making a Scene

Leon Lee Dorsey, Mike Clark, and Michael Wolff Letter to Bill Evans Jazz Avenue 1 Letter to Bill Evans is the seventh installment of the partnership between bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and drummer Mike Clark, many of which we’ve covered here. For this outing, they enlisted pianist Michael Wolff, who has long internalized the music […]

Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop A Canadian Songbook TPR Toronto drummer and composer Ernesto Cervini leads his Canadian sextet Turboprop on their fifth album, A Canadian Songbook. While Cervini also leads other projects, notably Tetrahedron and Tune Town, Turboprop earned a JUNO Award nomination for their 2022 Joy, for which this is their follow-up. The band features […]

REZA KHAN MYSTICAL Independent label Reza Khan, acoustic & electric guitars/composer/producer; David Mann, composer/arranger/ producer/keyboards/drum programming/soprano, tenor & alto saxophone; Jeff Lorber, keyboards/mini-moog; Jimmy Haslip, electric bass; Brandon Rothwell, Mark Egan & Mel Brown, bass; Gary Novak, Brian Dunne, & Lionel Cordew, drums; Bernd Schoenhart, rhythm guitar/ additional acoustic guitar; Programming, saxophone; Bob James, Keiko […]

DAVID LEON BIRD’S EYE Pyroclastic Records David Leon, composer/soprano & alto saxophones/alto flute/piccolo; DoYeon Kim, gayagum/vocals; Lesley Mok, drums/percussion/glockenspiel. When Miami-born David Leon became curious about his Cuban heritage, Leon began studying with master percussionist, Manley “Piri” Lopez.   Lopez comes from a legendary family of rumberos, who became quite famous as the creators of an […]

Jacob Shulman High Firmament/Ferment Below Endectomorph L.A.-based saxophonist and composer Jacob Shulman teaches mathematics and programming in his “day job,” which might provide some clues into his far-reaching thought process. For his sophomore recording effort, he delivers two albums, two sides of the coin. High Firmament brilliantly captures, even from the opening glistening notes of […]

ONE FOR ALL featuring GEORGE COLEMAN BIG GEORGE Smoke Sessions Records Jim Rotondi, trumpet/composer; Eric Alexander, alto & tenor saxophone/composer; Steve Davis, trombone/composer; David Hazeltine, piano/Fender Rhodes/composer; John Webber, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums. SPECIAL GUEST: George Coleman, tenor saxophone. Since their inception, in 1997, I have been a big fan of “One For All” with […]

Kevin Sun Trio The Fate of the Tenor Endectomorph We have the confluence of two fierce tenor saxophonists releasing albums on the same label on the same day as documented on these pages. (hint -Jacob Shulman).  Moreover, they share the same bassist.  Yet, here our focus is on tenorist Kevin Sun, his sixth recording as […]

THE TUCKER BROTHERS LIVE AT CHATTERBOX Midwest Crush Music Joel Tucker, guitar; Nick Tucker, bass; Carrington Clinton, drums. Sean Imboden, tenor saxophone. This quartet opens with a unique take on the familiar tune, “Skylark.”  They play it in sort of a Reggae style, beginning with Joel Tucker setting the mood and tempo (7/4) with his […]

PAUL KENDALL WHISPER NOT Zoho Records Paul Kendall, tenor saxophone; Dan Kosteinik, Hammond organ; Rudy Petschauer, drums. It’s nice to hear a trio that features saxophone, Hammond B-3 Organ and drums.  Paul Kendall says years ago he was hooked on that organ sound when he worked a few gigs with Bobby Forrester at a local […]

CHRIS ROTTMAYER BEING Shifting Paradigm Records Chris Rottmayer, piano; Rufus Reid, acoustic bass; Matt Endres, drums; Russ Johnson, trumpet/flugelhorn. This is pianist Chris Rottmayer’s fourth album release. He calls Madison, Wisconsin his home and Chris is a prolific composer, a jazz artist, and a jazz educator. This current album is the result of studying the […]

DAVID LARSEN COHESION Dayolo Music David Larsen, baritone saxophone/composer; Zaccai Curtis, piano; Alex Apollo, bass; Wayne Smith Jr., drums; Darryl Yokley, tenor saxophone/composer. The tight harmonies of David Larsen on baritone saxophone and Darryl Yokley on tenor saxophone opens the first tune on this album and capture my attention. Larsen and Yokley are the composers […]

Jeremy Rose and the Earshift Orchestra Discordia Earshift Music Award-winning saxophonist-composer Jeremy Rose and owner of Australia’s most important jazz label, Earshift Music, leads his large ensemble on Discordia.  In 2023 Rose turned heads with his acclaimed Disruption: The Voice of Drums featuring the twin drummers Simon Barker and Korean stylist Chloe Kim, the latter […]

JeanFrancois Prins Blue Note Mode GAM As the title and blues hued album cover suggest, Blue Note Mode is an ode to the classic material of the Blue Note label, led by the Belgian- born guitarist JeanFrancois Prins, with a star-studded quartet/quintet/sextet through a dozen compositions over a generous 79 minutes. For added authenticity the […]

Julian Lage Speak to Me Blue Note Guitarist and composer Julian Lage has now evolved his wordless narratives by increasing his ensemble and delivering his latest, Speak to Me, across two albums with a surprising but astute choice for producer in Joe Henry. Singer-songwriter and noted producer of albums by Allen Toussaint and Solomon Burke, […]

Xavier Richardeau A Caribbean Thing Continuo Jazz This may well be a first for this writer and our readers – music from the island of Guadeloupe.  Saxophonist and composer Xavier Richardeau earned his jazz stripes in Paris and in New York before moving to the island, where he has resided for the past six years. […]

Randy Napoleon The Door Is Open: The Music of Gregg Hill OA2 Make this the fifth album bearing the subtitle, “The Music of Gregg Hill” in the past four years.  Again, it’s the jazz musicians from the fertile Michigan State University Jazz program and specifically guitarist Randy Napoleon who now presents The Door Is Open. […]

Rodrigo Recabarren, Pablo Menares, Yago Vazquez Familia Greenleaf Music This piano trio offers a divergent path from the usual piano trio, which is understandable given the backgrounds of the three members. Drummer Rodrigo Recabarren and bassist Pablo Menares hail from Chile while pianist Yago Vazquez is from Galicia, Spain. On Familia, all three contributed compositions […]

GORDON GRDINA THE MARROW with FATHIEH HONARI Attaboygirl Records Gordon Grdina, Oud/composer; Mark Helias, bass; Hank Roberts, cello; Hamin Honari, percussion; FEATURED GUEST: Fathieh Honari, voice. The distinctive sound of Gordon Grdina’s Oud instrument opens this album and draws the listener into the music like a magic spell.  The voice of Fathieh Honari floats chant-like […]

DOUG MACDONALD SEXTET SESSION Dmac Music Doug MacDonald, guitar; Josh Nelson, piano; Mike Gurrola, bass; Charles Ruggiero, drums; Doug Webb, tenor saxophone; Aaron Janik, trumpet. Guitarist and composer, Doug MacDonald leads an all-star sextet of Southern California based musicians.  Although he has headed many types of jazz ensembles, and boasts twenty-six record releases as a […]

Jim Snidero For All We Know Savant Ask jazz folks to name the top ten alto saxophonists, and you’ll be hard pressed to find Jim Snidero on many lists but if you alter the question to those who are well steeped in the music as to who is the most lyrical and possesses the purest […]