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Roberta Gambarini: Easy To Love
by Richard J Salvucci
In 2007, All About Jazz reviewer Michael Caratti wrote: “This debut outing from Roberta Gambarini sees the Italian-born jazz vocalist pair up with two star-studded rhythm sections and legendary tenor saxophonist James Moody, to present what has to be one of the best vocal jazz albums of the decade. Opening with Cole Porter's classic title track Gambarini's exquisite tone and masterful rhythmic phrasing are immediately on display in the first a capella section. The gradual addition of bass and brushes ...
Continue ReadingSam First Records: Live Jazz on Vinyl
by Jim Worsley
Four short years ago I had the pleasure of attending and putting pen to paper (well, not literally anymore) about Sam First, Los Angeles' hottest new jazz, haunt, which had made a splash on the city's jazz scene. Subsequent visits further validated the hip vibe of modernism combined with vintage jazz. To say that the formula has worked is quite the understatement. The atmosphere and acoustics allow jazz to be presented and heard the way it was meant to be. ...
Continue ReadingJoe La Barbera Quintet: World Travelers
by Jim Worsley
February is surely a bit early in the year to be talking about the best live recording released in 2023. Still, when you have your socks blown off, time of year is of little concern. Drumming icon Joe La Barbera is back, and in a big way. The pendulum has swung and La Barbera's Quintet was swinging like some hep cats in a small club back in the '50s. It has been some time since La Barbera's last recording. This ...
Continue ReadingNica Carrington: Times Like These
by Richard J Salvucci
Every once in a while you chance on a singer and think, “This is a find." Some people barely knew that Julie London was a singer—she didn't consider herself one, certainly—but she had a lovely voice, did not embellish the lyrics, told a story, and got out of the way. She was one of those 1950s signers who really never registered, unless you happened to focus on her looks, which distracted from her talent. So now one thinks, “She should ...
Continue ReadingNica Carrington: Times Like These
by Jack Bowers
Even though she had been singing, more or less, since she was a child, it was not until the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic that New Yorker Nica Carrington came to realize that tomorrows come with no guarantees, and that the time had come to buckle down and get serious about her craft. After moving from one voice coach to another, Carrington happened upon Jazzvoice.com, an online resource founded by singer and educator Alexis Cole that offers private lessons, classes and videos. ...
Continue ReadingNica Carrington: Times Like These
by Pierre Giroux
Intrepid may be the best word to use to describe the singer Nica Carrington's self-produced debut album. Not many months before recording it, Nica, who had been taking voice lessons, came across the highly regarded Los Angeles based pianist, arranger, and jazz voice instructor John Proulx, who thought that she showed such promise that he was willing to produce her first release. Wanting to do everything to provide the framework for success, Proulx brought along two esteemed and seasoned jazz ...
Continue ReadingBill Evans: Inner Spirit
by Jim Worsley
Tension-filled Buenos Aires seemed to bring the best out of Bill Evans. This 1979 live performance at the Teatro General San Martin is as energized as the Argentinian city was polarized. Six years earlier, Evans had played the city in trio with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell, amidst dangerous political terror. The trio was immune to the chaos and was treated with respect, if not jubilation, at the prospect of hearing them perform. That performance, captured on Morning ...
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