Every week our staff of CD Reviewers bring you the best in Independent CD releases. Making a Scene is considered the number 1 resource for the independent musician and the fans that love them.
Bernard Allison Luther’s Blues Ruf Records Ruf Records is celebrating it’s 30th anniversary. They began by bringing Luther Allison’s music to the world. This two-disc set features 20 stellar tracks from his son, Bernard Allison, each one a Luther Allison composition previously released on one of Bernard’s many albums. “I made a promise…that I’d always […]
Rick Vito Cadillac Man In 1987 Rick Vito was a member of Fleetwood Mac finally taking over for Lindsey Buckingham in 1991. Vito’s first solo album was 1992’s “King of Hearts” on Atlantic Records.In 2001 Vito won a Blues Music Award for writing the Song of the Year “It’s 2 A.M.” covered by Shemekia Copeland […]
TOBIN MUELLER AT THE PIANO, VOL. 2 Independent Label “ArtsForge” Tobin Mueller, solo piano. There is nothing more exposed than an artist playing solo. Anyone who is brave enough to do so sheds all pretense and camouflage. Tobin Mueller is not only brave, but he is also talented and prepared to mesmerize us with his […]
ALLISON BURIK REALM Independent Label Allison Burik, composer/arranger/co-producer/Alto saxophone/bass clarinet/vocals/alto flute/ guitar; Magdalena Abrego, guitar; Sylvaine Arnaud, recording engineer/mixing/co-producer; Peter Atkinson, recording engineer/winds; Harris Newman, mastering; Renee Abaroa, bone typeface on cover. For several years Allison Burik has gained notoriety and audience in the world of modern jazz and experimental music. The opening “Be the […]
Remy Le Boeuf Heartland Radio Soundspore Heartland Radio is not the kind of title one expects from a jazz orchestra. Yet, four-time Grammy-nominated composer and saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf wanted a soundtrack for his move from New York City to Colorado. Thus, he peppers these large ensemble offerings with pop, indie rock, soul, and electronic […]
Tony Monaco Trio Over and Over Chicken Coup Hammond B3 organ master Tony Monaco returns with his thirteenth album Over and Over. Somehow, we missed his 2022 Four Brothers but did cover his 2019 Definition of Insanity. So, as mentioned there, Monaco studied under the great Jimmy Smith and is well immersed in the music […]
KELLY GREEN SEEMS Green Soul Studios Kelly Green, piano/vocals/composer/arranger; Luca Soul Rosenfeld, bass; Evan Hyde, drums; Elijah J. Thomas, flute/alto flute/piccolo. SPECIAL GUEST: Rich Perry, tenor saxophone. For Kelly Green, her album titled “Seems” is meant to be a recorded statement of hope and an optimistic musical manifesto. She has composed five of the nine […]
GRACE KELLY WITH STRINGS AT THE MOVIES Pazz Productions Grace Kelly, alto, baritone, tenor and soprano saxophone/vocals; Cooper Appelt, upright & electric bass; Eli Bishop, classical Nylon-string guitar/tenor banjo/mandolin & mandolindo; Tamir Hendelman, piano; Adam Bravo, additional synth programming; Jake Reed, drums/percussion; Cory Wong, Shaun Richardson & Pasha Riger, electric guitar; John Schroeder, acoustic & […]
Lauren White Making It Up As We Go Along Café Pacific Vocalist Lauren White returns with her fifth album, Making It Up As We Go Along, a follow-up to her 2021 Ever Since the World Ended, which we covered here. White, though not a composer, is a lover of lyrics and spoken words, having worked […]
The Wicked Lo-Down Out of Line Gulf Coast Records The Wicked Lo-Down snaps, crackles, and smokes ‘em from one end to the other on their second album, Out of Line, a set of songs not to be missed by fans of the kind of raucous, blues-based rock and roll laid down by the vintage Fabulous […]
Canned Heat Finyl Vinyl Ruf Records Canned Heat the seminal American blues rock and boogie rock band was first founded in Los Angeles in 1965. The original co-founders were Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson, who passed away in 1970 and Bob “The Bear” Hite who died in 1981. They named the band after a 1928 song […]
Leon Lee Dorsey, Mike Clark, and Michael Wolff Letter to Bill Evans Jazz Avenue 1 Letter to Bill Evans is the seventh installment of the partnership between bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and drummer Mike Clark, many of which we’ve covered here. For this outing, they enlisted pianist Michael Wolff, who has long internalized the music […]
Bex Marshall Fortuna As the presenter of a radio show I often felt I’ve got the best job in the world. The volume of music I receive and the quality of it constantly surprises and amazes me. That was most definitely the case when I received Fortuna the new album by London based blues artist Bex Marshall. Fortuna […]
Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop A Canadian Songbook TPR Toronto drummer and composer Ernesto Cervini leads his Canadian sextet Turboprop on their fifth album, A Canadian Songbook. While Cervini also leads other projects, notably Tetrahedron and Tune Town, Turboprop earned a JUNO Award nomination for their 2022 Joy, for which this is their follow-up. The band features […]
John Primer and Bob Corritore Crawlin Kingsnake Vizztone Label Group Bob Corritore was born in Chicago and got hooked on blues Harmonica when he was twelve years old. He studied and received playing tips from Carey Bell, Big Walter Horton, Junior Wells and others. At the age of twenty-five Corritore moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Ten […]
REZA KHAN MYSTICAL Independent label Reza Khan, acoustic & electric guitars/composer/producer; David Mann, composer/arranger/ producer/keyboards/drum programming/soprano, tenor & alto saxophone; Jeff Lorber, keyboards/mini-moog; Jimmy Haslip, electric bass; Brandon Rothwell, Mark Egan & Mel Brown, bass; Gary Novak, Brian Dunne, & Lionel Cordew, drums; Bernd Schoenhart, rhythm guitar/ additional acoustic guitar; Programming, saxophone; Bob James, Keiko […]
Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble Elegy for Thelonious Sunnyside Pianist, composer, educator and now conductor Frank Carlberg continues his ongoing homage and fascination with the music of Thelonious Monk by leading a large ensemble replete with two vocalists on the ambitious Elegy for Thelonious. As alluded to, this is not Carlberg’s first Monk ‘rodeo.” He played […]
DAVID LEON BIRD’S EYE Pyroclastic Records David Leon, composer/soprano & alto saxophones/alto flute/piccolo; DoYeon Kim, gayagum/vocals; Lesley Mok, drums/percussion/glockenspiel. When Miami-born David Leon became curious about his Cuban heritage, Leon began studying with master percussionist, Manley “Piri” Lopez. Lopez comes from a legendary family of rumberos, who became quite famous as the creators of an […]
Jacob Shulman High Firmament/Ferment Below Endectomorph L.A.-based saxophonist and composer Jacob Shulman teaches mathematics and programming in his “day job,” which might provide some clues into his far-reaching thought process. For his sophomore recording effort, he delivers two albums, two sides of the coin. High Firmament brilliantly captures, even from the opening glistening notes of […]
ONE FOR ALL featuring GEORGE COLEMAN BIG GEORGE Smoke Sessions Records Jim Rotondi, trumpet/composer; Eric Alexander, alto & tenor saxophone/composer; Steve Davis, trombone/composer; David Hazeltine, piano/Fender Rhodes/composer; John Webber, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums. SPECIAL GUEST: George Coleman, tenor saxophone. Since their inception, in 1997, I have been a big fan of “One For All” with […]
Kevin Sun Trio The Fate of the Tenor Endectomorph We have the confluence of two fierce tenor saxophonists releasing albums on the same label on the same day as documented on these pages. (hint -Jacob Shulman). Moreover, they share the same bassist. Yet, here our focus is on tenorist Kevin Sun, his sixth recording as […]
THE TUCKER BROTHERS LIVE AT CHATTERBOX Midwest Crush Music Joel Tucker, guitar; Nick Tucker, bass; Carrington Clinton, drums. Sean Imboden, tenor saxophone. This quartet opens with a unique take on the familiar tune, “Skylark.” They play it in sort of a Reggae style, beginning with Joel Tucker setting the mood and tempo (7/4) with his […]
PAUL KENDALL WHISPER NOT Zoho Records Paul Kendall, tenor saxophone; Dan Kosteinik, Hammond organ; Rudy Petschauer, drums. It’s nice to hear a trio that features saxophone, Hammond B-3 Organ and drums. Paul Kendall says years ago he was hooked on that organ sound when he worked a few gigs with Bobby Forrester at a local […]
CHRIS ROTTMAYER BEING Shifting Paradigm Records Chris Rottmayer, piano; Rufus Reid, acoustic bass; Matt Endres, drums; Russ Johnson, trumpet/flugelhorn. This is pianist Chris Rottmayer’s fourth album release. He calls Madison, Wisconsin his home and Chris is a prolific composer, a jazz artist, and a jazz educator. This current album is the result of studying the […]
John Clifton Too Much To Pay In the Late 1980’s Harmonica ace John Clifton founded The MoFo Party Band with his brother Bill. They released their debut recording “Call The Doctor” in 1999. The album was named one of the new West Coast Blues Recordings and made numerous “Best” lists. In 2006 they followed with […]
Making a Scene Brings you Gerry Casey’s Interview with Rev. Jonni Hodson of Silveroller Silveroller have been a band that’s caught my attention for quite a while now . So when the opportunity came along to interview the band I jumped at the chance. This band possesses and energy that grabs your attention. In this […]
DAVID LARSEN COHESION Dayolo Music David Larsen, baritone saxophone/composer; Zaccai Curtis, piano; Alex Apollo, bass; Wayne Smith Jr., drums; Darryl Yokley, tenor saxophone/composer. The tight harmonies of David Larsen on baritone saxophone and Darryl Yokley on tenor saxophone opens the first tune on this album and capture my attention. Larsen and Yokley are the composers […]
Jeremy Rose and the Earshift Orchestra Discordia Earshift Music Award-winning saxophonist-composer Jeremy Rose and owner of Australia’s most important jazz label, Earshift Music, leads his large ensemble on Discordia. In 2023 Rose turned heads with his acclaimed Disruption: The Voice of Drums featuring the twin drummers Simon Barker and Korean stylist Chloe Kim, the latter […]
JeanFrancois Prins Blue Note Mode GAM As the title and blues hued album cover suggest, Blue Note Mode is an ode to the classic material of the Blue Note label, led by the Belgian- born guitarist JeanFrancois Prins, with a star-studded quartet/quintet/sextet through a dozen compositions over a generous 79 minutes. For added authenticity the […]
Willie Morris Attentive Listening Posi -Tone Saxophonist and composer Willie Morris returns with his second album, Attentive Listening, just six months after his debut, Conversation Starter, which we covered here in August 2023. As stated then, Morris is not only a master of his instrument and an impassioned player, but his compositional skills are quite […]
Claudia Gibson The Fields of Chazy Self-released Claudia Gibson is an Austin-based singer-songwriter that doesn’t always sound very Texan as she’s not a native, but one drawn to a city of songwriters. Instead, her mostly folk based music embraces Celtic and that traditional folk sound we associate with the British Isles. Yet, her environs do […]
Lynne Arriale Trio Being Human Challenge In addition to being compassionate about causes, and by all accounts a sincere and caring person, pianist and composer Lynne Arriale, delivers some of the most lyrical pianism today. Many have likened her to a musical poet. Her compositions ring with both beauty and emotion, and, as the title […]
Mike Zito Life Is Hard (Gulf Coast Records) Deeply personal tragedy has prompted Mike Zito to paint his masterpiece, the emotion of the loss of his wife to cancer last year shaping the twelve best performances of his life, by far. Awful how that happens, the impetus of real blues affecting an artist’s work. But […]
Julian Lage Speak to Me Blue Note Guitarist and composer Julian Lage has now evolved his wordless narratives by increasing his ensemble and delivering his latest, Speak to Me, across two albums with a surprising but astute choice for producer in Joe Henry. Singer-songwriter and noted producer of albums by Allen Toussaint and Solomon Burke, […]
Xavier Richardeau A Caribbean Thing Continuo Jazz This may well be a first for this writer and our readers – music from the island of Guadeloupe. Saxophonist and composer Xavier Richardeau earned his jazz stripes in Paris and in New York before moving to the island, where he has resided for the past six years. […]
Randy Napoleon The Door Is Open: The Music of Gregg Hill OA2 Make this the fifth album bearing the subtitle, “The Music of Gregg Hill” in the past four years. Again, it’s the jazz musicians from the fertile Michigan State University Jazz program and specifically guitarist Randy Napoleon who now presents The Door Is Open. […]
JJ Grey & Mofro Olustee Alligator Records Olustee is titled for the unincorporated town in north central Florida, west of JJ Grey’s Jacksonville home, which derives its name from the Seminole words for black water. Grey often salutes the aspects and virtues of his home state in song, and Olustee is rife with that homage. […]
Rodrigo Recabarren, Pablo Menares, Yago Vazquez Familia Greenleaf Music This piano trio offers a divergent path from the usual piano trio, which is understandable given the backgrounds of the three members. Drummer Rodrigo Recabarren and bassist Pablo Menares hail from Chile while pianist Yago Vazquez is from Galicia, Spain. On Familia, all three contributed compositions […]
Amigo The Devil Yours Until the War Is Over Regime Music Group This rather bizarre dirge-like music from the Austin-based artist with the moniker Amigo the Devil (Danny Kiranos) is perhaps not for everybody but this iconoclastic artist has amassed a considerable following for his singular approach. His songwriting bears similarities to Leonard Cohen, Tom […]
GORDON GRDINA THE MARROW with FATHIEH HONARI Attaboygirl Records Gordon Grdina, Oud/composer; Mark Helias, bass; Hank Roberts, cello; Hamin Honari, percussion; FEATURED GUEST: Fathieh Honari, voice. The distinctive sound of Gordon Grdina’s Oud instrument opens this album and draws the listener into the music like a magic spell. The voice of Fathieh Honari floats chant-like […]
DOUG MACDONALD SEXTET SESSION Dmac Music Doug MacDonald, guitar; Josh Nelson, piano; Mike Gurrola, bass; Charles Ruggiero, drums; Doug Webb, tenor saxophone; Aaron Janik, trumpet. Guitarist and composer, Doug MacDonald leads an all-star sextet of Southern California based musicians. Although he has headed many types of jazz ensembles, and boasts twenty-six record releases as a […]
Jim Snidero For All We Know Savant Ask jazz folks to name the top ten alto saxophonists, and you’ll be hard pressed to find Jim Snidero on many lists but if you alter the question to those who are well steeped in the music as to who is the most lyrical and possesses the purest […]
Moppa Elliott Advancing on a Wild Pitch (Quintet) – Disasters Vol. 2 Acceleration Due to Gravity (Nonet) – Jonesville Hot Cup The creative compositional mind of bassist Moppa Elliott is so full of brimming ideas that he’s released two recordings with two different bands on the same day. In fact, other than the leader, his […]
NIKOS CHATZITSAKOS TINY BIG BAND 2 Independent Label Nikos Chatzitsakos, double bass/arranger/bandleader; Wilfie Williams, piano; Samuël Bolduc, drums; Gabriel Nekrutman, baritone saxophone; Art Baden, tenor saxophone; Salim Charvet, alto saxophone; Robert Mac Vega Dowda, cornet; Joey Curreri, trumpet/flugelhorn; Armando Vergara, trombone; Alexandria DeWalt & Eleni Ermina Sofou, vocals. The band hits their stride on track […]
Mike LeDonne Groover Quartet + Gospel Choir Wonderful Cellar Music Group We’ve had countless reviews of organ-based soul-jazz albums on these pages but this is a first, not only here but likely in music. You’ve read about Mike LeDonne as a pianist in this space but here as the B3 maestro, he leads his elite […]
Christian Fabian Trio Hip to the Skip Spice Rack This trio recording comes as a surprise for at least three reasons. It’s the first time that drummer Jason Marsalis has played in a funk/fusion mode for the entire album, and secondly, it’s rare for a trio to render a funk/fusion record as most have horns […]
The Dangerous Dan Toler Quartet Rained Out (WallyGator Music / Bearsloth Publishing) Guitarist Dangerous Dan Toler left an indelible mark on a good amount of great rock ‘n roll by his “dangerous” but sinuous style of playing. In the mid-1970s, Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts recruited Toler to take part in his solo project, Great […]
Gustavo Cortinas Live in Chicago Desafío Candente The intimacy and crystal-clear sound of this recording by composer, drummer, and educator Gustavo Cortiñas puts the listener right on the bandstand or at least in the proverbial first two. Add to that the warmth and sincerity of Cortiñas’ introductions to his compositions, and it makes for a […]
DAGGERBOARD ESCAPEMENT Wide Hive Records Erik Jekabson, trumpet/arranger/composer; Matt Clark, keyboard/piano; Gregory Howe, percussion/ composer; Mike Clark, drummer; Henry ‘the Skipper’ Franklin, bass; Mads Tolling, violin; Kasey Knudsen, alto saxophone; Mike Rinta, trombone/tuba; Ben Davis, cello; Jonathan Ring, French horn; William Winant, timpani/marimba. What better way to start the day than to put on some […]
Greg Murphy You Remind Me Whaling City Sound We last visited with pianist and composer Greg Murphy with his 1991 Cool Water on these pages. While that album celebrated his travels to Africa, this is a heartfelt love letter to his recently passed wife, Nancy. Having studied extensively with the late pianist Ellis Marsalis and […]
