Articles by Richard J Salvucci
Thimo Niesterok: Stepping Forward
by Richard J Salvucci
During his studies at Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, Thimo Niesterock rapidly acquired a reputation as a talent with which to be reckoned. A disciple of Warren Vache and Clark Terry, Niesterock situated himself 'within the tradition,' a trumpet player not another trumpet athlete: 'this week's squeak is next week's note.' Good Heavens he is musical. On ballads and muted numbers, he rolls his notes like Vaché. And if his lines are pretty, but somewhat less imaginative than the ...
Continue ReadingEmma Smith: Bitter Orange
by Richard J Salvucci
Some singers are so distinctive that it is tough to find the proper adjectives to describe them. Emma Smith has a memorable and arresting voice. She has, as musicians say, 'something,' which is a style that leaves no room for doubt. Second, she is not afraid of being herself and out there for all to hear. She controls the time; the time does not control her. And third, well, she is sort of the Larry Csonka of jazz singers. Right ...
Continue ReadingKris Adams: Away
by Richard J Salvucci
Troubled times, unsettled times, uncertain times, all produce a certain sort of music. It may be--as in the case of Away--music of loss. In this case, it is mostly music written by guitarist-composer Michael O'Neil. O'Neil is admittedly not well known. Yet in this soulful, translucent recording, a few musicians, one of whom knew O'Neill, provide a look into the man's heart, and into the equally disturbed time in which we live. The vehicle is a ...
Continue ReadingRichard Guba: Songs for Stuffed Animals
by Richard J Salvucci
Ok, admittedly, the title is not going to attract many rational listeners. As one understands, the Songs for Stuffed Animals is explained by a band performing tunes for stuffed animals that accompany children during a busy day. Ok. That may well be the case, but the local stuffed animals are not saying. There are quite a few of them, grateful reminders of past times, and one or two which occasionally still offer solace in this certifiably insane world. So, there ...
Continue ReadingBenjie Porecki: All That Matters
by Richard J Salvucci
From the cover graphics to its musical content, this is a funky, soulful, bluesy, and yet oddly reassuring recording. Benjie Porecki has at least a half a dozen other titles to his name, and has played with Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, Nnenna Freelon Stevie Wonder and Tom Scott. Porecki is primarily a pianist, but hits the Hammond organ for some of the more “sanctified" numbers. From groove to ballad, Porecki plays convincing blues-drenched music, mainly his own compositions. ...
Continue ReadingJake Hertzog: The Ozark Concerto
by Richard J Salvucci
As Terry Teachout very accurately wrote, “The relationship between jazz and classical music has often been close...but is ultimately equivocal" ("Jazz and Classical Music: To the Third Stream and Beyond," in Bill Kirchner, editor, The Oxford Companion to Jazz, Oxford University Press, 2000). Equivocal is a tough word. It can mean suspicious, doubtful or uncertain. Spend any time around musicians in either camp and you find out about suspicions, doubts and uncertainties. They range from 'overpaid' to 'tissue paper lip' ...
Continue ReadingBilly Lester: High Standards
by Richard J Salvucci
This is a very difficult recording to evaluate. If Billy Lester is living in Italy, the Italians are lucky. Someone has to be beyond sophisticated to pull off what Lester has done. He has, in essence, taken the GAS (Great American Songbook) and, with perhaps one exception, has improvised to the chord changes over the tunes. Imaginatively. Very imaginatively. Unfortunately, it really takes a pretty deep knowledge of music theory to appreciate what Lester has done. But if you have ...
Continue ReadingSatchmocracy: Satchmocracy vol. 2
by Richard J Salvucci
It is not easy to keep up with all the new jazz being recorded. It was perhaps easier in the 1950s or 1960s, when a couple of major labels did the bulk of the recording. An artist either made it that way or went unheard except in his or her hometown. For better or worse, it is different now. A prospective reviewer probably fields requests for several hundred recordings a year. And, of course, they come ...
Continue ReadingMiles Davis: Miles '55: The Prestige Recordings
by Richard J Salvucci
It is hard to imagine any casual jazz fan failing a blindfold test on the vinyls on offer here. It is a game people play: how quickly can you identify the performer. A lot of horn players make it into the competition, because horns are boisterous and mimic the human voice and persona. Clark Terry, some say, requires one note. And for much of his career, starting in the mid-1950s, a compatriot and mentee of Terry's: Miles Davis was equally ...
Continue ReadingCal Tjader: Amazonas
by Richard J Salvucci
Multi-instrumentalist Cal Tjader has been gone for over forty years. Had he lived, he would be in his nineties today. The West Coast scene he entered, first as a drummer, then as a vibraphonist, was a world of clubs, acoustic bands, and enthusiastic promoters who pushed their favorite artists' careers. For Tjader, it was San Francisco, the Blackhawk, and jazz writer Ralph Gleason. Tjader broke in playing with Dave Brubeck in 1948. He was continuously employed until his premature death ...
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