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.
David Sanford Big Band (Featuring Hugh Ragin) A Prayer for Lester Bowie Greenleaf Music We must warn you that this is so far from your father’s big band music, that you need to be ready for progressive, improvised jazz that weaves in modern classical and defiant flavors of both avant-garde and punk. Okay, so with […]
Roseanna Vitro Sing a Song of Bird Featuring Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough, Marion Cowings, Gary Bartz, Mark Gross Skyline Sing a Song a Bird is a collaboration of four vocal and two saxophone giants as they celebrate the music of the iconic Charlie Parker. The main mover here is Grammy nominee vocalist Roseanna Vitro who […]
Marc Cary Life Lessons Sessionheads United Keyboardist Marc Cary is veteran who built his reputation backing such giants as Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Roy Hargrove, Jackie McLean, and Randy Weston. Yet, with now 18 albums as a leader, this trio debut Life Lessons, with bassist Dan Chmielinski and drummer Diego Joaquin Ramirez reveals a very […]
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette Skyline 5Passion Skyline is the first of a planned trilogy of piano trio albums for his own label, 5Passion Records, that the Cuban-born pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba founded in 2010. Rubalcaba tapped two living legends to deliver this inaugural foray, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette. They were two […]
Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge Within Us Summit Chuck Owen reconvenes his 19-piece big band along with special guest Warren Wolf to commemorate the five-time Grammy-nominated band’s 25th anniversary with Within Us. This is the Florida-based ensemble’s seventh recording and marked the first time many had recorded with other musicians in the same room […]
The Delerium Trees “Tales From The Western Isles” Today I would like to invite you to discover the new album by The Delerium Trees. I’ve already written a few reviews of this band and I’m always thrilled, but I have to say that “Tales From The Western Isles” is something very special. After the debut […]
Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps Rose Colored Glasses Vol. 1 Blue Heart Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps are a Los Angeles-based band, but James was raised in Houston and has been able to mix Texas style blues with a West Coast jump and swing sound for over five decades now. They have received […]
Hector Anchondo Let Loose Those Chains VizzTone Every so often a wonderful surprise comes along, and this is one of them. Let Loose Those Chains is one of the most finely crafted, song driven blues releases of this year. Hector Anchondo is the 2020 IBC winner in the solo/duo category, and this is his first […]
Colin Linden bLOW Highway 20 We associate Colin Linden with the blues, yet bLow is his first electric blues release of the fourteen he’s made as a solo artist over his four-decade career. Linden, of course, has been equally or even more prominent on the roots scene with his band Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, […]
Jimmie Vaughan The Jimmie Vaughan Story (5 -CD Box Set) The Last Music Company The living legend Jimmie Vaughan has documented most of his recording history through the auspices of Malcolm Mills’ Last Music Company across 5-CDS in a deluxe box set that in the vinyl size box also includes: An autographed full-size replica of […]
Ray Obeido Latin Jazz Project Vol. 2 Rhythmus Latin Jazz Project Vol. 2 is the tenth release by the Bay Area guitarist and composer Ray Obeido, his originals plus one from producer/arranger Gerald Wilson. Of the 29 musicians in the credits, 15 of them return from Volume 1, they being mostly Bay Area veterans but […]
Elly Wininger The Blues Never End Earwig New York Hall of Fame Inductee (2014) Elly Wininger is socially conscious, highly skilled acoustic guitarist and songwriter based in the Woodstock area. She’s been at her craft for decades now but The Blues Never End is only her fifth album since the end of the ‘90s, the […]
Brad Vickers and his Vestapolitans The Music Gets Us Thru Man Hat Tone This is the seventh release for Brad Vickers and his Vestapolitans, a throwback sound as indicated by the 1950-ish red pickup truck on the CD cover. The core band includes Vickers on guitar, bottleneck guitar and vocals, bassist Margery Peters, drummer Bill […]
Pat Metheny Side-Eye – NYC (V1-IV) Modern Recordings No ‘jazz’ musician except Chick Corea has amassed more Grammy awards than Pat Metheny but the use of quote marks around jazz indicates that both for Corea and Metheny, some of these awards were due to projects in other genres besides jazz. Our greatest artists are both […]
Aakash Mittal Nocturne Self-released This unique project, Nocturne, from alto saxophonist and composer Aakash Mittal and his Awaz trio transports you to the nighttime streets of Kolkata, (formerly Calcutta), India. The instrumentation is unusual to say the least as Mittal fronts the trio of guitarist Miles Okazaki and percussionist Rajna Swaminathan (playing mridangam and Kanjira). […]
Lindsay Beaver & Brad Stivers VizzTone These two names, Lindsay Beaver and Brad Stivers, should be familiar to blues fans, especially the former who caught attention with her 2018 Alligator release, Tough as Love. Stivers released his VizzTone release a year earlier. Both played on Beaver’s album and are considered two of the hottest musicians […]
George Gritzbach Full Circle The thing l love about this job, is receiving music that’s completely new to me . A blank canvas so to speak . No preconceived ideas about either the album or the artist. Listening to this album one word comes to mind quality. Each song is crafted with such feeling and passion, even the […]
Dave Zinno & Unisphere Fetish Whaling City Sound Bassist and composer Dave Zinno issues his third album, Fetish, with his group Unisphere. Zinno calls it the culmination of a year without live music and thus, it’s a huge, in some cases, unbridled release of energy for he and his band members – Mike Tucker (tenor […]
Dale Webb Take a Little Chance Today I want to introduce you to Dale Webb, singer / songwriter who was born in Wales and raised in Ireland. Dale didn’t have an easy life and started playing guitar after a stroke he suffered as a child when he was just 12 years old. He knew that […]
Andy Farber and his Orchestra Early Blue Evening ArtistShare Saxophonist, arranger, composer and bandleader Andy Farber issues his fourth album as a leader and second big band effort with Early Blue Evening. His is a 17-piece band that digs back to the original big bands and infuses those sounds with a more contemporary language. The […]
Lisa Hilton Transparent Sky Ruby Slippers Productions Composer/pianist/producer, Lisa Hilton is back less than a year later with her follow-up to her 2020 More Than Another Day, again featuring her longstanding bandmates: Rudy Royston on drums, and Luques Curtis on bass. Considering that this writer has covered Hilton twice previously for two different outlets, perhaps an introduction is appropriate for […]
Carlos Henriquez The South Bronx Story Tiger Turn Carlos Henriquez is best known as the bassist for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, a position he has held for over two decades. Henriquez is also a composer and bilingual artist, stepped in the Latin music of his Puerto Rican heritage. Currently, many acknowledge him as […]
Andrew Renfroe Ride in the Storm Self-released Ride in the Storm is guitarist Andrew Renfroe’s first album as a leader with all original compositions. Renfroe has built a reputation as a first call guitarist for artists such as Braxton Cook, Tia Fuller, and Jonathan Barber, to name a few. Renfroe’s many references, based on his […]
Seth James Different Hat Tiny Ass Seth James has all the trappings of a West Texas cowboy and looks the part attired in his white Stetson. He is a life-long working rancher. Somehow, though James picked up the same kind of roadhouse blues bug as that mostly retired singer from Ft. Worth, Delbert McClinton. Yes, […]
Kerry Moffit What Goes Around Comes Around Self-released Veteran composer, arranger, trumpeter Kerry Moffit has been playing professionally for 41 years, appeared on over 70 recordings as a sideman in many configurations, and is just now issuing his debut as a leader with What Goes Around Comes Around. Moffit leads his sextet, Turning Circles through […]
Gary Meek Monterey Groove Autumn Hill Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Gary Meek debuts a new band formed in and inspired by California’s central coast, as indicated in the title. The project began with no intention of a recording but simply to form a fusion band which was unique to the Monterey area, for playing locally. You’ve […]
Aerosols Benny Braun Today I want to introduce you to the new album from Benny Braun “Aerosols”. Benny is an electronic music artist and producer from Hamburg, Germany. After working as musician and producer with various artists until 2006 he started his own project in parallel and the first electronic project was launched in 1994. Under […]
Gabe Stillman Just Say the Word VizzTone Pennsylvanians are well acquainted with guitarist Gabe Stillman’s energetic, acrobatic, showman-like performances. He leaves no doubt that he can wield an axe gracefully, swaggeringly, and demonstratively depending on the tune. Nonetheless, this debut, Just Say the Word, will surprise even his most ardent fans due to his accomplished […]
Tom Cohen My Take Versa Music Philly drummer Tom Cohen leads the modern incarnation of the jazz organ trio across three different configurations on My Take, for extended versions of jazz classics from Gigi Gryce, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Stitt, and Vincent Youmans. Featured are master organist and fellow Philadelphian Joey DeFrancesco, tenor giants […]
Leon Lee Dorsey Freedom Jazz Dance Jazz Avenue 1 Bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and legendary drummer Mike Clark are a tandem that just keeps on chugging, raising curiosity as to who will be the third member to join them on their next outing. Freedom Jazz Dance marks their fourth collaboration, having begun with 2019’s Monk […]
The Furious Seasons Home All Day, Home All Night Stonegarden Home All Day, Home All Night, the pandemically named and recorded eighth album and fourth as an acoustic trio for The Furious Seasons, finds them stretching out more into a full band mode. Bandleader/ guitarist/songwriter and vocalist David Steinhart sees this as a more eclectic effort […]
Joe Troop Borrowed Time Free Dirt If the name is not familiar, perhaps the group is. Joe Troop is the bandleader for the Grammy-nominated Che Apalache. He’s a bilingual bluegrass multi-instrumentalist who brings the kind of activism we associate with Pete Seeger, early Bob Dylan, and the ‘60s era folkies. Much of this doesn’t sit […]
Jeff Pearring Pearring Sound – Socially Distanced Duos Self-released Alto saxophonist Jeff Pearring usually leads groups ranging from trio to quintets under the group name Pearring Sound, but the pandemic intervened. So Pearring took a safe approach instead, deciding to play duos with six diverse musicians across eight selections, each recorded in a socially distanced […]
Andy Peake Mood Swings Big Little Mood Swings is the debut for singer/songwriter/drummer/percussionist Andy Peake who invites a wide cast of mostly Nashville-based musicians to join him in his eclectic mix of blues and roots tunes. Seven of the eleven are either penned or co-written by Peake with two highly recognizable cover tunes and two […]
Johnny Tucker Featuring Kid Ramos & The Allstars 75 and Alive Blue Heart/ HighJohn There are not that many seventy-plus original bluesmen, certainly few with the pipes of venerable Johnny Tucker who still has plenty left in the tank based on 75 And Alive, recorded on his 75th birthday in October of 2020. For that […]
GUISE “By Your Side” Writing this review makes me realize how the universe works it’s magic in bringing like minded souls together. A short few weeks ago I made my first trip to the Uk in almost 18 months. While visiting a friends home in Liverpool I was introduced Jassy G guitarist with Liverpool pop/rock […]
Tim Motzer Many Ways Around the Sun Ropeadope Tim Motzer’s Many Ways Around the Sun is a true solo album with the multi-instrumentalist who has made nine solo soundscape albums now adding vocals to his compositions for the first time. Playing mellotron, guitars, bass, prophet synth, optigan, wood flute, cymbals, drums, reed organ, electronics, drum […]
Zen Baseballbat BETTER WAYS TO LOVE & OFFEND Zen Baseballbat are the Gleavey twins, Jordan Donaldson, Mike Wilkinson, Jogga, Anoushka Gleavey, Jane Anderson, Colin Mackay based in Liverpool, England. They released their third album “Rations” last year and this one was already great. Now they are going one step further with the new plant. Do you […]
Billy Test Trio Coming Down Roses ATM His name is not yet widely known but this writer first became familiar with Pennsylvania-bred pianist and composer Billy Test when he and trio mates, bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Ian Froman backed Dave Liebman in last year’s Invitation by The Generations Quartet. Having studied with Liebman while […]
System 6 Tales from the Backyard Skipper Productions Bandleader and multi-reedist, the English-born and now L.A. based Benn Clatworthy, returns with does his long-standing sextet, the totally acoustic System 6, with Tales From the Backyard, a follow-up to last year’s Bennie’s Lament, which we covered on these pages. Initially this writer felt that this one […]
Los Lobos Native Sons New West Besides their 2019 Christmas album, Llego Navidad, it’s been six years since we heard from the iconic band Los Lobos who return now with Native Sons. They are indeed native sons of Los Angeles, hence the album title and an album that pays homage to L.A.’s musical heritage and […]
Son Volt Electro Melodier Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers Electro Melodier is alt country pioneering Son Volt’s tenth studio album, a year after marking, sadly without touring, the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking 1995 debut, Trace. Son Volt has always been defined by front man Jay Farrar’s weary, soulful, and inexplicably comforting voice as well his songwriting. […]
Mick Kolassa Wasted Youth Endless Blues The prolific, recently relocated to Memphis, resilient Mick Kolassa returns with a smile on his face after as devastating a year as any could endure. Kolassa lost his wife and many close friends but rather than sinking into maudlin self-pity, these losses inspire the album as Kolassa, in his […]
Andy Lindquist Stand Abide Endure This album is really special for a number of reasons. Firstly it’s the 75th album of Andy’s career an achievement in its self. Secondly it’s a return of another blues album which I have to say finds Andy in his natural musical habitat. Vocally Andy on this album has given […]
Blue Reality Quartet Blue Reality Quartet! Mahakala In another time the album cover would come across as daunting with four men, each with his face covered with a mask. Yet, in these times, we quickly realize that these four musicians have recorded an album during the height of the pandemic. That’s a blue reality itself […]
Keith Loftis Original State Long Tone Music Original State is saxophonist Keith Loftis’ fourth album as a leader. Loftis is the saxophonist for the three-time Grammy nominated Baylor Project, among his other pursuits. This is a new quartet for him in this lyrical, free blowing, mostly swinging session that features six originals in the nine […]
The Brothers March 10, 2020/Madison Square Garden/New York, NY Peach The Brothers is like having the Allman Brothers greatest hits performed live in one handy 4-CD package. Given that only one member of the original lineup, Jaimoe, is still alive, this is the second incarnation of The Allman Brothers Band (2001-2014) plus some guests who […]
Jackson Browne Downhill From Everywhere Inside Recordings This is Jackson Browne’s first album in six years and like many veteran musicians, he’s finding the studio conducive to songwriting. In other words, his songs often take new directions, once he begins to collaborate with bandmates, most of whom have cemented their chemistry with the iconic songwriter […]
Cassie and Mallory Life of a Ghost “Cassie and Mallory” are the two artists Cassie Spires and Mallory Tober who got together in 2019 to make music. Cassie takes on the part of the vocals and lyrics and is accompanied instrumentally by Mallory. Both have very different life stories. Cassie was a successful wedding photographer […]
Greg Ward, Rajiv Halim, Sharel Cassity Altoizm AFAR Music Usually any three-headed saxophone group comes together to honor a legend like Bird or Trane, notwithstanding bigger units such as the World Saxophone Quartet of Odean Pope’s Saxophone Choir. Yet this unit, self-dubbed Altoizm, is making their own music with all seven compositions composed by the […]
