Home » Jazz Articles » Henry Franklin
Jazz Articles about Henry Franklin
Daggerboard & The Skipper: Daggerboard And the Skipper
by Dan McClenaghan
For those who think they can tell an album's sound by its cover, think again in the case of Daggerboard and The Skipper. That cover art seems to have come from the walls of an inner sanctum of a Pre-Columbian pyramid. So what kind of music will that be? It is hard to find information on this release. Daggerboard seems to consist of the workings of percussionist/songwriter Gregory Howe and trumpeter/flugelhornist/songwriter Erik Jekabson, of Throttle Elevator Music fame, ...
Continue ReadingThisbe Vos: Under Your Spell
by Edward Blanco
A Southern California Girl with a love of standards and romantic music, Thisbe Vos is not your typical female vocalist performing Louis Prima/ Keely Smith duets in a jazz band. Born in the Netherlands, Vos began exploring music by playing the harp and doing musical theatre and only after joining the British swing band, The Jive Aces, did she begin to embrace the style of love songs, ballads and swing that are the focus of her music. Her debut album ...
Continue ReadingThisbe Vos: Under Your Spell
by C. Michael Bailey
First, there is that name...Thisbe Vos. It is not merely exotic; it is something much more than that, something mythic. Dutch-born, living the dream in America's land of Milk and Honey--LA--Vos, by her looks, voice, repertoire, composing...demands attention, and gets it without ever raising her voice. Her debut, two years percolating, Under Your Spell is a fully realized throwback that doesn't sound a day over the rainbow. Made up of five standards and six smacking, swinging originals, Under Your Spell ...
Continue ReadingHenry Franklin: Music to the 5th Power
by Jim Santella
The jazz quintet has long held a distinctive fascination for the world of straight-ahead performance. An improvising front line and a solid rhythm section can bring five sterling musicians together with unpredictable results. On Music to the 5th Power, bassist Henry Franklin's quintet travels the mainstream with spontaneity and an uplifting cry.Guitarist Mark Waggoner, saxophonist George Harper and pianist Gary Matsumoto bring plenty of spirit to the unit's front line, while Franklin and drummer Donald Dean color the ...
Continue ReadingHenry Franklin: All God's Children
by Ollie Bivens
Los Angeles native son bassist Henry “The Skipper" Franklin is perhaps best known for his association with the albums released by the short-lived but influential Black Jazz record label out of Philadelphia in the '70s. He has also played with Freddie Hubbard, Archie Shepp, and the late Horace Tapscott. His new album on his own label is a continuation of a strand of jazz music that arose in the mid to late '60s. Characterized by modal music ...
Continue Reading
