Encouragement, love and a good marketing strategy only go so far when a community is in crisis. In the jazz world (as for all creatives), we are seeing the results of numerous ripple effects of COVID-19 whose nasty twists and turns have come to impact society in unforeseen ways. The pain felt by artists who... Continue Reading →
A deftly layered and tactile experience, the new CD by guitarist Ray Sandoval called “What is Now” embeds poetry and dreams into the listener. The track “Migration Suite” plays with the sounds of the ocean and animal utterances (but very skillfully and attractively), offering sounds both natural and unnatural à la bass clarinet which affixes... Continue Reading →
As a package deal, a book and a jazz CD is an unusual combo and Chip Shelton takes it next-level. The orthodontist-by-day and all-around musician/composer has found the path to fulfilling not one but two dreams. His journey and the steps that got him there are the material that has become the book “Excel in... Continue Reading →
A blockbuster tune that’s resonated with generations of soul and R&B fans has a new life with its original creator, vocalist and composer Clifton Davis. “Never Can Say Goodbye” is Davis’ jazz debut in a sizzling new collab with pianist Beegie Adair backed up by vocal group Take 6 and singer Monica Ramey. Singing the... Continue Reading →
Drummer Aldo Bagnoni addresses the isolation of social distancing with a beautiful answer: human connection, which, musically, translates easily with his new album, “The Connection.” Smooth and gradual like a pinkening sunrise, “Glide” has the subtlety of breathing life in; becoming the strength of a positive affirmation. In “Lipompo’s Just Arrived,” short bursts and harmonies... Continue Reading →
Honoring Django’s spirit of unbridled joy that bubbles with optimism, the new CD “Café Dynamite” from Filippo Dall’Asta and Giulio Romano Malaisi [of the band Gypsy Dynamite, which has several iterations: duo, trio, quartet and quintet] is a worthy addition to the genre. While “Parisian Avenue” is smartly infused with shades of mystery in its... Continue Reading →
Ethereal and abstract, the improv tone poems contained in the eponymous new album by NO BASE TRIO are mood-inducing, thought-provoking and uncontainable. Tracks are differentiated by number; their description and nomenclature are up to the listener. The music explores all corners, offering, for example, electronica that might feel like next-next gen Emerson Lake & Palmer;... Continue Reading →
The newest EP to come from flutist Hiro Honshuku has him paired with flutist Yuka Kido where they've created righteous bop inspired by a Latin vibe. Just out this past July, the six tracks on "Love to Brasil Project" traverse the emotions from pensive to whirlwind to hip and hearty. Always remaining melodic and in... Continue Reading →
Guitarist, composer and leader Homero Alvarez calls his ensemble “some of the best musicians in Stockholm playing new Latin jazz.” This is no lie. His combo has just released its self-named EP where the musical intelligence is strong, the sound is imaginative and the vibe is spirited. There are only three songs but they pack... Continue Reading →
