Articles by Matthew S. Robinson
Toni Ballard @ Ryles
by Matthew S. Robinson
Backed by the sizzle of Bob Kaufman's drums and John Arcaro's springy keys, Toni Ballard started her pre-birthday set with a gently swinging “You Make Me Feel So Young." Inviting recent Berklee graduate Christine Fawson to side her on trumpet, Ballard slipped into the Mercer/Arlen chestnut “Come Rain or Come Shine." Though some of Ballard's vocal nuance was lost in the mics, the groove was there. Ballard's effort to personalize the phrasing of an up-tempo “I Remember You" took it ...
Continue ReadingRemy Shand @ Quebec Summer Fest
by Matthew S. Robinson
As hundreds of blinking red diodes from Quebec Summer Fest access buttons lit up the field, Manitoba’s favorite soul man (soul boy?) ambled on stage and took his place behind his double racks of various keyboards and synths for an evening of youthful energy and experienced musical wisdom. From the repetitive warm-up groove of “Me and You" (a new turn reminiscent of Isaac Hayes and Teddy Pendergrass) to the album-launching single “The Way I Feel" (complete with a peppy Rhumba ...
Continue ReadingClassic Queen
by Matthew S. Robinson
Introducing each selection as if it were part of a true classical programme, former Jethro Tull key man David Palmer flayed and flitted around the conductor’s stand as members of the orchestra, chorus and singers like Natalie Choquette, Marie-Denise Pelletier and Luck Mervil laboured through a worthy concept run amok. Singing well-known songs as if reading them off of transliterated cue cards, the trio of soloists lost many lyrics in hyper-Mercury-al falsettos which tried to outdo a voice that few ...
Continue ReadingChick Corea @ Montreal Jazz Festival
by Matthew S. Robinson
Armed with a piano and percussion set, the 2002 Miles Davis Award winner opened with a song for his father and then took the packed hall on a tribute trip through much of the rest of storied musical family. “Armando's Rhumba" began with tribal thunder on the toms, but quickly switched to a playfully vibe-y piano, eventually settling into a dual-mooded conversation between the black and white keys. Turning from the personal to the universal, Corea offered the syncopated cascades ...
Continue ReadingHighlights from the 2002 JVC Newport Jazz Festival
by Matthew S. Robinson
Tony Bennett The International Tennis Hall of Fame August 9, 2002It was a perfect night in the land of perfect people. And right out of the overture-less gates, Tony Bennet swung for the far fences of Newport’s famed grass courts with a spare and open “WatchWhat Happens." Though the mix was a bit dampened on the sides, a scatty “The Best is Yet to Come" was as prescient as ever (especially as Tony had an entire second set scheduled ...
Continue ReadingVinnie Cutro & New York City Soundscape (with Mike Stern): Aberration
by Matthew S. Robinson
This album by Vinnie Cutro presents an interesting combination of featured guest artist and title. For the most part, it is Mike Stern’s washy technical noodling that makes for the aberrations on this otherwise authentic jazz exploration. With tracks by Woody Shaw ("Beyond All Limits"), Duke Ellington ("Sentimental Mood") and James Moody ("Moody’s Mood"), this album opens, closes and is greatly composed of rhythmic compositions colored by Cutro and Jones’ frilly and fiery brass. When Stern comes to play on ...
Continue ReadingV/A: Sketches of James
by Matthew S. Robinson
Fitting somewhere between the classical tributes to prog-rock, the Us3/Guru’s Jazzmatazz borrowings and Producer Tim Weston’s previous tribute to Brian Wilson, this collection of ten interpretations of one of the most beloved songwriters of our time flies all over the greater jazz spectrum while keeping its Taylored center. Kickin’ it open is Tower of Power, whose “Steamroller" is a hot and smooth crusher indeed. Les McCann’s “Nobody But You" and Robben Ford’s “You Make It Easy" swim more on the ...
Continue ReadingThe Stan Getz Quartet With Chet Baker: Quintessence, Volume 1
by Matthew S. Robinson
Chronicling the first half of the last reunion of two “bad boys" of Jazz, this album demonstrates how, even in the autumns of their lives, Chet and Stan could still play on their feet and swing with the big boys. Like an old, weather-worn door, Baker creaks a bit, but always comes swinging back. From his valiant scat in “Just Friends" and a cooking “But Not For Me" to his flaring Gillespie-esque trumpet licks in “Dizzy Atmosphere," Chet keeps the ...
Continue ReadingStan Getz: My Foolish Heart "Live" at the Left Bank
by Matthew S. Robinson
Opening with a snappy “Invitation," this newly-found home recording shows off what producer Joel Dorn calls “prime Getz." Rodgers and Hart’s “Spring is Here" wafts and splashes through a fragrant rain chilled by Jack DeJohnette’s shivery brush work, but Jack sharpens the tempo for Chick Corea’s “Litha," sparking Stan and Richie Beirach to burning life. This is not another “Desafinado" compilation. This is Getz cookin’ it up with a team of name’ players. Dave Holland’s bouncy upright runs are electric ...
Continue ReadingMichael Feinstein: Michael and George
by Matthew S. Robinson
Predominately composed with the warm and familiar intimacy of his famed cabaret sets, Michael Feinstein’s latest release panders a bit to the popular and loses some credibility in the process. A noted expert on the life, times and music of Mr. Gershwin who has performed this material many times before, Feinstein fittingly joins the throngs paying tribute to the centenarian songwriter with this set of fifteen selections, including one on which George himself provides the instrumentation (by way of one ...
Continue Reading
