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Roger Kellaway: Live At Mezzrow
by Pierre Giroux
Roger Kellaway's latest offering Live At Mezzrow is a masterclass in jazz artistry. With Kellaway on piano--leading his trio of first class musicians, including bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Dennis Mackrel along with guest guitarist Roni Ben-Hur on a couple of tracks--they embark on a celebration of mostly historical jazz standards from the songbooks of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Billy Strayhorn among others, as well as one of Kellaway's own pieces “All My Life." For those of a certain ...
Continue ReadingMike Holober & Balancing Act: Don't Let Go
by Jack Bowers
With Don't Let Go, pianist Mike Holober and the octet Balancing Act seemed to have found an ideal way to cross-breed classical motifs and contemporary jazz to produce a pleasurable listening experience. Then he added lyrics. Granted, not all lyrics are superfluous—even those that are either nebulous or indecipherable, as is too often the case here. It's simply that some listeners may be more receptive to an alternative in the form of, say, Marvin Stamm's trumpet, Dick Oatts' or Jason ...
Continue ReadingMarvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk, Dennis Mackrel: Live at Maureen's Jazz Cellar
by Jack Bowers
Marvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk and Dennis Mackrel; when musicians of that caliber gather onstage to record a live supper club session, even the diners snap to attention and harken closely lest any phrase or nuance eludes the ears. Such was the case on a December evening in 2019 at Maureen's Jazz Cellar in Nyack, NY (once home to the incomparable Zoot Sims) when the quartet held its audience in thrall for more than an hour as the tape ...
Continue ReadingMike Holober: Marvin Stamm/Mike Holober Quartet Live @ Maureen's Jazz Cellar
by Nicholas F. Mondello
One of the many things sorely missed in the 2020's COVID situation is that cornerstone of jazz—the live-in-a-club performance. Live at Maureen's Cellar provides a vivid recollection of what pre-plague joy we had.. This fine recording presents that intimate club vibe, offering engaging extended solos, ensemble (and audience) interaction, and the emotional range that jazz delivers uniquely in person. The four Aces—Marvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk and Dennis Mackrel--offer seven selections: two fine Holober originals and ...
Continue ReadingMarvin Stamm/Mike Holober: Live @ Maureen's Jazz Cellar
by Pierre Giroux
It is hard to overstate the value of long standing working relationships between musicians. When this musical symbiosis is at its best, the result is a genuine understanding and an interpretation of the music in a comprehensive way. Such is the case between flugelhornist Marvin Stamm and pianist Mike Holober on Live @ Maureen's Jazz Cellar. In order to best exemplify the recognition of a shared craft, they have chosen a series of titles from the jazz standard catalogue along ...
Continue ReadingScott Robinson: Tenormore
by Angelo Leonardi
Da tre decenni Scott Robinson è figura onnipresente nelle orchestre e nei gruppi d'orientamento mainstream: ha registrato venti album da leader e partecipato a più di 270 dischi. Venticinque anni al sax baritono con Maria Schneider e poi con Bob Mintzer, John Fedchock, Bob Brookmeyer, Frank Kimbrough, Ron Carter, Joe Lovano, Paquito D'Rivera, Bob Wilber (ma anche con Roscoe Mitchell e con David Bowie). In questo disco privilegia esclusivamente il sax tenore per riaffermare quell'identità perduta nelle molte ...
Continue ReadingScott Robinson: Tenormore
by Dan Bilawsky
When attempting to lend form to the term “rara avis" in jazz, Scott Robinson instantly appears in the mind's eye. He's most easily recognized these days as a horn heavy on the most standard of heavy horns, adding ballast and low-end individuality to the sound of Maria Schneider's orchestra with his baritone saxophone, but Robinson is also beyond proficient—a virtuoso, in fact—on numerous instruments that most people don't even know exist. His arsenal includes theremin, ophicleide, sarrusophone, alto clarinet, echo ...
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