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Russ Spiegel: Nitty Gritty
by Jack Bowers
The phrase Nitty Gritty has a number of meanings, among the most oft-repeated of which are “mundane," “ordinary" and “commonplace." Guitarist Russ Spiegel surely had another definition in mind when naming his seventh album, whose aftermath brings to mind several graphic expressions. But mundane, ordinary and commonplace are not among them. Instead, words like seductive, panoramic and ambitious arise to describe the banquet that Spiegel and his (for the most part) organ trio have set before the ...
Continue ReadingRuss Spiegel: Caribbean Blue
by Jack Bowers
Pleasant music with ample color and variety--that's an apt description of Caribbean Blue, the latest albulm from California-bred, Florida-based guitarist Russ Spiegel, who has surrounded himself with world-class musicians and given them rein to canvass ten of his generally engaging compositions and bring them admirably to life. While everything on offer is respectable, it is the album's midsection--tracks 3-8--that rise above the others and lend the session much of its vitality and charm. After harmonica virtuoso Hendrik ...
Continue ReadingCarlos Averhoff, Jr.: Together
by Edward Blanco
Perhaps his best recording to date, Cuban-born tenor saxophonist Carlos Averhoff, Jr. presents the sparkling Together, a Latin jazz album capturing a range of Afro-Cuban rhythms from wild gyrating beats to emotional moments and including contemporary jazz elements emerging on such standards as Sam Rivers “Beatrice" and Charlie Parker's “Donna Lee." This is no ordinary album for Averhoff, Jr. and the title provides a clue. This is a special tribute project in which the saxophonist honors the memory of his ...
Continue ReadingAldo Salvent: Ancestros
by Edward Blanco
One of the rising young talents in the jazz world in 2020 is Cuban-born, Miami-based tenor saxophonist Aldo Salvent, who issues his second solo album entitled Ancestros, melding elements of the jazz sound with rhythms of the world, as he pays tribute to the multi-cultural background from which he hails in a musical shout out to the ancestors of our past. An educator at Florida International University and band member of the Grammy-nominated group PALO!, The Waldo Madera ...
Continue ReadingAldo Salvent: Ancestros
by Don Phipps
With its varied rhythms, much of Latin music possesses an erotic dance-like quality with romance never far behind. And on his album Ancestros, composer and saxophonist Aldo Salvent certainly gives credence to these generalities. The album is chock-full of music that glides through a variety of beats and patterns like a dolphin skating atop the ocean and it often has the sensual and erotic vibe of a Caribbean tropical beach scene. Joined on this effort by pianist Jim ...
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