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.
Ethan Philion Meditations on Mingus Sunnyside The music of Charles Mingus has been prominent in this centennial year and it’s refreshing to hear the many interpretations including this one, Meditations on Mingus, from Chicago bassist Ethan Philion who assembled a tentet for his arrangements of Mingus composition, many of them iconic. Mingus music is not […]
Al Foster Reflections Smoke Sessions The recently turned octogenarian drummer Al Foster does not have many who can claim to have played with as many icons as he has. Only Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, and Jack DeJohnette come to mind. There are likely others but consider that at various points in his career, Foster was […]
Skye Pollard Masquerade Hailing from the Ozark mountains in Eureka Springs, Arkansas is Skye Pollard, an artist who I just recently became aware of. His latest release, Masquerade is such a fine-crafted work, I took to it immediately. With song-writing chops that equally match his musicianship, his masterful lyrics beautifully flow along a country-roots-rock stream. With Pollard on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, […]
Herman Hitson Let the Gods Sing Herman Hitson is a psych rock and funk pioneer who worked the chitlin circuit with James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex and others. The recovering addict also worked with Hank Ballard and is a music maker foundation partner artist. Co-producer and guitarist Will Sexton calls Hitson a music communicator […]
John Primer Hard Times John Primer “Hard Times” is produced by Rick Barnes at his Rax Trax Studio in Chicago. Featured are Primer’s brother Steve Bell, Harp; Lenny Media, drums; and Dave Forte, bass. Special guests include Rick Kreher, rhythm guitar, the sensational Johnny Iguana, piano; and Primer’s daughter Allya on one vocal. Primer is […]
The Winter Codes Set the Darkness Reeling Irish folk rock duo The Winter Codes present their brand new album “Set the Darkness Reeling” and with it Barney Murray and David Walshe have created a homage to their native Ireland and a tribute to the one who sadly passed away ten years ago Paul Walshe, who […]
Shemekia Copeland Done Come Too Far Alligator Records Today Shemekia Copeland is the soul blues voice of her generation. A sort of understatement since early on she has won numerous accolades. She is the second female Entertainer of the Year and first black woman to combine her talent and deep social conscience. Most of the […]
Demetria Taylor Doin’ What I’m Supposed to Do Delmark Blues vocal powerhouse Demetria Taylor is back, following up her Delmark debut, Bad Girl, with Doin’ What I’m Supposed to Do. Yes, it’s been a decade between albums, but the debut earned a BMA nomination for Best New Artist Debut. This release has many of the […]
The Texas Horns Everybody Let’s Roll Blue Heart Everybody Let’s Roll is the third album for the vaunted three=piece horn section, The Texas Horns –Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff (tenor saxophone, harmonica, vocals), John Mills (baritone saxophone), and Al Gomez (trumpet). Each of these members pens originals, together making up eleven of the thirteen tracks. You’ve likely […]
Marc Mommaas The Impressionist Sunnyside Okay, saxophonist/composer Marc Mommaas is a new name to these pages so here is a brief introduction. Mommaas was born in Tegelen, Netherlands in 1969 but has made NYC his home since 1997. His father, Henk Mommaas, was a well-known painter/artist in the Netherlands and developed his career in Amsterdam. […]
Neil Swainson Fire in the West Cellar Music Group Chances are that you will recognize some of the members of this quintet more so than the leader, the British Columbian bassist and composer Neil Swainson, who is releasing only his second album, 35 years after his acclaimed debut, 49th Parallel, released in 1987. Like that […]
Quentin Baxter Quintet Art Moves Jazz Charlton Singleton Crossroads BME Baxter Music Enterprises Art Moves Jazz and Crossroads are tandem releases on the same label by two friends, bandmates, and fellow members of South Carolina’s Gullah cultural community. They are two-fifths of the Grammy-winning (Good Time, 2017 Best Regional Roots Album) Gullah community ensemble Ranky […]
Enrico Pieranunzi Quintet The Extra Something Live at the Village Vanguard Camjazz Is it possible to record over eight albums and still remain under the radar? If you are unaware of pianist and composer Enrico Pieranunzi, that’s perfectly forgivable as the Italian piano master has developed most of his career in Europe. The Extra Something […]
Geoffrey Keezer & Friends Playdate Markeez This is the 23rd album as a leader for acclaimed pianist, composer, and arranger Geoffrey Keezer, who lighthearted calls this session, Playdate. While the term connotes arranging a date for a group of kids to congregate and play, Keezer and his bandmates do anything but approach this far-ranging recording […]
Andy Adamson Quintet A Coincidence of Cats Andros The whimsical title threw this writer at first. Maybe pianist and composer Andy Adamson was referencing “cats” as in musicians. Probably not, but it doesn’t matter as the music is rhythmically complex, harmonic, precise, engaging, and just about anything but whimsical. Adamson and his quintet hail from […]
Brian Lynch and Sphere of Influence Songbook Vol. 2 Dance The Way U Want To Hollistic MusicWorks Multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch returns with the second volume of his acclaimed Songbook Series: Brian Lynch And Spheres Of Influence – Songbook Vol. 2: Dance The Way U Want To. Lynch’s concept in the Series is to reclaim original compositions that he […]
Hanka G Universal Ancestry Culture Bridge As stated here previously, discovering a new artist often takes different forms whether by recommendation of friends, a glimpse at a video, or by viewing the accompanying musicians supporting the leader. The latter is the case for New York-based Slovak vocalist Hanka G (Gregusova), who with Universal Ancestry is […]
Breezy Rodio Underground Blues Windchill/Bloos The Italian born blues, soul and reggae guitarist Breezy Rodio first made his mark with Linsey Alexander for a decade before debuting solo in 2011 and importantly on Delmark in 2018. So, yes, he is steeped in Chicago blues with a unique guitar style that according to producer of this […]
Barry Coates, Jimmy Haslip, & Jerry Kalaf New Dreams Outside in Music New Dreams is a trio of kindred spirits exploring the cerebral, the explorative, and the ethereal as they highlight the collaborative compositions of Coates and Haslip, and in some cases, all three members. The most familiar name to most would be bassist Jimmy Haslip, […]
Color Green Color Green I love it when music like this new self-titled album from Color Green comes my way. Their music is cut from the same fabric as many of my favorite bands, such as Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Phish, and Flaming Lips. Formed in Queens, but now based in Los Angeles, Color Green is comprised of co-founders Noah Kohll and Corey Madden. Together this duo creates a […]
Cliff Stevens Better Days Montreal-based blues-rocker Cliff Stevens has recently released his fifth studio album Better Days. Loaded with eleven brand-new originals, this record is a genuine dose of heart-tugging blues, reminiscent of the album-oriented music popular in the Seventies. The music ranges from old-school delta blues to that inspired by the likes of Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It surely makes for […]
Art Hirahara Verdant Valley Posi-Tone Pianist/composer/ and bandleader Art Hirahara delivers his eighth album as leader on the Posi-tone label, this time with a tight quartet rendering mostly originals with a Wayne Shorter cover and a tune each composed by bandmates, the core Posi-Tone rhythm tandem of bassist Boris Kozlov and in-demand drummer Rudy Royston. […]
Mick Kolassa I’m Just Getting Started Endless Blues Eleven albums in, bluesman Mick Kolassa is proclaiming a reset of sorts with his latest, I’m Just Getting Started. Having just moved to Memphis from Mississippi and having overcome his wife’s passing due to cancer and his own battle with COVID-19 in recent years, no one can […]
Derrick Procell Hello Mojo Catfood This is a powerful blues triumvirate – blues singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Derrick Procell, BMA winner and producer Zac Harmon, and label owner/bandleader Bob Trenchard collaborating on Procell’s Catfood Records debut, Hello Mojo. As you likely realize, given those names, the album was recorded at Trenchard’s go-to studio, Sonic Ranch in Tornillo Texas […]
Kirk Fletcher Heartache by the Pound Ogierea Kirk Fletcher is in a bit of a paradox. While he has all the tools of the best bluesmen and the acclaim to prove it as a five-time BMA nominee and one hailed by such outlets as Guitar World Magazine and Guitar.com, he seldom rises to the top […]
Chucho Valdes & Paquito D’Rivera Reunion Sextet I Missed You Too! Sunnyside This is a reunion over 40 years in the making, uniting two of the most iconic Cuban jazz musicians of our times. Saxophonist/clarinetist Paquito D-Rivera has established a decorated legacy of his own since moving to New York in 1980. Among so many […]
Silent Partners Changing Times Little Village Little Village unerringly brings us genuine blues and soul once again with Silent Partners and their album Changing Times, yet another example of sidemen reaching the bright lights. But these aren’t just any sidemen. Between the three of them, they have over 100 years of experience on the road […]
The Steve Strongman Blues Remedy Volume 1 Stony Plains Music “Hard Luck” opens this rocking good time. On most of the tracks Strongman plays guitar, harmonica and bass and takes writing credit. The only co-writes are when he features a special guest. Special guests include fellow Canadians; Steve Marriner on one track. Vocalist Harrison Kennedy […]
Starlite Campbell Band LIVE I’ve been hooked on Starlite Campbell Band since reviewing their first album, Blueberry Pie five years ago. That was such an amazing album. For their third release, wife and husband Suzy Starlite, and Simon Campbell took their songs on the road across the UK and wove together this delightful eight-track album of live performances with drummer Steve Gibson (Buzzcocks, Jack Bruce) and […]
Caleb Wheeler Curtis Heatmap Imani You have to give a quick nod or fist bump to saxophonist/composer Caleb Wheeler Curtis. Heatmap is a pretty cool (ah, oh well) title. While Immanuel Wilkins has drawn more ink in the last few years, it’s fair to say that Curtis is also one of more interesting alto saxophonists […]
Sheila Jordan Live at Mezzrow (with Alan Broadbent and Harvie S) Smalls Live Living Masters Series – Cellar Music This release marks good news on two fronts. We get the marvel, 93-year-old NEA Jazz Master, vocalist Sheila Jordan, and we have the debut of The Smalls Live Living Masters Series, which Jordan is inaugurating. Round […]
Matty T Wall LIVE down Underground Since Matty T Wall’s debut release in 2016 of Blue Skies, I’ve reviewed each of his albums. I’m sure not going to break tradition with his latest, Live Down Underground. Wall very much deserves the kudos. He is a force to be reckoned with and his prowess behind the […]
Steve Cardenas/Ben Allison/Ted Nash Healing Power –The Music of Carla Bley Sunnyside Renowned jazz composer and pianist Carla Bley is one of the most covered composers in jazz over the past six decades. Bley’s groups and those of her life partner, bassist and composer Steve Swallow, have featured such iconic names as Gary Burton, Paul […]
Michael Dease Best Next Thing Posi-Tone Trombonist and composer Michael Dease takes a broader approach to Best Next Thing than he did on 2021’s excellent soul-jazz/hard bop Give It All You’ve Got. While that set honored the sound of the classic Blue Note (often the notion of early Blue Note and Posi-Tone go hand in […]
Lyle Odjick & The Northern Steam Through the Rain Tone King Here’s a new blues artist from the Great White North. Lyle Odjick hails from the Algonquin reservation of Kitigan Zibi, QC, now based in Ottawa, ON. As you might guess, he went from living in a small town with little exposure to blues or […]
Eyal Vilner Big Band The Jam! Self-released Multi-instrumentalist Eyal Vilner follows up his 2019 swing dancing effort, Swing Out where the band recorded live with swing dancers in the studio with The Jam! continuing to celebrate the renaissance of swing dancing and serve as one of its leading voices on the modern-day big band scene. Born in Tel […]
Dana Fitzsimmons with Bill Graham and Brandon Boone Fault Lines Self-released Jazz trio albums come in many shapes, colors, and configurations with this one, Fault Lines, in the standard piano-bass-drums lineup, anything but standard in its delivery of the music which, for lack of a better term, is free jazz. Drummer and leader Dana Fitzsimmons […]
Julius Rodriguez Let Sound Tell All Verve We almost got caught not paying attention. Much has been said of the so-called new vanguard of jazz whether that means cross-genre types such as Derrick Hodge, Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin and their godfather of sorts, Robert Glasper, yet 23-year-old New York-based keyboards player and drummer Julius Rodriguez […]
Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra In the Valley Stricker Street Recently we’ve seen projects blending the music of Africa and the Middle East. Bandleader and bass clarinetist Todd Marcus takes a slightly different tact in blending Arab (specifically Egyptian music with American jazz on this stimulating project featuring a nonet. Marcus’ dad is an Egyptian and […]
Dylan Triplett Who is He Vizztone Label Group Produced by bassist Larry Fulcher Triplett’s debut includes contributions from guitarist Johnny Lee Schell and on organ the late Mike Finnigan. The album was recorded at the Blue Lotus Studio in St. Louis. Other guitarists include Dr. Wayne Goins and special guests Chris-tone Kingfish Ingram, Sean McDonald, […]
The Harpoonist and the Axe Murder Live at the King Eddy It’s a rare occasion where a live album is my first experience with a band’s music, and it turns me into an instant fan. Live at the King Eddy, the latest release from The Harpoonist and the Axe Murder is definitely the center point of one of […]
Evan Drybread Tiger Tail Self-released Evan Drybread is a freelance saxophonist from Indianapolis, Indiana and performs with the finest musicians in the Midwest. Although performing mostly in Central Indiana, Evan has performed around the globe including time as a show band musician for Royal Caribbean International. Drybread’s debut album Tiger Tail highlights his tenor and soprano sax […]
Kat Riggins Progeny Gulf Coast Diminutive, powerhouse blues vocalist Kat Riggins has a trademark slogan – “Reviving the Blues One Song at a Time.” On her fourth full-length album and first for Gulf Coast Records, Progeny, brings more than just a blues revival, she brings a mix of Black music ranging form soul to funk […]
Clemens Grassmann Grass Machine Self-released Drummer and composer Clemens Grassmann is obviously elated to record this album, Grass Machine, as he says in this quote, “‘We left the drums the way Billy Hart had set them up,’ they told me as I entered the drum booth,” recalls Grassmann. “I had never felt such a sensation, […]
Vadim Neselovskyi Odesa: A Musical Walk Through a Legendary City Sunnyside The images of Ukraine that we see today are of war-torn cities while press reports and video clips praise the resilience of its people. Pianist and composer Vadim Neselovskyi gives us an artful, insightful musical tour of one the countries most famous cities, Odesa, […]
John Lee The Artist Cellar Music Group Okay, this writer confesses to a bias toward Cory Weeds’ Cellar Music Group. (see Grant Stewart Quartet) They just continue to issue great recordings as exemplified here by the debut as a leader for 28-year-old bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Lee from Vancouver. The Artist is a straight-ahead, swinging […]
Brian Landrus Red List: Music Dedicated to the Preservation of Our Endangered Species Palmetto Brian Landrus works the low end but has a high-minded mission. The poll winner on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet delivers his eleventh album as a leader with a fervent cause – Red List: Music Dedicated to the Preservation of Our […]
Grant Stewart Quartet with Bruce Harris The Lighting of the Lamps Cellar Music Aside from the alluring title, which in terms of words alone, not music, recalls Jim Hendrix’s “Burning of the Midnight Lamp,” we have a straight-ahead, inspired session led by Toronto-born, NYC-based tenorist Grant Stewart and his usual contingent plus rising NYC-based trumpeter […]
Gary Cain Next Stop Next Stop, the latest release from Canadian blues-rocker Gary Cain, takes off like a rocket, and soars to the heavens. His guitar prowess is extraordinary and an absolute treat to hear. Cain, a 2018 semi-finalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, has talents which run much deeper though. This ten-track album reveals just how much. Written […]
Bennett Matteo Band Shake the Roots Gulf Coast Okay, you may not be familiar with the names Jade Bennett and Gino Matteo but there are lots of familiar names and reference points around their eclectic debut, Shake the Roots. Kid Andersen, plays guitar, is a co-producer, and hosted the recording sessions at his famed Greaseland […]
