Jason Marsalis: Live (Basin Street)
With each passing year and album release, Jason Marsalis proves he’s entered the rare air of fellow drummer/percussionists like Willie Bobo and Alex Acuña, showing … Read More “Jason Marsalis: Live (Basin Street)”
Bill Meredith
Will Bernard: Freelance Subversives (Ropeadope)
The California-born, Brooklyn-based guitarist Will Bernard turned 60 last year, but you sure wouldn’t know it from looking at him, or listening to him. Indeed, … Read More “Will Bernard: Freelance Subversives (Ropeadope)”
Eldar Djangirov: Rhapsodize (Twelve Tone Resonance)
Pianist Eldar Djangirov was born in the Soviet Union in 1987; moved to the United States at 10; and recorded and released his 2001 independent … Read More “Eldar Djangirov: Rhapsodize (Twelve Tone Resonance)”
Pelle Berglund: Buddy Rich – One of a Kind: The Making of the World’s Greatest Drummer (Hudson Music)/ Buddy Rich: Just in Time: The Final Recording (Gearbox)
Few musicians in jazz history have been as revered—and reviled—as Buddy Rich (1917-1987). Two recent remembrances chronicle those extremes. Pelle Berglund’s biography, One of a … Read More “Pelle Berglund: Buddy Rich – One of a Kind: The Making of the World’s Greatest Drummer (Hudson Music)/ Buddy Rich: Just in Time: The Final Recording (Gearbox)”
Scott Kinsey: We Speak Luniwaz: The Music of Joe Zawinul (Whirlwind)
Keyboardist Scott Kinsey’s fascination with Joe Zawinul (1932-2007) increased after he joined guitarist Scott Henderson’s band Tribal Tech upon graduating from Berklee in 1991. It … Read More “Scott Kinsey: We Speak Luniwaz: The Music of Joe Zawinul (Whirlwind)”
Jon Batiste: Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard (Verve)
Thirty-three-year-old keyboardist and Louisiana native Jon Batiste has rocketed into public consciousness over the past decade. With a musical education fueled by New Orleans and … Read More “Jon Batiste: Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard (Verve)”
Nguyen Le: Overseas (ACT)
A reticent guitar hero born in Paris to Vietnamese parents, Nguyen Le has cast a wide stylistic net over his 30-year recording career, fusing jazz, … Read More “Nguyen Le: Overseas (ACT)”
Scott Henderson: People Mover (Scott Henderson)
Guitarist Scott Henderson’s innate talents overwhelmed both the music scene and music schools of his native South Florida before he moved to Los Angeles 40 … Read More “Scott Henderson: People Mover (Scott Henderson)”
Mark Wingfield & Gary Husband: Tor & Vale (MoonJune)
Conversational and improvisational, Tor & Vale is a first-ever series of dialogues between guitarist Mark Wingfield and pianist Gary Husband that’s suitably named for the … Read More “Mark Wingfield & Gary Husband: Tor & Vale (MoonJune)”
Mike Clark: Indigo Blue Live at the Iridium (Ropeadope)
Drummer Mike Clark first gained acclaim in the 1970s, with a chameleonic playing style that ranged from funk with keyboardist Herbie Hancock to propulsive fusion … Read More “Mike Clark: Indigo Blue Live at the Iridium (Ropeadope)”
Charnett Moffett: Bright New Day (Motéma)
Bassist Charnett Moffett has a catalog of solo recordings dating back 32 years, yet he may be best known for his touring and recording with … Read More “Charnett Moffett: Bright New Day (Motéma)”
Fred Hersch & WDR Big Band: Begin Again (Palmetto)
It’s tempting to assume that the subtlety and nuance of pianist Fred Hersch’s Begin Again stem from the arrangements by Vince Mendoza and performances by … Read More “Fred Hersch & WDR Big Band: Begin Again (Palmetto)”
Oz Noy: Booga Looga Loo (Abstract Logix)
Israel-born, New York City-based guitarist Oz Noy’s motto—“It’s jazz, it just doesn’t sound like it”—echoes across his groove-oriented 15-year recording career as a leader, highlighted … Read More “Oz Noy: Booga Looga Loo (Abstract Logix)”
Frost Concert Jazz Band/Daversa: Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Orchestra (ArtistShare)
Guitarist/composer Justin Morell is known for taking high-degree-of-difficulty challenges, including mixing the jazz and classical genres. For his Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Orchestra, Morell … Read More “Frost Concert Jazz Band/Daversa: Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Orchestra (ArtistShare)”
Chicago Soul Jazz Collective: Soulophone (Self-released)
A common misnomer is that music with horns is jazz. Add horns to R&B rhythms, or to blues progressions, and it’s practically an automatic perception. … Read More “Chicago Soul Jazz Collective: Soulophone (Self-released)”
Alan Pasqua: Soliloquy (Mouthpiece Music)
Keyboardist Alan Pasqua, 66, rose to prominence in the mid-1970s as part of drummer Tony Williams’ Lifetime, one of several visionary ensembles led by alumni … Read More “Alan Pasqua: Soliloquy (Mouthpiece Music)”
Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra: Fandango at the Wall (Resilience Music Alliance)
Even by the standards set by pianist, composer, bandleader, and social activist Arturo O’Farrill, Fandango at the Wall, a double-CD with the 18-piece Afro Latin … Read More “Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra: Fandango at the Wall (Resilience Music Alliance)”
John Scofield: Combo 66 (Verve)
At age 66, guitarist John Scofield has earned heroic jazz/fusion status for his understated style, open mind, and tributaries that include releases with jam-band festival … Read More “John Scofield: Combo 66 (Verve)”
Brian Bromberg: Thicker Than Water (Artistry)
Bassist Brian Bromberg’s 30-plus-year solo career crested with a 2002 release, Jaco, on which he deftly paid tribute to bass great Jaco Pastorius’ otherworldly combination … Read More “Brian Bromberg: Thicker Than Water (Artistry)”
Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band: West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads)
Drummer Bobby Sanabria was born in the South Bronx in 1957, the same year West Side Story opened on Broadway. As a native New Yorker … Read More “Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band: West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads)”
McClenty Hunter Jr.: The Groove Hunter (Strikezone)
Gospel roots infuse modern jazz as often as the more celebrated route of classical training, and drummer McClenty Hunter Jr. displays a sacred understatement on … Read More “McClenty Hunter Jr.: The Groove Hunter (Strikezone)”
Lonnie McFadden: Live at Green Lady Lounge (Jazz Daddy)
“This whole night is my whole career,” says Kansas City-based vocalist and trumpeter Lonnie McFadden as an introduction to his Live at Green Lady Lounge. … Read More “Lonnie McFadden: Live at Green Lady Lounge (Jazz Daddy)”
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress: Spacesuit (Royal Potato Family)
Keyboardist Robert Walter is like the ultimate sixth man in basketball—a super-skilled player who comes off the bench to provide support and symmetry to a … Read More “Robert Walter’s 20th Congress: Spacesuit (Royal Potato Family)”
Arturo O’Farrill & Chucho Valdés: For Love of Family
Practically speaking, Familia: Tribute to Bebo & Chico (Motéma), the new double album by the renowned pianists, composers and bandleaders Arturo O’Farrill and Chucho Valdés, … Read More “Arturo O’Farrill & Chucho Valdés: For Love of Family”
Mostly Other People Do the Killing: Mauch Chunk
With traditional acoustic jazz instrumentation but a punk-ish name and attitude, New York City quartet Mostly Other People Do the Killing practically demands listeners expect … Read More “Mostly Other People Do the Killing: Mauch Chunk”
Steve Gadd Band: 70 Strong
Nearly every listening experience involves expectations based on scenario, instrumentation and personnel. When the occasion is supreme studio drummer Steve Gadd’s 70th birthday recording-with trumpeter … Read More “Steve Gadd Band: 70 Strong”
The Stanley Clarke Band: Up
On UP, bassist Stanley Clarke recruits collaborators from his recent past (and some not so recent) and plays both acoustic upright-his forte during the second … Read More “The Stanley Clarke Band: Up”
Simon Phillips: Protocol II
British drummer Simon Phillips is on a recent roll, no pun intended. His work on Japanese keyboardist Hiromi’s 2014 release, Alive, helped make it the … Read More “Simon Phillips: Protocol II”
Chick Corea Trio: Trilogy
After half a century as a preeminent jazz composer and musician, 73-year-old keyboardist Chick Corea is in a rare place as an artist who can … Read More “Chick Corea Trio: Trilogy”
Hiromi: Alive
If there’s a drawback to all-star groups, it’s that they have little to prove. Which may explain why it took a few years for Japanese … Read More “Hiromi: Alive”