Britt Robson
Britt Robson’s Contributions
01/24/13 Albums
Mr. Lucky: A Tribute to Sammy Davis Jr.
Harold Mabern
Brisk, buoyant and gimmick-free, this straightahead quartet date is as unpretentiously satisfying as that first swig of cold beer after a hard day’s work. In the liner notes to Mr. Lucky , pianist Harold Mabern proclaims Sammy Davis Jr. to be “the greatest...
01/12/13 Albums
William Parker Orchestra
Essence of Ellington: Live
You know that an orchestra organized by William Parker to pay tribute to Duke Ellington is going to result in something sprawling and stupendous, and Essence of Ellington doesn’t disappoint. At 60, Parker is taking evident satisfaction in being a free-jazz...
01/06/13 Albums
Live in Hollywood
Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Band
The Latin jazz of Poncho Sanchez rolls on like a well-oiled machine, showcasing the verities that have made him North America’s (if not the world’s) most popular conguero-bandleader. Unlike last year’s Chano y Dizzy! with trumpeter Terence Blanchard, Live...
01/04/13 Albums
Listen Both Ways
George Schuller's Circle Wide
Drummer-composer George Schuller makes no secret of his preference for thorough circumspection. He named this quintet Circle Wide, entitled this record Listen Both Ways , and has the first, longest and probably best song on it pose the question “Could This...
01/02/13 Albums
Sky Road Songs
Elliott Sharp's Terraplane
Terraplane is the vehicle by which Downtown NYC guitarist-composer Elliott Sharp plumbs the blues. It’s not a casual flirtation: From the first Terraplane disc in 1994 up through this sixth recording, Sharp has demonstrated an authentic affinity for the...
12/20/12 Albums
And So We Carry On
Clifton Anderson
For approximately half his life and the lion’s share of his career, 55-year-old trombonist Clifton Anderson has suffered by comparison as the only other horn player onstage in a band with his uncle, the incomparable improviser Sonny Rollins. But Anderson’s...
12/19/12 Undertones
Anvil of the Lord
Ben Holmes Quartet
Ben Holmes is a trumpeter-composer who blends his investigations of Eastern European music with a patient, open-ended swirl of Euro-classical composition and jazz improvisation. This follow-up to his critically praised trio debut adds trombonist Curtis Hasselbring...
12/14/12 Undertones
Brooklyn Lines...Chicago Spaces
Klang
This fourth recording from the stable quartet assembled and led by Windy City clarinetist James Falzone is a charming yet still cerebral collection. Falzone keeps it simple, focused and lighthearted, composing every tune save for two spacious AACM-oriented...
12/08/12 Undertones
A Gambler's Hand
Sean Noonan
Sean Noonan is never boring. His last few records can accurately be described as Afro-Celtic punk-jazz with a fixation on boxing. A Gambler’s Hand is a concept album about an Irish gambler entombed behind a wall, and it features a string quartet and Noonan’s...
12/04/12 Undertones
Gratitude
Brandi Disterheft
Bassist Brandi Disterheft’s third record presents her first star-studded ensemble, with trumpeter Sean Jones and alto saxophonist Vincent Herring as lead horns (Anne Drummond is the flutist) and a rhythm section of drummer Gregory Hutchinson and pianist...
11/30/12 Undertones
Leaf House
Jeff Davis
Drummer Jeff Davis is among the brigade of broadminded jazz composer-improvisers teeming out of Brooklyn. On his second outing as a leader, he cuts his ensemble down from six musicians to three and replaces his wife, Kris Davis, with Russ Lossing on piano...
11/24/12 Undertones
Click Track Jazz: Slave to the Machine
Sean Wayland
Long established on the Sydney, Australia, jazz scene, keyboardist Sean Wayland, who has lived in New York since 2005, makes his biggest play for a heightened Stateside profile with this two-disc, 27-song collection. It’s instructive to know that he’s conservatory...
11/21/12 Albums
Songs of Earth
Jessica Williams
If there were a lifetime achievement award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition, this veteran West Coast pianist would have it in her criminally modest trophy case. Her sixth disc for the Origin label supposedly differs from the others for its heavy...
10/29/12 Albums
The Noguchi Sessions
Arturo O'Farrill
Give Arturo O’Farrill credit for guts. The 50-something leader-composer of splendid big bands and small ensembles chose to record the first solo piano record of his career in a single sitting. What’s more, he chose to record it inside a museum built by and...
March 2011 Albums
The Far Side
Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory
A live recording from Germany’s Burghausen Festival in 2007, Far Side furthers Roscoe Mitchell’s distinctive mesh of brusque jazz and alert chamber music, spun by the double quartet of his Note Factory into a webbing of tensile strength and innovative textures...
November 2009 Albums
Swinging, Singing, Playing
Count Basie Orchestra
This latest chapter in the Basie band legacy leads with a scintillating rendition of “Too Close for Comfort.” On that track, guest vocalist Nnenna Freelon swivels the singsong verses five different ways while the orchestra hews to its swinging template...
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