Blue Note. Specifically, the Houston born, New York based drummer was the timekeeper on vibraphonist Joel […]

Altin Sencalar In Good Standing Posi-Tone If you’ve been following the jazz releases on Posi-Tone, you’ve come across the name of trombonist Altin Sencalar in a sideman role on several releases. In Good Standing marks his debut on the label as a leader and his fourth overall as either a leader or co-leader. Sencalar, who […]

Todd Clouser The Mexico City Experiment Ropeadope SUR This is Ropeadope’s sixth installment of their acclaimed Experiment series. The Mexico City Experiment follows in the tradition of the 2001 The Philadelphia Experiment, the 2003 The Detroit Experiment, the 2007 The Harlem Experiment, the 2022 The Chicago Experiment, and with new momentum for these projects, arrives […]

Anthony E. Nelson Jr. Swinging Sunset Musicstand The mountainous cover art belies the urban, small jazz club nature of this organ trio recording, Swinging Sunset, by tenor saxophonist Anthony E. Nelson, Jr. Yes, here is yet another organ trio, sometimes consisting of guitar, organ, and drums to which often a saxophone was added. This makes […]

Buselli/Wallarab Jazz Orchestra The Gennett Suite Patois Please do not dust this off as just another big band/ large ensemble recording. You will likely learn something about the history of music recording in America if you invest a few minutes here. This writer was unaware of the importance of Gennett Records, and the first jazz […]