04/29/13 By Michael J. West

Kevin Harris Project
Museum Vol. 1
Kevin Harris

There’s no suggestion in pianist Kevin Harris’ liners that Museum Vol. 1 is in any way an exercise in minimalism. The soulful postbop record is crowded with repetition, however, certainly in Harris’ otherwise-admirable originals. Vamps, riffs, phrases and...

Nilson Matta's Black Orpheus Nilson Matta

04/28/13 By Steve Greenlee

Nilson Matta
Nilson Matta's Black Orpheus
Motema

Growing up in Brazil, bassist Nilson Matta was obsessed with the music from the 1956 play Orfeu da Conceição and, later, from the film based on it, 1959’s Black Orpheus . Both featured songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá, and that music would be...

04/28/13 By Christopher Loudon

Izzy Chait
Straight From the Heart
Winds of Change
Hitchcock Media Records

If you want to disprove F. Scott Fitzgerald’s adage that there are no second acts in American lives, look no further than Izzy Chait. Though his love for music dates to his youth and he sang with the Marine Corps while stationed in Vietnam in the mid-’60s...

04/27/13 By Mike Joyce

Robben Ford
Bringing It Back Home
Mascot

There’s a lot to like about this rootsy excursion. First off, the lineup assembled by Robben Ford, the veteran, Grammy-winning guitarist, is top drawer, with trombonist Stephen Baxter, organist Larry Goldings, bassist David Piltch and drummer Harvey Mason...

Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom No Morphine, No Lilies

04/26/13 By Lloyd Sachs

No Morphine, No Lilies
Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom
The Royal Potato Family

True to its name, Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom wastes no time revealing its fondness for shaking, rattling and rolling. On the opener, “Pork Belly,” we’re greeted by Todd Sickafoose’s huge, bottom-heavy bass tones and the leader’s deep, voluptuous groove...

04/25/13 By Thomas Conrad

Yelena Eckemoff
Glass Song
L&H

Yelena Eckemoff was born in Moscow and studied at the prestigious Gnessin Academy and the Moscow State Conservatory. She has lived in the United States since 1991, and was a classical pianist until about 2009, when she reinvented herself as a jazz musician...

04/25/13 By Christopher Loudon

Tania Maria
Canto
Naive

Though Canto is being promoted as Brazilian pianist and vocalist Tania Maria’s 25th release, its 10 tracks, culled from 2005 and 2008 studio sessions in Paris and São Paulo, actually pre-date 2011’s Tempo , her cozy pairing with bassist Eddie Gomez. In addition...

Deep in the Shed: A Blues Suite Marcus Roberts Nonet

04/24/13 By Michael J. West

Marcus Roberts Nonet
Deep in the Shed: A Blues Suite
J-Master/Tunecore

Reinterpreting one’s own album isn’t as odd as it seems; after all, it happens with songs all the time. What is remarkable, however, is listening back to Roberts’ original Deep in the Shed from 1990 and realizing how beholden it is to Ellington. The 2013...

04/23/13 By Lloyd Sachs

Aaron Diehl
The Bespoke Man's Narrative
Mack Avenue Records

Aaron Diehl’s eagerly awaited studio debut—the Wynton Marsalis protégé’s first album for a prominent label following two self-released live efforts—takes its title from the fashion-world term for a custom tailor. That’s the role the 26-year-old pianist sees...

04/22/13 By Christopher Loudon

Amanda Brecker
Blossom
Decca Records

Over a decade ago, Brit boy wonder Jamie Cullum chose to call his breakthrough album Pointless Nostalgic , a title that would be ideal for this sincere but rather senseless exercise in backward glancing from Amanda Brecker. A 27-year-old vocalist of impressive...