making a Scene

Richard Baratta Off the Charts Savant We’ve covered film producer and drummer Richard Baratta’s previous two releases here that were both focused on movie music compositions. On Off the Charts he casts aside that successful formula in favor of music that inspired him while growing up. Instead of choosing highly recognizable fare however, he instead, […]

Various Artists Shorter Moments – Citizen Wayne Posi-Tone This March we covered Shorter Moments–Exploring the World of Wayne, a Posi-Tone release of various artists interpreting the late Wayne Shorter’s ballads. It was their second tribute to the iconic jazz composer. Now the third and final tribute arrives just the documentary, Zero Gravity, arrives on August […]

Maci Miller Nine Self-released The natural inclination when one sees the Philadelphia-based jazz vocalist Maci Miller’s album title is to think that it is her ninth recording. While it’s only her second, there is plenty of meaning behind the title as she assures us in her liner notes. There are nine songs, nine musicians, and […]

Willie Morris Conversation Starter Posi-Tone While you may have seen the name Willie Morris gracing Posi-Tone releases such as those of Josh Lawrence and Something Blue, Conversation Starter is the saxophonist and composer’s debut as a leader. Hailing from St. Louis, Morris has studied at Eastern Illinois University and at Julliard where he learned from […]

Ember August in March Imani We covered alto saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis’ stunning 2022 Heat Map on these pages as well as bassist Noah Garabedian’s 2022 Consider the Stars. Yet, this is our introduction to the trio Ember, comprised of both Curtis, Garabedian, and drummer Vincent Sperrazza, whose name graces several releases from Posi-tone, also […]

Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: BIG MO & Little Joe Self-released Two friends for more than decade, Atlanta based pianist Joe Alterman, more than half a century Les McCann’s junior, delivers his heartfelt tribute to his bluesy piano mentor with Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: BIG MO & Little Joe. Alterman covers all phases of […]

Blue Cranes My Only Secret Jealous Butcher/Beacon Sound Portland, OR has increasingly gained a strong reputation for roots music and though there are several prominent jazz musicians that hail from the area, the city’s jazz presence lies relatively under the radar by comparison. Enter the Blue Cranes, a quintet delivering their eighth recording, the pandemic, […]

Gregory Lewis Organ Monk Going Home Sunnyside Now we have a new twist on the classic organ trio with Hammond B-3 maestro Gregory Lewis (who we just heard recently as a sideman on Melvin Smith’s Perseverance) taking on the music of the iconic pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. We certainly hear Monk covered In many […]

Jonathan Suazo Ricano Ropeadope Getting directly to the point, although Ricano is the debut for the Puerto Rican saxophonist and composer Jonathan Suazo, it rivals last year’s Best Latin Jazz Grammy-nominated Música De Las Américas by fellow Puerto Rican Miguel Zenón. It’s that impressive.  Suazo has both Puerto Rican and Dominican roots and fuses these Afro forms […]