The Roger Barbour Quartet swings as cool as ice on “Misty” in an outdoor concert in Pittsburgh, PA. And in quintet formation, he uses delicacy and sweet tones to launch into Turrentine’s “Sugar.” Though Barbour, a trumpet and flugelhorn player,... Continue Reading →
A one-man recording has to be darn near excellent to stand on its own, particularly when it comes to jazz piano. Stefano Travaglini absolutely delivers with his new CD “Ellipse.” The track “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise” takes wide... Continue Reading →
Enhanced by a velvety minor key, “Winter Moon” has an airy coolness that singer Rebecca Angel serves up on a silver platter. She’s accompanied by a subtly funky organ and backed with a moody, moving percussion. The track appears on... Continue Reading →
A snazzy and passionate flute player who performs in the Westfield, NJ Sweet Sounds Downtown event, Ali Ryerson is an author (Jazz Flute Practice Method Book), contributing writer (Flute Talk and DownBeat), educator (an annual, week-long master class at Hidden... Continue Reading →
There’s a lot happening in “Dream Visitor,” a song from the upcoming CD called “Lifelike” by Jeff Williams. Assertive statements from trumpet, then sax, play over complex multi-rhythms from Williams on drums. Though not melodically prominent, there’s a theme that’s... Continue Reading →
A sax man with a mission is the subject under scrutiny in Joy Ellis’s “The Jazzman” from her CD “Life on Land.” Ellis attacks the song with intensity and authenticity. It is a contemporary tale of the struggles of making... Continue Reading →
The jazz festival in and around Warwick, in upstate New York, is once again picking up steam. Entering its ninth year, the event was founded by Steve Rubin (who’s also a drummer) as a community labor of love. The jazz... Continue Reading →
In his new CD “Point of the Story,” Kansas City guitarist Jeff Shirley says that storyline is up for interpretation. But he helps the listener get there with a mellow groove, tunes that reach the back of your brain and... Continue Reading →
Something familiar yet from a different musical perspective, guitarist/vocalist Mark Murphy’s dreamy “Lay Lady Lay” (from the new CD “Pocketful of Rainbows”) is like a room filled with flowers; an enticing love song enhanced by a freshly punctuated beat. As... Continue Reading →
