Scott Albin
Scott’s Contributions
05/20/12 Albums
Acoustic-- Spero
Spero is Greg Spero, the versatile Chicago-based pianist who has played with Cory Wilkes, Maurice Brown, Robert Irving III, and Marlene Rosenberg. He has been a member of GMG, a group described as mixing "experimental jazz" with "funk-rock." In addition...
05/13/12 Albums
Celebration-- Tony Monaco
After touring (and recording) with Pat Martino for two years, organist Tony Monaco has released his first studio CD since East to West in 2006. Celebration includes a second bonus disc comprised of selections from Monaco's previous CDs for Summit Records...
05/06/12 Albums
Down Here Below-- Ran Blake & Christine Correa
This CD represents volume one in a tribute to Abbey Lincoln by pianist Ran Blake and singer Christine Correa, done as a series of duets or solos. Blake first heard Lincoln's music while a student at Bard College, but was later exposed to Lincoln's vocal...
04/29/12 Albums
Dirigo Rataplan-- Devin Gray Quartet
Credit must go to the Baltimore connection for the tight cohesiveness displayed by drummer Devin Gray's quartet on his debut release as a leader. Gray met bassist Michael Formanek while studying at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, where Formanek teaches...
04/22/12 Albums
Boy's Night Out
The Michael Treni Big Band
Michael Treni was a promising young trombonist in New York when in 1978 he lost out at the last minute to Curtis Fuller for a chance to tour Europe with Art Blakey. He decided at that point to focus on writing and arranging, and in 1985 started his own successful...
04/15/12 Albums
Celebrando-- Hendrik Meurkens & Gabriel Espinosa
For Zoho Music's 100th recording, the world music label brought together two of its artists for a celebration of Brazilian jazz. Joining Meurkens on harmonica and Espinosa on bass and vocals are Anat Cohen on clarinet and tenor (four tracks), Jim Seeley...
03/25/12 Albums
The Lost Sessions 1974-- Peter Appleyard and the Jazz Giants
The phrase "better late than never" certainly applies to the wonderful music on this CD, recorded in 1974 but only just now released in 2012. All but one of the musicians heard here--Peter Appleyard, Zoot Sims, Bobby Hackett, Urbie Green, Hank Jones, Slam...
03/11/12 Albums
After Carnival-- New World Beat
Leader Richard Sprince describes this CD by his Miami-based group New World Beat as follows: "I like to imagine the project as the adoptive love child of Pat [Metheny], Milton [Nascimento], and Airto [Moreira], maybe getting a little love from Return to...
03/04/12 Albums
Into the Open-- Sarah Elgeti Quintet
The year is still young, but Sarah Elgeti's Into the Open CD will likely be considered one of the best debut jazz releases of 2012 by those who hear it. Elgeti has a commanding presence, and an individual conception and sound on saxophones and flute, not...
02/26/12 Albums
Sound Stories-- Marshall Gilkes
Marshall Gilkes continues to impress on this, his third CD, with both his fluidity as a trombonist and his fresh approach as a composer. Gilkes lives in Cologne, Germany, where he's a member of the acclaimed WDR Big Band. Previously he resided in New York...
02/12/12 Albums
"4"-- The Zeke Martin Project
Stu Martin was a versatile drummer who performed with many top jazz artists before his untimely death in 1980 at the age of 42. His son Zeke is a similarly adaptable drummer who leads Boston-based The Zeke Martin Project (ZMP), which prefers not to confine...
02/05/12 Albums
Heartmony-- Hristo Vitchev & Weber Iago
Pianist Weber Iago has appeared on all four of guitarist Hristo Vitchev's CDs to date, with the new Heartmony being the second duo recording. Like last year's notable quintet release, The Perperikon Suite, Heartmony contains Vitchev compositions that have...
01/29/12 Albums
Bossa of Possibility-- Jon Gold
Pianist Jon Gold was already playing Brazilian and Latin jazz on the West Coast, but it was when he moved to Brazil in 1990 that his love of Brazilian music really intensified. While teaching at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (he has a Ph.D. in...
01/22/12 Albums
Smul's Paradise-- Gary Smulyan
Gary Smulyan is perhaps best known for his associations over the years with both big bands and large ensembles, such as Woody Herman, the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, Joe Lovano's Nonet, and Dave Holland's Octet and Big Band. Yet one of...
01/15/12 Albums
A Sea of Voices-- Jamie Ousley
Jamie Ousley is one of the most talented, versatile, and well-respected South Florida-based jazz artists. He is a powerful and eloquent bassist and a polished composer of invariably distinctive tunes. A local print periodical named him "Best South Florida...
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ReportAbout Scott Albin
Scott Albin has been a contributing writer to Jazz Times and jazz.com, and has also written for Down Beat as well as such long-forgotten publications as Changes, Zygote, and The Herald. He was an active member of the old New York City promotional organization Jazz Interactions, and worked for many years in publishing in New York, where he haunted the many jazz clubs and lofts. Now he resides in South Florida, where opportunities to hear live jazz are to be cherished, not yawned at.