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.
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 […]
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 […]
Eric Johanson The Deep and the Dirty Ruf Records Louisiana blues-rocker Eric Johanson has a ridiculously cool album with his latest release The Deep and the Dirty. Enlisting Jesse Dayton (Rob Zombie, X, Samantha Fish) surely accounts for the badassery which abundantly flows out of the dozen original tracks contained on this record. With Eric Johanson on guitar and vocals, the band is […]
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 […]
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 […]
Bruce Katz Connections Dancing Rooster Keyboardist Bruce Katz has a new trio that he’s unveiling on his latest, Connections, which was recorded at the famed Capricorn Studios in Macon, GA, familiar turf to Katz from his tenures with Gregg Allman’s Band, Butch Trucks’ Les Brers, and Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band. While an integral member of those […]
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 […]
Monster Mike Welch Nothing But Time Gulf Coast Records With Nothing But Time, Mike Welch cements the legitimacy of the Monster moniker that comedian and “Blues Brother” Dan Aykroyd dubbed him with when Welch was a 13-year-old blues guitar prodigy. Welch had recently come off a tough year and a half of long Covid when […]
South Austin Moonlighters From Here to Home Self-released Austin and South Austin may not have the bustling roots-rock/Americana scene they had in late ‘90s and early 2000s but The South Austin Moonlighters are here to evoke those glory days and remind us that their music is still a vital part of what the Live Music […]
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 […]
Larry Taylor and The Taylor Family Generations of Blues: West Side Legacy NOLA Blue Arguably, no single family has been more important to the blues than the Taylor family, headed by Jimmy Reed’s renowned guitarist and bandleader in his own right, Eddie Taylor, Sr. and his wife, singer Vera Taylor, part of the Great Migration […]
D.K. Harrell The Right Man Little Village It’s refreshing to find a youthful talent that embraces the blues tradition. The Right Man is the debut for 25-year-old D.K. Harrell of Ruston, LA. As a blues singer/guitarist/songwriter Harrell has somehow absorbed not only the history of the blues but its nuances too. While he is still […]
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 […]
William Lee Ellis Ghost Hymns Yellow Dog Ghost Hymns is the first album in over a decade for versatile roots artist William Lee Ellis, godson of Bill Monroe and son of Blue Grass Boy banjoist and composer Tony Ellis. Currently William Lee Ellis is Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Fine Arts Department […]
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 […]
Leonard “Lowdown” Brown Blues Is Calling Me Music Maker Foundation Houston-based blues and soul singer Leonard “Lowdown” Brown is making his debut at age 70. In the tradition of Music Maker Foundation artists, he is again proving that it is never too late. Brown has been performing for four decades but finally made it to […]
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 […]
Duke Robillard & His All-Star Band Six Strings of Steel M.C. If you’re a follower of Duke Robillard, you’ll notice that he’s changed labels and is back on M.C. Records, where he issued his 2017 Duke Robillard & His Dames of Rhythm. The label change doesn’t produce many other changes, thankfully, as his regular bandmates […]
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. […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Interview with Ben Reel Ben Reel will release his 11th studio album ‘Come a Long Way’ in June 2023. The album consists of 11 brand new self penned songs. This follows 2 previous releases ‘Live @JJ Smyths Dublin’ (2021) & ‘Locked In & Live’ (2022) a double […]
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 […]
Arlen Roth and Jerry Jemmott Super Soul Sessions Blue Heart Okay, maybe the title is bit of borrowed interest from the classic Super Sessions album featuring Stephen Stills, Mike Bloomfield, and Al Kooper but it too boasts its share of gems and “super” talent. Guitarist Arlen Roth has long been hailed as a Master of […]
The Drive-by Truckers The Complete Dirty South New West This is more of a buyer’s guide than a regular review. Let’s just say for this writer, that The Drive-by Truckers’ The Dirty South, has long been the crown jewel of their robust catalog and that this enhanced version only improves on it. Going further, The […]
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 […]
Son Volt Day of the Doug Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers Day of the Doug is the Son Volt album that doesn’t sound like a Son Volt album until we reach the last two tracks. Surely, it’s a tribute to the Tex-Mex stylings of Doug Sahm but that’s not the point. The lonely, weary, burnished voice of […]
Nic Clark Everybody’s Buddy Little Village Young roots/blues singer-songwriter Nic Clark has seen more than his share of troubles, heartbreak, and derision as anyone, but you’d never necessarily pick up on that from the positive, bright outlook in his songs. It’s as refreshing as when Steve Forbert first burst on the scene. Clark’s music is […]
Mike Guldin and Rollin’ & Tumblin’ The Franklin Sessions Blue Heart The Franklin Sessions comes a little more than a year after Mike Guldin and Rollin’ & Tumblin’s release, Tumblin’, which has sessions recorded at Kevin McKendree’s Rock House studios in Franklin, TN. It’s difficult to pick up a roots or blues album these days […]
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 […]
Ray Blue #People Jazzheads Ray Blue is a NYC-based tenor saxophonist, who lived in Berlin for a decade, and has a global outlook like few others. On #People he plays in essentially five different contexts, leading his own sextet, leading a similar unit with NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron on piano instead on Blue’s bandmate […]
Pierrick Pédron & Gonzalo Rubalcaba Pédron Rubalcaba Gazebo This is as pure and masterful as music gets – an acoustic duet between the most renowned saxophonist in France, Pierrick Pédron, and one of the most respected pianists of our times, four-time Grammy winner Gonzalo Rubalcaba. You’d never know it by listening that this is the […]
Jan James TimeBomb 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: R&B, Soul, Country, Rock, […]
Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones Groovin’ at Groove Now Endless Records Recorded live in Switzerland, this is the follow-up recording to “Complicated Mess” on Eller Soul Records. After a short introduction from the band they open with an instrumental including solos from bassist Gohman and saxes played by “Sax” Gordon and Terry Hanck. Deming […]
Tremoloco Curandera Volume 1 Slo Poke Bandleader Tony Zamora has put together and infectious concoction of what he describes as Gulf Coast, Country, and Mexican music on Curandera Volume 1, and album recorded in two different studios involving seven engineers, and a collective of seventeen musicians who augment the core trio of multi-instrumentalist and lead […]
Boo Boo Davis Boo Boo Boogaloo At almost eighty years old, St. Louis bluesman James ‘Boo Boo’ Davis is still busy creating some of the most authentic blues being recorded today. Born in Drew, Mississippi in 1943, Davis grew up being surrounded by music, playing drums in a family band. In 1972, he landed an eighteen-year-long gig playing weekends at Tabby’s Red Room in East St. Louis. In 1999, Davis cut […]
Ryan Meagher AftEarth Atroefy This writer has seen several integrated, cross-media projects recently. In fact, pianist Yelena Eckemoff issued one recently which you may have seen on these pages. Often musicians pair their songs with videos, though not usually for an entire album. In short, most multi-media projects are two dimensional. Enter Portland-based jazz guitarist/composer […]
The Cowboy Junkies Such Ferocious Beauty Cooking Vinyl Such Ferocious Beauty is the third album of new material since The Cowboy Junkies returned from a six-year hiatus in 2018. Over a 35-year career, the band has released 29 albums and were doing this roots-Americana thing before people were even thinking in those terms. The original […]
