Recorded live at the Old Town Ale House in Seattle, WA, Jeff Johnson and his cohorts have fashioned almost an hour's worth of artistic modern music expertly played by these Northwest jazz artists. The play list is well crafted and balanced with four originals by the trio and one each of a jazz and a classic standard. This CD is a set of six cerebral, intense performances that require a commitment on the part of the listener matching that of the... read more
4 1/2 - STARS One of the joys attached to reviewing music is the exposure to artists who otherwise might not show up on the radar. For every Pat Metheny there are a hundred highly-creative, lower-profile, hugely-talented guitarists plucking the strings; for every Brad Mehldau plying the trade ten dozen marvelous, relatively unknown pianists show up in the mailbox or the downloads. And for every Ralph Alessi out there blowing their horns,... read more
With the original line up coming together for the first time in 20 years, they play together like they haven't missed a step. With most of the tunes by the MIA sax man who originally left for health reasons, everyone is right back in step. With a Seattle take on a New York feel for modern sax jazz, it's that hypnotic kind of set that breathes well in the background or foreground, powered by pros that know how to... read more
Bobby Broom is a traditionally grounded guitarist in the vein of Wes Montgomery, early George Benson and Grant Green. Originally from New York, Broom has made his home in Chicago since the mid-80s and has developed a considerable following from live gigs with his trio, as well as the Deep Blue Organ Trio and many others. He has worked with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Kenny Burrell, Dave Grusin, Hugh Masakela, Tom Browne, Stanley Turrentine,... read more
This is the second release by educator and tenor and soprano sax player Carlos Vega. He has a smooth and limber style on the sax and in addition to being a music professor at Florida A&M, he performs with the Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble. He returned to the windy city to make this second disc with his Chicago connections: Victor Garcia (trumpet, flugelhorn); Stu Mindeman (piano, Rhodes); Josh Ramos (bass) and Xavier Breaker (drums). That... read more
Trumpeter Cuong Vu has established a sound quite unlike anyone else on the scene. With lighthouse moans soaring above a wash of dissonance and electronics, he?s created a post-bop ambient style of avant-garde. Or said differently, it?s the metaphorical equivalent of a straight-ahead jazz melody dropped onto a tiny desert island in a sea of chaotic noise. The end result is that it?s pretty damn hard to find a Cuong Vu album that isn?t compelling... read more
You need look no further if it's passion-filled guitar jazz your ears are thirsting for! Hugo and his pals (antonio Sanchez on drums, Antonio Miguel on acoustic bass and Ariel Bringuez on tenor & soprano sax) play with all the gusto you'd expect for their all-original release. Though this is my first listen (as well as yours, since it's a debut), tunes like the 8:24 "Reconciliation" blend the players' talents together for a spectacular & very... read more
This one, more than most sets that come this way, reveals itself in successive layers. Melody didn't initially assert itself to these ears. It was there, in dreamy post bop permutations, but it was the harmonies that grabbed me from the start. Drummer Steve Korn and company explore unusual and engaging harmonic frameworks, and I spent a couple of spins of the disc absorbing those and wishing for a deeper grounding in the technicalities of music,... read more
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Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Hanna Kay, Cult News (Paris)
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Budapest, Rudolf Radnai
Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project - Addis Ken
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Dawn Clement - Dear Ms. Dearie
by Editor, Bman's Blues Report
Jared Hall - Hometown
by Dee Dee McNeil, Making A Scene
Affinity Trio - New Outlook
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Michael Dease Big Band - Return Trajectory
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Brad Goode Quintet Feat. Ernie Watts - Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Maja Jaku - Blessed & Bewitched
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect