Undertones
02/19/12 By Bill Milkowski
In Concert
terrysilverlight.com
Drummer Terry Silverlight was a 14-year-old wunderkind when he appeared on his brother Barry Miles’ 1971 fusion landmark, White Heat . Forty years later, he still has that fire in his playing, as evidenced by this exhilarating live outing recorded at the...
02/17/12 By Bill Milkowski
Re: Person I Knew: A Tribute To Scott LaFaro
Le Goat
Commemorating 50 years since the legendary bassist’s untimely passing, Phil Palombi plays the restored 1825 Prescott upright that once belonged to Scott LaFaro. Joined by one-time Bill Evans drummer Eliot Zigmund and veteran pianist Don Friedman, he performs...
02/15/12 By Bill Milkowski
Sweet Tooth
Gut String
Bassist-composer Neal Miner provides rock-solid grooves and confident, melodic soloing throughout this set of straightahead originals. Featuring saxophonist Chris Byars, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Joe Strasser, Miner’s group strikes a swinging...
02/13/12 By Bill Milkowski
In Praise of Shadows
19/8
Twin brothers Remy and Pascal Le Boeuf deftly blend elements of electronica with touches of indie rock and sophisticated jazz writing on this genre-defying project. Joined by a young crew of likeminded musicians in guitarist Nir Felder, bassist Linda Oh...
02/11/12 By Bill Milkowski
The Drop and the Ocean
BJU
Emerging drummer-composer-bandleader Rob Garcia takes another step toward the deeper end of the pool on this compelling collection. Titled after a Sufi concept of the individual and the path to surrendering to something bigger, it contains powerful musical...
02/09/12 By Bill Milkowski
Homebrew
soulcyclemusic.com
Brooklyn-based electric pianist Jesse Fischer is the ringleader of a rotating cast of jammers dedicated to party-time grooves and retro jazz-funk-fusion. “Basement Jam” opens with a rocking, handclapping boogaloo riff before morphing into some slam-funk...
02/07/12 By Bill Milkowski
Changing Seasons
Alma Records
This 17-piece Canadian big band led by saxophonist-composer Phil Dwyer is augmented by a full complement of 21 strings on this rich collaboration inspired jointly by John Coltrane and Vivaldi. The program is a four-movement suite (“Spring,” “Summer,” “Autumn...
02/05/12 By Bill Milkowski
Completion of Proof
Truth Revolution
The gifted Curtis Brothers, Zaccai (piano) and Luques (bass), were hailed as a team of rising stars within the Hartford, Conn., scene long before they began making their respective marks in New York. Products of Jackie McLean’s Artists Collective who were...
02/03/12 By Bill Milkowski
Radio Silence
Following the lead of the Bad Plus, British pianist Neil Cowley likes it loud, loud, loud . His trio, with bassist Richard Sadler and drummer Evan Jenkins, goes for the grandiose on such catchy, rock-fueled instrumental offerings as “Monoface” (which borrows...
02/01/12 By Bill Milkowski
In the Element
BadaBeep
A finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk Piano Competition, 21-year-old Emmet Cohen delivers with rare elegance and maturity on his auspicious debut. Accompanied by the sensitive, swinging and conversational rhythm tandem of bassist Joe Sanders and drummer...
