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.
Koppel Blade Koppel Time Again Cowbell Music This organ trio emerges surprisingly. We’ve gotten used to the trio albums, three of them, from altoist Benjamin Koppel, drummer Brian Blade, and bassist Scott Colley. We’ve also witnessed that same threesome performing in front of Anders Koppel’s brilliant symphonic piece, The Mulberry Street Symphony. Yet, close followers […]
CHAD EDWARDS WYOMING ROADS Independent Label Chad Edwards, piano/organ/composer; Robert Kyle, saxophones/flute; Hussain Jiffry, basses; Kevin Winard, drums/percussion. The Chad Edwards project comes lilting through space like a gliding seahawk. The very first tune, “Wyoming Roads” is an original by the pianist. He was inspired by a road trip where he set out to feel […]
Laurie Lewis Trees Spruce and Maple Music Laurie Lewis is an icon in the worlds of bluegrass, old time, and folk, a mentor to such vital artists of today such as Molly Tuttle and an inspiration to peers which Linda Ronstadt and Kathy Mattea, as just a couple of examples. Longtime fans of Lewis know […]
ANTONIO ADOLFO LOVE COLE PORTER AAM Records Antonio Adolfo, piano/arranger/vocals; Lula Galvao, guitars; Jorge Helder, double bass; Rafael Barata, drums/percussion; Dada Costa, percussion; Jesse Sadoc, trumpet/flugelhorn; Danilo Sinna, alto saxophone; Marcelo Martins, tenor & soprano saxophones/flute; Rafael Rocha, trombone. Since childhood, Antonio Adolfo says that the music of Cole Porter has been the soundtrack of […]
The Name Droppers Starshine Horizon Music The Name Droppers is a relatively new band consisting of drummer/vocalist Bobby T. Torello; Scott Spray, bass; Ron Rifkin, keyboards; and Rafe Klein, guitar. Torello is a member of the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame and toured with Michael Bolton, Grace Slick, Johnny Winter, and others. I first heard […]
Tas Cru All Natural Cage-Free and Fan Feed: Live Sub Cat Records Tas Cru lives in Chaumont, New York, not far from the Canadian border. He released his debut recording in 2008. Tas states his unusual stage name was bestowed on him by a Quebecois fan and roughly means “raw potato”. At the International Blues […]
Jesse Dayton The Hard Way Blues Hardcharger / Blue Elan Records Ever see the TV show Somebody Feed Phil? When Phil Rosenthal (the man behind the historic sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond) becomes especially excited by some kind of ethnic food during an episode, he shakes his hands up on the sides of his head and […]
The Bobby Broom Organ-Sation Jamalot Steele This year’s reviews from yours truly are not as heavily populated with organ trios as in years past but this throwback album by Bobby Broom’s Organ-Sation may well compensate in spades. These are live performances from 2014-2019 of familiar pop songs and standards, in the tradition of his once […]
JIHYE LEE ORCHESTRA INFINITE CONNECTIONS Motema Music Jihye Lee, composer/conductor; Adam Birnbaum, piano; Matt Clohesy, bass; Jared Schonig, drums; Keita Ogawa, percussion; Alex Goodman, guitar; Ben Kono, alto saxophone/piccolo/flute; Dave Pietro, alto saxophone/flute/alto flute; Jason Rigby & Jonathan Lawary, tenor saxophone/flute/clarinet; Carl Maraghi, baritone saxophone/bass clarinet; Brian Pareschi, Nathan Eklund, David Smith & Stuart Mack, […]
Freddie Trujillo I Never Threw a Shadow At It Self-released I Never Threw a Shadow At It is Portland-based singer-songwriter Freddy Trujillo’s fourth solo release. Trujillo is also the bassist for The Delines and Richmond Fontaine, two bands that this writer enjoys. Like his previous releases, Trujillo digs deep into his personal experiences growing up […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you Gerry Casey’s Interview with Pete Williamson of Mammal Like some scarecrow prophet, vocalist Ezekiel Ox spits out his passionate diatribe with a wild-eyed maniacal zeal, fusing rapid-fire rhetoric and soaring melody, while guitarist Pete Williamson lays down the sort of riffage that’ll have any punter’s fist unconsciously forming […]
Nir Felder III la.reserve In a year when we’ve been blessed by so many terrific guitar records from the likes of Julian Lage, Bill Frisell, Gilad Hekselman, and others, we welcome back Nir Felder with his third solo release, III, now on a new label, the burgeoning la.reserve. The Katonah, NY native enlists mostly the […]
Markey Blue/Ric Latina Project Blue Eyed Soul Sound Soul Records This is the new album from the songwriting team of Jeannette “Markey” Blue and Eric “Ric” Latina. Formerly on Eller Soul Records they are now on Soul Sound. The number of musicians involved in this production is considerable so please forgive me if I don’t […]
SEAN HONG WEI & JEREMY MONTEIRO THE NEW JERSEY SESSIONS Jazz Note Sean Hong Wei, tenor saxophone; Jeremy Monteiro, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Evan Sherman, drums; Houston Person, tenor saxophone; Alex Sipiagin, trumpet. This hard-bop group opens with the Charlie Parker tune, “Dewey Square” showing that they love to ‘swing’ with as much power and […]
JOHN AMBROSINI SONGS FOR YOU Independent Label John Ambrosini, piano/vocals/keyboards/background vocals/arrangements/all piano solos; David Phelps, acoustic & electric guitars; Zachary Swansen, acoustic bass; Matt Miller, drums; Steve Finkelstein, percussion; Rich Lamb, keyboards. Randy Brecker, trumpet; Ada Rovatti & Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone; David Binney, alto saxophone; William Galison, harmonica; Brian King, vibraphone; Rich Lamb, string […]
PHIL RANELIN THE FOUND TAPES LIVE IN LOS ANGELES: 1978 – 1981 Org Music Phil Ranelin, trombone/composer; Billy Childs, piano; Tony Dumas, bass; Ralph Penland, drums. “When I moved to Los Angeles in 1977 to join Freddie Hubbard’s band, I thought I would be content playing with one of the greatest trumpeters ever. However, after […]
Grant Langston aLAbama Self-released The Stetson atop Grant Langston’s head on the cover photo, along with the not-so-subtle title screams country music, but there’s a lot more here than those suggest. This veteran, heretofore uncovered by this writer, is no newcomer. This is his tenth album, a mix of contemporary themes and pure honky-tonk, presaging […]
Sam Joyner Come what May: I’ll Always Love You Independent Sam Joyner was born and raised in SE Chicago 25 miles from Gary Indiana. His father, the Reverend Joyner, made sure that Sam spent his summers down south. Joyner’s mostly original music is a combination of urban Chicago blues and Louisiana styled R n’ B. […]
Tony Romano Three Chord Monte TRM With a play on words, from Elvin Jones’s “Three Card Molly,” and the card game of a similar name, guitarist Tony Romano entitles his own solo jazz album, filled with original compositions, Three Chord Monte. Romano has spent most of his career as a sideman for vocalists but issued […]
LAUREN HENDERSON SOMBRAS Brontosaurus Records Lauren Henderson, vocals/composer/arranger/producer; Joel Ross, vibraphone; Sean Mason, piano; Jonathan Michel, bass; Joe Dyson, drums/percussion. Joe Dyson’s percussion licks open the first tune on Lauren Henderson’s new album as her smokey, seductive voice sings “Fuego.” Henderson has added the vibraphone of Joel Ross to the mix and the instrument adds […]
JO HARROP THE PATH OF A TEAR Lateralize Records Jo Harrop, vocals/composer; Larry Klein, bass/producer; Anthony Wilson, guitar; Victor Indrizzo, drums/percussion; Jim Cox, piano/Fender Rhodes/Hammond B-3 organ; David Piltch, bass. Here is an artist that immediately snatched my attention with her very first song called “Beautiful Fools.” What a great and unique title! I grabbed […]
Jon Gordon 7th Ave. South ArtistShare Having spent quite a bit of time in NYC in the early to mid-1980s, it’s certainly easy to relate to saxophonist and composer Jon Gordon’s salute to the mecca of jazz in the city at that time, 7th Ave. South. The street was lined with jazz clubs, the venerable […]
NICK FINZER LEGACY: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF J.J. JOHNSON Outside in Music Nick Finzer, trombone; Renee Rosnes, piano; Rufus Reid, bass; Lewis Nash, drums. This latest CD released by trombonist, Nick Finzer is a tribute and centennial celebration to J.J. Johnson. Johnson is considered one of the most influential and pioneering trombonists in jazz history. […]
Gerald McClendon Down At The Juke Joint Delta Roots Records Gerald McClendon is widely known as the “Soulkeeper”. Born and raised in Chicago he began singing along with the music he heard on the radio. His love for music included R&B icons Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding. McClendon’s love for music allows him […]
Toronzo Cannon Shut up and Play Alligator Records Toronzo Cannon was born on Chicago’s southside in 1968. As a youngster he would sit outside Theresa’s Lounge listening to the sounds spilling onto the street. He purchased his first guitar at the age of twenty-two. The blues guitarist’s early influences included Albert Collins and Albert King. […]
Jason Robinson Ancestral Numbers 1 Playscape Recordings Saxophonist and composer Jason Robinson just released the first part of a comprehensive project tracing the roots and branches of his family tree on Ancestral Numbers 1 with the second part to follow in October. It’s an intriguing concept and one that’s rarely if ever been set to […]
Roger Kellaway Roger Kellaway Live At Mezzrow Cellar Music Group The renowned pianist, composer, and arranger Roger Kellaway mentions in the liners to his live album Roger Kellaway Live At Mezzrow something that makes the utmost sense but rarely mentioned, and at least here, rarely thought about. The pianist has, for the past twenty years, […]
Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp Magical Incantation Soul City Sounds Magical Incantation is astoundingly the nineteenth duo collaboration between Brazilian saxophonist Ivo Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp. The duo began in 1996 with the saxophonist’s Bendito of Santa Cruz. Obviously at this point in their collaborative tenure, they can anticipate the other’s moves like the […]
Cass Clayton Band Midnight in a Bottle Independent This is the new Cass Clayton Band album “Midnight in a Bottle” being released today. The album is divided into two sides. Side A includes five songs opening with “Rear View Mirror” and we get to hear the smoky-sweet vocalist Cass Clayton for the very first time. […]
Kaia Kater Strange Medicine Free Dirt There’s been a buzz on social media lately led by Rhiannon Giddens about the importance of the ‘Black banjo.’ In that sense banjoist Kaia Kater’s Strange Medicine is certainly timely. Beyond that it shows the immense possibilities of the instrument beyond conventional ‘Americana’ or hybrid bluegrass or blues. Consider […]
AMBER WEEKES A LADY WITH A SONG CELEBRATES NANCY WILSON Amber Inn Records Amber Weekes, vocals; Russell Malone, Andrew Synowiec, Gregory Cook & Paul Jackson Jr., guitar; Tony Campodonico, acoustic & Fender Rhodes piano; Andy Langham, piano; John B. Williams, Carlos Puerto & Jeff Littleton, bass; Fritz Wise, Donald Barrett & Oscar Seaton, drums/percussion; Joey […]
COUNTERMEASURE ORCHESTRAL SESSIONS Independent Label VOCALS: Gianna Antonacci, Nina Brown, Elora Burns, Icarus Devdas, J-M Erlendson, Marla Kishimoto, Qwyn Alexis, Tara Park, Hayley Preziosi, Daniel Boyle, Jeremy Voltz and Aaron Jensen, composer/arranger/lyricist; Charles Cozens, orchestrator/conductor of the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra. An Internationally acclaimed Canadian 12-member vocal group called Countermeasure has released their fourth studio […]
BOB ANDERSON LIVE! Jazz Hang Records Bob Anderson, vocals/composer; Vince Falcone, piano; Joe Lano, guitar. Orchestra In 2015, VHI voted Bob Anderson the #1 celebrity vocal impersonator in the world. This is an honor that People magazine also crowned him with, and Tony Bennett proclaimed, “He does me really well … He does everybody well! […]
Pokey LaFarge Rhumba Country New West Pokey LaFarge has crafted perhaps the best ‘feel good’ album of the year so far with the tongue-in-cheek titled Rhumba Country, a sarcastic jab at trying to conveniently pigeonhole music into defined genres. Here he embraces music from many areas of the globe, including mambo, tropicalia, rocksteady, and early […]
Jack Walrath Live at Smalls Cellar Music Group Trumpeter, composer, and arranger Jack Walrath joins the legends in the SmallsLive Living Masters Series, leading his long-running conventional jazz quintet in this live gig. This is a group that Walrath has been leading since 2010 – Abraham Burton on tenor saxophone, George Burton on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Donald Edwards on […]
ELENA GILLIAM SHALL WE DANCE Meta Jax Elena Gilliam, vocals; Rob Whitlock, & Michael LeVan, piano; George Gilliam, guitar; Miles Jensen, Nylon string guitar; Lyman Medeiros, bass; Alex Bailey, drums; Ginger Murphy, cello; Sarpay Ozcagatay, flute; Tony Guerrero, fluegelhorn/trumpet/arranger; Arturo Sandoval, trumpet; BUDAPEST SCORING ORCHESTRA: Zoltan Pad, conductor; Balint Sapszon, Orchestra manager. Elena Gilliam has […]
Greensky Bluegrass The Iceland Sessions with Holly Bowling Thirty Tigers Handmade music this multifaceted, fearless, and inspiring, guarantees a listener’s immersion in the experience right along with the players—repeatedly. Greensky Bluegrass, out of Kalamazoo, Michigan 24 years ago, somehow manage to raise their own bar each time they record. Last summer, they took to a […]
Marta Sanchez Trio Perpetual Void Intakt Maybe it was the glut of albums releasing at the same time or not enough focus on the music a couple of weeks ago when Perpetual Void from pianist Marta Sanchez’s Trio was released but Sanchez, a member of David Murray’s new quintet impressed so much on Murray’s recent […]
Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens Red Hook Two musicians inextricably linked to Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) pay homage to their favorite places in NYC’s Central Park. Rather remarkable, since it is decades since they first met, this is the […]
Mute After You’ve Gone Endectomorph Music This is the second offering from the Asian-American quartet Mute, who made their debut with their self-titled album in 2019. While they are the essence of postmodern jazz, they make a few nods to tradition on this one, After You’ve Gone, named, of course, for the iconic standard. The […]
Josh Lawrence Measured Response Posi-Tone Trumpeter Josh Lawrence leads the classic jazz quintet configuration of trumpet, tenor, piano. bass, and drums on Measured Response, his sixth album as a leader on Posi-Tone. He has co-led two with the Fresh Cut Orchestra on Ropeadope and has received three Grammy nominations, most notably with Orrin Evans’ Captain […]
Jeff Pitchell Brown Eyed Blues DeGuello Records Jeff Pitchell has recorded with J. Geils, Rick Derringer, Dave Mason, James Cotton, and Clarence Clemons. Jeff received international recognition when he toured Europe and even played with the Commitments. Jeff won “Best Guitarist” in the State of Connecticut when he was 15. Jeff has won two songwriting […]
John Dokes Our Day Swing Theory Entertainment Last year in an interview with female jazz vocalist sensation Samara Joy, Christian McBride playfully asked, ‘where are all the guys?” Since that time but only coincidentally in response to the playful jibe, we’re heard great albums from baritone Paul L. Chambers, Allan Harris, and mainstays Kurt Elling […]
BOBBY SELVAGGIO 11 STORIES, DREAMS, INSPIRATIONS FOR MY BOY Hidden Cinema Records Bobby Selvaggio, alto & soprano saxophone/composer/arranger; Orlando Watson, spoken word; Zaire Darden & James Johnson III, drums; Paul Thompson, bass; Joey Skoch & Theron Brown, piano; Chelsea Selvaggio, vocals. SAXOPHONES: Tony Spicer, tenor saxophone/ bass clarinet; Chris Coles, & John Klayman, tenor; Brad […]
Ian Wardenski Quintet featuring TAMARA TUCKER UNFOLDINGS Independent Label Ian Wardenski, guitar/composer/arranger; Tamara Tucker, vocals; Savino Palumbo, piano; Amy Shook, bass; Frank Russo, drums; Mercedes Beckman, alto saxophone. Ian Wardenski is a guitarist, composer, educator (professor of Music at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, MD, and Chair of Performing Arts). “Unfoldings” is Wardenski’s third […]
Curtis Salgado Fine By Me Little Village Records This new album by Curtis Salgado has been recorded at eight different studios, four of them in Portland, Oregon; while the remaining four were recorded in California, one each at Taylor Made Studios in Los Angeles; one at Sound Design in Santa Barbara; one at Jesi-Lu Studios […]
Chick Corea and Béla Fleck Remembrance Self-released by Béla Fleck Given that the late Chick Corea’s recording engineer Bernie Kirsh documented nearly every Chick Corea performance live or in the studio, we can expect to hear more from Corea in the future, as we have been since his passing. Yet, the driving force behind this […]
JP Soars Brick By Brick Little Village Records In February 2009 JP Soars and his band The Red Hots took home first place by winning the International Blues Challenge held annually in Memphis, Tennessee. Soars had released his independently produced album debut “Back Of My Mind” the previous year. In 2011 Soars followed-up with “More […]
Yelena Eckemoff Romance of the Moon L & H Production Pianist and composer Yelena Eckemoff’s 2023 Lonely Man and His Fish was one of the year’s most charming albums, a human-pet story set to music and covered on these pages. Her latest, Romance of the Moon, het twentieth album, may seem different on the surface […]
KENNY BARRON BEYOND THIS PLACE Artwork Records Kenny Barron, piano/composer; Steve Nelson, Vibraphone; Kiyoshi Kitagawa, double bass; Jonathan Blake, drums. Immanuel Wilkins, alto Saxophone. This album opens with one of my favorite Hoagy Carmichael ballads, “The Nearness of You.” It is a beautiful way to start the ‘set.’ On track #2, they play the Barron […]
