Releasing three singles over three seasons, leader Mateusz Chorazewicz’s group Hippocampus Ex is starting with the first track, “Sunrise.” Solid beats and low, easy harmonies (there is something stately about this song) lay the floor for the poetry of C. K. Norwid artfully expressed by vocal artist Nick Sinckler. It’s a thought piece, an experiential... Continue Reading →
Inspired by the songs of the great Chet Baker, Oklahoma-based trumpet player and vocalist Jimmy Leach has reimagined some classic tunes (Jimmy Burke’s “It’s Always You” or “The Thrill is Gone” by Lew Brown) and added his own flair. Leach, who has played the Star-Spangled Banner at two Red Sox games in Fenway Park, performed... Continue Reading →
If you love big band and want to keep that amazing, engaging and evocative classic feeling but you’re writing brand new music, how do you infuse extra flavor and dimension? Ask Steve Fidyk. His upcoming CD, Red Beats, features nine newborn songs that he turned over to some of the most exciting dyed-in-the-wool big band... Continue Reading →
What does jazz’s Old Guard think of the music industry today and what was it like to come up into it? Filmmaker/producer, drummer and jazz lover Ben Makinen has just released a documentary called JazzTown that examines the changes in the music biz and the performing life. With a loving eye to the greats who... Continue Reading →
He is a jazz guitarist, composer and arranger based in Hungary who started his musical life on violin. Five lush, involving, intricate yet astoundingly listenable tracks make up Szabolcs Oláh’s new CD, “The Silent Call.” Some of the most beautiful new music this reviewer has ever heard. Oláh’s classical roots show through in music that... Continue Reading →
When a jazz icon has a handful of words to say about a storied and stellar career, you listen. Especially if it’s the inimitable Sonny Rollins. I first heard him on 1978’s “Don’t Stop the Carnival” and was nothing short of stunned. Recorded live at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall, it was the first... Continue Reading →
There’s a special vibe that comes from a pianist who travels the keyboard like an old soul with a refreshing approach. Mary Louise Knutson is at one with the piano and evokes humanity-affirming moods and atmospheres. You may know “Bluesette” as a jaunty and dense romp, but it’s thoughtful and sweet in Knutson’s hands, adding... Continue Reading →
What are the ingredients to an instant classic, especially in a subgenre with so much existing material like Christmas jazz? A sultry pace, heavy on the brushes, lyrics that make it seem like the song was written only for the listener, and vocals that are comfortable, warm and evoke time together by the fireplace. Who... Continue Reading →
When all the components are just right, the “music in the air” is a delightful and immersive breeze. Mark Christian Miller shows skills in pacing, punctuation, scat and melody. It’s all there in his new album, where he and the band swing like a gate in a hurricane. A thoughtful and multi-colored tonal experience in... Continue Reading →
Debbie Burke - jazz author 
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