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Jazz Articles about Kevin Winard
Doug MacDonald: Santa Monica Session
by Richard J Salvucci
Does Doug MacDonald ever sleep? Take a day off? Make a bad recording? Somehow, a listener doubts it. Originally from Philadelphia--home to a few good guitarists, right?--MacDonald moved to Hawaii, Las Vegas, and then to Southern California. His current discography is nothing if not impressive, running to at least three dozen CDs, and MacDonald performs 300 times a year. Do the math. He performs 5 days out of 6 on average, not bad for a player half his age--and MacDonald ...
Continue ReadingNatalie Jacob: Sooner Or Later
by Pierre Giroux
Sooner Or Later is jazz vocalist Natalie Jacob's debut release. It is a refreshing addition to the jazz landscape, blending classic Great American Songbook tunes and bossa nova standards. Produced by Grammy Award winner Scotty Barnhart, the album benefits from the contributions of an outstanding ensemble, including Barnhart on trumpet, pianist Tamir Hendelman, guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Carlitos Del Puerto, drummer Clayton Cameron and percussionist Kevin Winard. This all-star lineup created a rich backdrop for Jacob's compelling vocal interpretations.
Continue ReadingChad Edwards: Wyoming Roads
by Nicholas F. Mondello
In his performing career, pianist Chad Edwards has probably heard more wisecracks and quips about his actually being a retired rocket scientist than there are stars in the Cosmos. However, rest assured--as he has done in his parallel and now formal career, and is presented in Wyoming Roads--his keyboard and compositional talents certainly stand on their own. It is a fine nine track collection of five Edwards' originals and four Great American Songbook classics, with the pianist backed up by ...
Continue ReadingJohn Basile: Heatin' Up
by Bill Milkowski
John Basile's warm tone and impeccable articulation on Heatin' Up at first may trigger memories of the late, great Pat Martino, an iconic guitarist whom Basile obviously admires. But listen closer to the elegant phrasing, the confident use of space and “less is more" approach he applies to tunes like Cy Coleman's “See Saw," the oft-covered standard “For All We Know" or his own gorgeous ballad “Countenance," and another influence comes to mind. As Basile put it, “There's no stronger ...
Continue ReadingBetty Bryant: Lotta Livin'
by Jack Bowers
First, double-check to make sure there aren't any misprints. No, it's an honest-to-goodness fact that Betty Bryant--who sings, plays piano, wrote four of the nine numbers and arranged half a dozen on her fourteenth album--really was almost ninety-four years old when Lotta Livin' was recorded in 2023. Bryant's rough and edgy voice is remarkably strong and steady, while her piano playing simply defies any generational labels. As a vocalist, no note seems out of her reach, and ...
Continue ReadingGrant Geissman: Blooz
by Richard J Salvucci
There are several ways of judging the success of a recording. Perhaps a hearing makes the listener, if a musician, want to sit in and jam. That is a good sign. Then there is the “sit still test." For many, the direct, emotional and physical connection between music and brain leaves them simply hanging out, absence of motion impossible, sitting still not an option. Grant Geissman's Blooz happily passes both tests. Turn the volume up and a blues party comes ...
Continue ReadingBeverley Church Hogan: Sweet Invitation
by Richard J Salvucci
In 1984, an American writer named Harriet Doerr published a compelling novel called Stones for Ibarra (Penguin Books). The novel, partly autobiographical, was about rural Mexico. Ms. Doerr's novel was her first. It won a National Book Award. Doerr had attended university for a bit but dropped out to raise a family. She was 74 years old when the book was published. Of course, there was a small sensation, because few of us break into print in our ...
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