Jazz Articles about Joel A. Martin

About Joel A. Martin

Album Review

Joel A. Martin and Sharon Clark: Intimate Ella - A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald

Read "Intimate Ella - A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
February 2, 2018

Superior vocalist-pianist duo recordings provide listeners marvelous opportunities to encounter and explore artistic subtleties and nuances that can be lost when hearing larger ensemble formats. In a duo format, singer and keyboardist engage in a delicate, yet tightrope-walking tango in which respective toes must be on and ears zoned in bat-like. With Intimate Ella vocalist Sharon Clark and pianist Joel A. Martin join forces in a splendid send-up of a dozen selections associated with the centennial-celebrating well-source ...

Album Review

Joel A. Martin: Jazzical Menken

Read "Jazzical Menken" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
November 10, 2013

On any given Sunday especially if the weather is good, if one travels to Long Island's North Shore “Gold Coast" you will occasionally see beautiful, hand-detailed Rolls-Royces, Ferraris, Bentleys or other luxury-end autos tooling about. In more than one conceptual way, Jazzical Menken is tantamount to experiencing this metallic magnificence. The primary difference, thankfully, is that one can enjoy this marvelous recording 24/7/365 and it never needs brakes or-- horrors!--a tune up. Virtuoso pianist and composer/arranger Joel ...