Articles by Mike Oppenheim
The Chuck Anderson Trio at St. George's
by Mike Oppenheim
The Chuck Anderson Trio St. George's Recovery Concert Ardmore, PA May 10, 2019 In his first concert in more than a year, Chuck Anderson returned to the stage at St. George's in Ardmore, PA. After a long illness, Anderson's heavily publicized “Recovery Concert" filled the venue with fans of live jazz guitar of all ages. Accompanied by Ed Rick and Eric Schreiber, the modern incarnation of the original Chuck Anderson Trio, Anderson's audience friendly, ...
Continue ReadingGary Monheit and Dan Krimm: New Shoots
by Mike Oppenheim
New Shoots , recorded in January 2015, is the most recent offering from fretless bassist Dan Krimm, featuring pianist Gary Monheit with drummer Scott Amendola filling out the trio. New Shoots features eight original tracks, all of which are composed either by Krimm or Monheit. The two share a compositional vision, which lends a great unity to the album. Their style of jazz is modern, drawing influences from the pioneers of modality, Latin American Montuno vamps, and the ...
Continue ReadingThe Chuck Anderson Trio featuring Coreen at The Media Jazz Festival
by Mike Oppenheim
The Chuck Anderson Trio featuring Jazz Vocalist Coreen Media Jazz Festival Media, PA November 21 2015 At the 13th annual Media Jazz Festival, the Chuck Anderson Trio made their fourth appearance since 2007, but this time with a new component to the show: the trio was joined by featured jazz vocalist Coreen. The Trio of Chuck Anderson, drummer Ed Rick and bassist Eric Schreiber played familiar and original tunes, with standards that are especially ...
Continue ReadingChuck Anderson Trio at Melodies Cafe
by Mike Oppenheim
Chuck Anderson Trio Melodies Cafe Ardmore, PA April 11, 2015 The Chuck Anderson Trio marked a long overdue end to the winter with their first performance of the 2015 season. The trio, consisting of guitarist Chuck Anderson, bassist Eric Schreiber, and drummer Ed Rick played at Melodies Café in Ardmore, PA. An intimate venue, Melodies was filled with an attentive and informed jazz audience. The trio came out strong, starting with “Bag's Groove" ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Bennett Group: The Mystery at Clown Castle
by Mike Oppenheim
The Daniel Bennett Group's 2015 release The Mystery at Clown Castle, the successor to 2013's Clockhead Goes to Camp, picks up where the latter left off with a fresh and distinct new feel. The personnel has changed, with Daniel Bennett joined by guitarist Nat Janoff, bassist Eddy Khaimovich, and drummer Matthew Feick. Special guests include pianist Jason Yeager and spoken word poet Britt Melewski. Much like its predecessor, The Mystery at Clown Castle is catchy, memorable and unique. ...
Continue ReadingMarcos Pin and Yago Vazquez: Marcos Pin: Duology
by Mike Oppenheim
Duology: Session 1 features the duet playing of guitarist Marcos Pin and pianist Yago Vazquez. The album is a tour through some of the most popular jazz standards. The duo format and individual talents of Pin and Vazquez bring a life and energy to the tunes, revealing the depth and potential in even the most frequently heard standards.The album consists of Charlie Parker's “Donna Lee" and “Dewey Square," Thelonious Monk's “Blue Monk," Jerome Kern's ever-present “All the Things ...
Continue ReadingThe Daniel Rosenboom Quintet: The Daniel Rosenboom Quintet: Fire Keeper
by Mike Oppenheim
Fire Keeper, the debut album from the Daniel Rosenboom Quintet, exemplifies the vast possibilities for contemporary jazz artists. The album is undeniably jazz, with extensive improvisations and complex compositions, orchestrations and harmonies found in few other genres. The quintet is also unabashedly rooted in other contemporary genres. Progressive rock, as heard in the overdriven electric guitars, power chords and aggressive drumming, with additional influences from funk, contemporary classical and experimental music are major elements of the Quintet's sound. The compositional ...
Continue Readingti-an-guis: ti-an-guis
by Mike Oppenheim
ti-an-guis, the self-titled debut album of the group ti-an- guis, is a unique contribution to contemporary folk and world music. Vocalist Lovorka Hojevac, guitarists Francisco Medina, Carlos Henrique Jacques Anderson, bassist Noa Stroeter, and percussionist Pepe Garcia come together to form a world fusion ensemble that is truly global. The individual musicians come from Mexican, Croatian, Brazilian and Portuguese backgrounds. Remarkably, their choice of repertoire is even more diverse. The album features eleven folk songs originating from locales ...
Continue ReadingCellar Live Records: The Finest in Live Jazz Recordings
by Mike Oppenheim
Cellar Live Records is a contemporary jazz label located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Jazz saxophonist and producer Cory Weeds founded the label in 2001, one year after purchasing The Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club (later renamed Cory Weeds' Jazz Cellar). Since that time, Cellar Live Records has released over seventy albums. Performers at Cory Weeds' Jazz Cellar are some of the most important names in Canadian jazz, as well as major international artists. These include Joey DeFrancesco, Kenny ...
Continue ReadingPi Recordings: Dedicated to the Innovative
by Mike Oppenheim
In the pantheon of American music, jazz is especially noted for its rapid and drastic evolution. Considering that jazz evolved from big bands and swing, to bebop, to free jazz within thirty years, it is a history marked by distinct stylistic eras. For some time, the trajectory and potential development of jazz has been in question. Even determining what is jazz has become difficult. However, given its history, the amount of creative talent available and the relatively recent ability to ...
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