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.
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, […]
Ross Pederson Identity Self-released Drummer and producer Ross Pederson’s Identity is a digital release. When viewing his credits, the album title is certainly apropos as it would be difficult to peg just where he fits musically. He’s collaborated with Snarky Puppy, supported Patti Austin, is the regular drummer for Manhattan Transfer, and is currently working […]
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 […]
Coco Montoya Writing on the Wall Alligator As Coco Montoya shouts ‘Baby, baby,’ at the outset of “I was Wrong,” his guttural voice rings a Warren Haynes kind of bell. But it quickly becomes clear by his molten tears of regret and exquisite stabs at his guitar that this is Montoya’s own church of soul-baring […]
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 […]
Willie J. Campbell Be Cool Blue Heart Records Sadly, the celebrated blues bassist Willie J. Campbell passed away last December from ALS while making this album, ultimately titled Be Cool for the phrase the affable musician often used and lived by. Recorded at Dockside Studio in Louisiana, the recordings were completed by the core […]
E.G. Kight Sticks and Strings E.G. Kight opens her latest studio recording with “Talk to Me”, her self penned original. Five more songs were co-written with Tom Horner her “go to” writing partner. Kights guitar playing gives her expressive vocals just the “right” touch much liker her contemparies Doug MacCloud and Eric Bibb. Kight is […]
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 […]
Soulful Femme Attitude Funk, soul, and blues form a magical convergence with the sounds of Soulful Femme. Comprised of lead vocalist Stevee Wellons and guitarist Cheryl Rinovato, Soulful Femme was formed shortly after the two women met at a blues society event in 2014. Attitude, the follow up album to their 2021 release It Is […]
Scottie Miller Carnival Cocoon Carnival Cocoon, the latest release from Minnesota poet/pianist Scottie Miller, has me gob-smacked with amazement and delight. This companion set features an eighty-three-page book of poetry coupled with a twenty-three track album featuring those poems eloquently set to music with a classic beat-inspired delivery. Miller, a three-time inductee of the Minnesota […]
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 […]
The Hurricane Party Cat 2 Tall and Mean Records Hailing from Richmond, Virginia is a new ensemble called The Hurricane Party. Their debut album Cat 2, brings a bit of rock, blues, funk, and R&B to the table in a twelve-track collection of songs. Rocky Pleasants and Gainesville, Florida songwriter Rob Marlowe teamed up to […]
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 […]
Jimmy Bennett Sunday Morning Sessions Junkyard Dog Productions Sunday Morning Sessions, the new album from Jimmy Bennett (Bennett Brothers, Alexis P. Suiter, John Ginty, Bruce Katz) stole my heart from the first listen. Bennett, an original member of Levon Helm’s Midnight Rambles in Woodstock, New York, began writing this record on Easter Sunday 2020 as a response to the beginning days of the Coronavirus outbreak. […]
Micke Bjorklof and Blue Strip Colors of Jealousy Hokahey! Music Productions I’ve been writing about the music of Micke Bjorklof since 2014 with the After the Flood release. I love the way his crafted lyrics and musical arrangements are brought to life with Blue Strip. Their latest album Colors of Jealousy has again captivated me with every listen. Bjorklof has a unique way to […]
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway City of Gold Nonesuch Play the last song of this dazzling bluegrass adventure first. Throughout “The First Time I Fell in Love,” a lilting “Mr. Bojangles”-like melody carries Molly Tuttle’s soul baring recollections of being a teenager. Tuttle was diagnosed with Alopecia as a three-year-old, and it quickly advanced to […]
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 […]
Jan James Time Bomb Blue Palace Records It has been over thirty years since Jan James released her first album Last Train. That record gained her a rather large fanbase in Europe. With creative partner guitarist Craig Calvert by her side, her latest and twelfth release Time Bomb is drenched with feeling and soul. James’ musical-wheelhouse is centered in American roots, and embraces each petal: […]
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 […]
Alan Paul Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Story of the Album that Defined the ‘70s St. Martin’s Press Acclaimed music columnist and author Alan Paul has covered The Allman Brothers Band and its offshoots for much of his career. He previously wrote the New York Times bestseller, One Way Out: The […]
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 […]
Leonard “Lowdown” Brown Blues is Calling Me Music Maker Foundation Born in Arkansas and raised in Indiana, Leonard “Lowdown” Brown has been surrounded by music most of his life. In 1980 he moved to Houston, Texas for his work with General Electric and became in involved in the local music scene. In 1988, he acquired […]
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 […]
Duane Betts Wild & Precious Life Royal Potato Family “My mother she married a ramblin’ man,” Duane Betts sings in “Taking Time,” the snappy little tune that kicks off his 2018 debut EP, Sketches of American Music. The heritage that pours out of Betts in reference to his father, Dickey Betts of the original Allman […]
