Articles by Jeff Winbush
Boney James: Detour
by Jeff Winbush
The thing about a new Boney James album is that it is the same old Boney James album. James has skillfully found his niche as a musician and doggone if he's going to stray far from it. Detour is the saxophonist's 18th album as a leader, but the formula (and the songs) remain the same. Start off with that buttery sweet tenor sax right upfront, add some keyboards, programmed drums, and quietly strummed guitars, throw in a vocal track or ...
Continue ReadingVicki Burns: Lotus Blossom Days
by Jeff Winbush
Whatever else can be said about jazz, there is little disagreement that it is best experienced in a live setting. Listening to Vicki Burns' Lotus Blossom Days is as close to a front-row seat in a New York nightclub as many of us are likely to get in these times of high fuel costs and crowded airports. Burns is not attempting to blow the roof off with vocal gyrations and tricks. She never oversings as she tries to ...
Continue ReadingChris Standring: Sunlight
by Jeff Winbush
When building a house, who's more important? The architect who designs it or the working stiff that puts hammer to nail? Trick question. They're both important and when it comes to playing that guitar thing, Chris Standring is a working stiff. The world needs working stiffs. The world can't run on dreamers alone. It needs doers too. It needs workhorses, not just show horses. Chris Standring is a workhorse. Sunlight is the 11th album by the ...
Continue ReadingHiromi: Hiromi & Edmar Castaneda Live In Montreal
by Jeff Winbush
Here's a good rule of thumb to consider when reviewing a jazz record and by that, I mean any jazz record. Jazz music is live music so if it sounds good in the studio will it sound even better on the stage? In other words, if you're willing to pay $50 for a ticket, you're probably not getting burned spending $15 for a record. Of course, if it's a live album and Hiromi & Edmar Castenda/Live in Montreal ...
Continue ReadingMike Stern: Trip
by Jeff Winbush
In the blink of an eye an accident can happen and when it does it can be a life-altering event. Think of a brain surgeon or a pro quarterback. Think of what it would mean it they suffered some sort of injury which made it impossible to grasp a scalpel or throw a football with the same accuracy as before. Then think of what it an accident like that means for Mike Stern. On July 3, 2016, the ...
Continue ReadingDavid Benoit and Marc Antoine: So Nice!
by Jeff Winbush
There's nothing particularly noteworthy in two established musicians collaborating. It's a tradition in jazz as old as the genre itself, so a pairing of pianist David Benoit and guitarist Marc Antoine is not a seismic event to knock the world off its axis. What we have here is a marvelous meeting of like-minded musicians who are clearing digging dueting with a drum-tight supporting band. Emphasis on the word “band" because bands are a rare beast in contemporary jazz. ...
Continue ReadingPieces of a Dream: Just Funkin' Around
by Jeff Winbush
It would be the easiest thing to say about the new Pieces of A Dream record, “If you already like Pieces of A Dream, you'll probably like this. If you don't, you won't." That would be real easy. It would also be real accurate. I road-tested Just Funkin' Around with a bunch of 20-somethings I was transporting from home back to college. I put it on and waited. Waited for them to say “Turn it up" or “turn ...
Continue ReadingJason Miles: Kind Of New 2: Blue Is Paris
by Jeff Winbush
You can't fault the motivation behind keyboardist Jason Miles' sequel to Kind of New (Whaling City Sound, 2015). Miles wanted to respond to the 2015 Paris terror attack and Kind of New 2: Blue Is Paris is the result, but though the motivation is solid, the execution doesn't match it. With Kind of New, Miles was joined by Ingrid Jensenon trumpet in his well-received tribute to Miles Davis and the seminal Kind of Blue. Here, Miles decided to ...
Continue ReadingEliane Elias: Dance of Time
by Jeff Winbush
Two years ago, Eliane Elias released Made In Brazil (Concord, 2015) and all it did was win the 2016 Grammy for Best Latin Album. It's a great album and with Dance of Time, Elias hasn't repeated a successful formula; she's perfected it. This is an opulent recording, rich in its authenticity and lavish in its glorious accomplishments. As Elias has transitioned from a pianist/vocalist to a vocalist/pianist (there is a difference), some fans and certainly some critics have ...
Continue ReadingRick Braun: Around The Horn
by Jeff Winbush
There's only so many ways you can go in jazz with the trumpet. Straight ahead and then a sharp left turn into more experimental improvisation paging (Miles Davis), a technically proficient if somewhat rigid traditionalist (Wynton Marsalis) or become a tasty, if unmemorable ingredient in the smooth jazz gumbo (Chuck Mangione). These are the career choices Rick Braun may have faced at one time. He chose to go the path of least resistance and play it safe and ...
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