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Justin Chart: Night Heat
by Hrayr Attarian
Saxophonist Justin Chart is known for his cinematic, entirely improvised, live sessions. A stalwart of the Los Angeles, and Southern California, jazz scene, Chart has several superb albums to his credit. His 2024 record, Night Heat, maintains the same level of sophistication and spontaneity. It is culled from two separate appearances with different sidemen and consists of ten, relatively short, tracks that focus mainly on the intricacy of the melodies and the dynamic ensemble sound. For instance the ...
Continue ReadingAnthony E. Nelson Jr.: Swinging Sunset
by Pierre Giroux
The fascination with Hammond B3 organ trios, which were so prevalent in the '50s and '60s, remains undiminished. And rightly so as there were some stellar organists who were plying their trade in that period, including Jimmy Smith, Milt Buckner and Wild Bill Davis. However, the mystique around the clubs in which these performers played may be more idealized than the reality. In large part, the clubs were dingy with little or no decor, had poor sound systems and, possibly, ...
Continue ReadingAnthony E. Nelson Jr.: Swinging Sunset
by Chris May
Swinging Sunset, New Jersey-based tenor saxophonist Anthony E. Nelson Jr.'s fifth album on his Musicstand label, is an unpretentious, undemanding and utterly enjoyable celebration of the organ trios of the 1950s and 1960s. From the first bars of the opener, Eddie Heywood's “Canadian Sunset," it feels like we are in for a good time and, over the next hour and a bit, that expectation is a hundred percent delivered. Nelson is accompanied by Hammond B3 organist Kyle ...
Continue ReadingCecil Brooks III: Hot Dog
by Glenn Astarita
Cecil Brooks III frequently performs with this unit at his Cecil's Jazz Club & Restaurant in West Orange, New Jersey. The trio abides by a free-spirited, good-timey jazz gait, and is not concerned with reinventing the proverbial wheel. It's a good bet that the patrons got their monies' worth via these perky and tightly-woven spins on jazz and pop standards. The musicians also dish out a sprightly jazz-waltz rendering of “Theme from, Mannix," from the popular 1960s and '70s TV ...
Continue ReadingCecil Brooks III Trio at The Turning Point Cafe in Piermont, NY
by David A. Orthmann
Cecil Brooks III Trio The Turning Point Cafe Piermont, New York November 10, 2008
Whopping bass drum hits resonate in your central nervous system. Cymbal taps sound as gentle and ethereal as wind chimes. Intemperate blows to every part of the drum set somehow manage to swing. These are a few of the many voices of Cecil Brooks III. A headstrong, mercurial, and calculating performer, Brooks often tosses the band about like a boat ...
Continue ReadingCBIII Band at Cecil's Jazz Club
by David A. Orthmann
CBIII Band Cecil's Jazz Club West Orange, NJ August 17, 2007
Two drum kits were set up at the front of the stage prior to the CB III Band's first set at Cecil's Jazz Club. Though the configuration was in keeping with an evening billed as “The Father, Son, and Holy Groove, featuring two generations of the Brooks family of jazz drummers, the figure of Max Roach cast a long shadow on the proceedings. ...
Continue ReadingCecil Brooks III: Double Exposure
by David A. Orthmann
A second generation drummer and bandleader, Cecil Brooks III has produced over 40 recordings on the Muse, High Note, and Savant labels for artists ranging from John Hicks to Arthur Blythe to Don Braden. Several years ago Brooks was at the helm of a session in Pittsburgh, PA that featured guitarist Jimmy Ponder. The recording was completed quicker than anticipated, and there were a few hours of studio time left over. The ever-enterprising Brooks turned to Hammond B-3 organist Gene ...
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