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Brian Charette: You Don't Know Jack!
by Pierre Giroux
Brian Charette's release You Don't Know Jack! is a heartfelt acknowledgement of the influence of the legendary organist Jack McDuff upon his career. This began unknowingly when Charette purchased his first Hammond B3 and learned it once belonged to McDuff. In this spirited endeavour, Charette has enlisted several bold-name players, including tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds, guitarist Dave Sikula and drummer John Lee. This quartet delivers a high-energy tribute while injecting a fresh contemporary vibe into the jazz organ tradition.
Continue ReadingJim Josselyn: Shape Shifter
by Kyle Simpler
Keith Richards once said if “you don't know the blues, there's no point in picking up the guitar." This is certainly true about rock, but it could just as easily apply to jazz. Many of the great jazz guitarists have roots in the blues, and Jim Josselyn is no exception. His album Shape Shifter offers a tasty serving of jazz seasoned with the blues. Josselyn started playing guitar when he was young, but he took his ...
Continue ReadingEric Zolan: Calder's Universe
by Kyle Simpler
Musicians spend years practicing to become proficient. Technical ability is an important aspect of playing an instrument, but in order to really communicate a message, a musician needs to love the music as well. Guitarist Eric Zolan is obviously someone who has not only spent a great deal of time practicing but listening to music as well. This comes across clearly in his debut album Calder's Universe. Zolan, a native of Connecticut, developed his chops playing jazz ...
Continue ReadingBrian Charette: Jackpot
by Pierre Giroux
In the tradition of some great Hammond organ players of the past, such as Jack McDuff, Melvin Rhyne, Don Patterson, Larry Young and Jimmy Smith, one leading practitioner on this instrument, Brian Charette, wanted to write some swinging and soulful bebop tunes which would honor the memory of these past greats. The musicians Charette chose to travel on this journey were steeped in this genre, tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds, funky guitarist Ed Cherry and the swinging drummer Bill Stewart. To ...
Continue ReadingDoug Webb: The Message
by David A. Orthmann
The trappings of The Message, tenor saxophonist Doug Webb's eleventh release for Posi-Tone Records, are perhaps recognizable to anyone with an interest in jazz conventions. All hands, except for drummer Charles Ruggiero, contribute at least one composition. While some are more adventurous (tenor saxophonist Bob Reynolds' “Where Did You Come From?," and alto saxophonist Greg Osby's “Nekide") than others (Webb's “Caught In The Webb" and organist Brian Charette's “Bonnie Lass"), there is nothing here that pushes the envelope or prompts ...
Continue ReadingBrian Charette: Like the Sun
by Dan Bilawsky
With time on his hands, neurons firing fast and a serious hankering for tinkering, organist and keyboard whiz Brian Charette created what can best be described as an integrated groove orchestrion with catholic tastes. Using samplers, drum machines and arpeggiators programmed to react to and accompany his playing, Charette birthed a man-meets-machine outfit bent on exploring the outer limits, welding atmospherics to grooves, and forwarding catchy and playful lines that seem tailor-made for their territory, though the reverse is actually ...
Continue ReadingDoug Webb: Apples & Oranges
by David A. Orthmann
The ingenuity of veterans operating within the recognizable parameters of the jazz mainstream never ceases to impress. A case in point is Apples & Oranges, tenor and soprano saxophonist Doug Webb's tenth release for the Posi-Tone imprint. A program comprised of the warhorses “In A Sentimental Mood," “Spring Is Here," and “Estate," the 1960s pop song “How Can I Be Sure," plus a blues, a waltz and a couple of bebop lines composed by the leader may seem passé in ...
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