January/February 2005 • By Harvey Siders

Louis Smith Quintet
Louisville
SteepleChase

Louis Smith's Louisville (Steeplechase) is a no-frills, straightahead exercise in postbop. Smith and altoist Jon Gordon provide an excellent front line, with tight playing on heads, backed effectively by pianist Michael Cochrane, bassist Calvin Hill and...

January/February 2005 • By Harvey Siders

Steve Lampert
Venus Perplexed
SteepleChase

Going back to Guido D'Arezzo (quite a stretch), ca. 950, a hexachord comprised six notes on the diatonic scale, such as C to A. Its modern equivalent can be half a 12-tone row. Having said that, let's focus on a perplexing release by trumpeter Steve Lampert...

July/August 2000 • By Patricia Myers

Barbara Adamson
Now Is the Time
Stet

The debut recording of San Francisco singer Barbara Adamson conveys the passionate intensity of long-experienced vocalists. Backed by pianist Marshall Otwell, bassist Stan Poplin and drummer Steve Robertson, plus guest horn players, she opens with brief...

July/August 2000 • By Miles Jordan

Dave Stryker
Blue to the Bone II
SteepleChase

Guitarist Stryker's vision of the blues encompasses the low-down, late-night blues typified here by "Sittin on Top of the World" and the jazzier sort that makes up much of the rest of this disc. Backed by some of the players who made 1996's Blue to the Bone...