Jazz Articles

Roger Davidson: Temple Of The Soul: Rhapsodies & Meditations For Solo Piano

by Dan Bilawsky
July 30, 2014

Pianist Roger Davidson isn't a fan of repeating himself. With each album he's shined a light on a different facet of his artistry, marrying a classicist's outlook and touch with a fascination for anything and everything musical. He's looked at the sounds of Brazil from different perches, explored the tango in detail, tackled the music of Michel Legrand with bassist David Finck, and delivered a standards-heavy trio program in honor of music industry vet Helen Keane. Now, with Temple Of ...

Carol Fredette: No Sad Songs For Me

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
March 17, 2014

The fact that Carol Fredette's CD is going to be a rare treat is suggested by its very first track, the lesser-known Cole Porter gem, “I Am in Love." As arranged with ingenuity and class by bassist/producer David Finck. (who also wrote the wry title track), this jubilant samba makes one thing clear from the jump: that this high-level group swings like crazy, but in the cool and masterful way that doesn't require knocking over the furniture. There ...

Carol Fredette: No Sad Songs For Me

by C. Michael Bailey
February 10, 2014

We last heard from vocalist Carol Fredette on her first Soundbrush recording, Everything in Time (2009). Her repertoire was replete with, “Light latin jazz, humid islands, and secure mainstream treatments." Fredette remains fairly true to this mix of styles on No Sad Songs For Me, specifically addressing all songs of upbeat content, if not tempo. The singer calls upon much the same band as on the previous recording, specifically pianists Helio Alves, Dario Eskenazi and Andy Ezrin.It is ...

Roger Davidson Trio: We Remember Helen

by Dan Bilawsky
October 20, 2012

The music business holds claim to more than its share of selfish, self-promoting, greedy individuals who built their fortunes on the backs of others but, within its ranks also exist a certain class of individual that truly looks out for the best interests of the music and the people who make it. Helen Keane, by all accounts, was one of the good ones. Keane, who started out as an A&R scout for CBS and MCA, was best ...

Pablo Aslan Quintet: Piazzolla in Brooklyn

by Lawrence Peryer
November 3, 2011

Pablo Aslan QuintetPiazzolla In BrooklynSoundbrush Records2011 Thanks to artists like pianist Pablo Ziegler, woodwind multi-instrumentalist Paquito D'Rivera and bassist Pablo Aslan, the union of jazz and tango has been made complete over the last several decades. Tango music, which like jazz has had a long and complex history often entwined with issues of class, has been present in the Americas for well over 100 years. As popular music, tango was in many ...

Roger Davidson & David Finck: Umbrellas & Sunshine

by Dan Bilawsky
March 3, 2011

Many people never take the time to truly say how they feel about important people in their lives until it's too late. The same holds true in the jazz community. Posthumous tributes pour out of magazines, newspapers and websites, and are delivered via recordings when important figures of the music pass on, but something resonates more deeply when an artist is still around to receive these plaudits. The great Johnny Mandel recently received such an honor when the DIVA Jazz ...

Carol Fredette: Everything In Time

by C. Michael Bailey
June 19, 2009

Jazz vocalist Carol Fredette's singing is characterized as a clinic in singing with perfect diction. With a linguist's ear, Fredette concretely pronounces every word to every song she sings as if to commit them to platinum casts for use by International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Fredette accomplishes this not in some self-conscious way, but with a humor and grace that betrays a fully lived jazz life. This is further reflected in the breezy tone Everything in Time takes. Light ...

Tango Duo: Pasion por la Vida

by Woodrow Wilkins
April 7, 2009

To the untrained ear, it sounds like an accordion. And to be fair, there are similarities. However, the bandoneon is its own instrument, and it is part of what makes Tango Duo's Pasion Por La Vida an interesting and unique album.Pianist Roger Davidson and Latin Grammy Award-winner/bandoneonist Raul Jaurena come together for a solid collection of original tango music. Davidson has recorded two previous tango albums, but this is his first with all-new music. Jaurena has worked closely ...

The David Finck Quartet: Future Day

by Michael P. Gladstone
May 13, 2008

Over the years, in-demand bassist David Finck has been the choice for several high profile jazzmen and pop stars, always providing a professional and highly musical pulse. On Future Day Finck ensures that his debut as a leader will stand up, with a superlative combination of personnel and music.

The inclusion of vibraphonist Joe Locke, pianist Tom Ranier and ex-Bill Evans drummer Joe La Barbera, plus trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and tenor saxophonist Bob Sheppard guesting on two tracks, ...

The David Finck Quartet: Future Day

by John Kelman
February 14, 2008

He's one of those players you may not know by name, but you've more than likely heard. In a career now nearing thirty years long, David Finck has worked with artists ranging from pianists Herbie Hancock, Steve Kuhn and Sir André Previn to singers Sinéad O'Connor, Natalie Cole and Gladys Knight. He's also done plenty of everything in between and all around these particular markers on the musical continuum. But it's only been in recent years that the bassist--now approaching ...