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John Lee: Second Wind
by Pierre Giroux
Second Wind, which, as the title indicates, is John Lee's sophomore recording, is a vivid example of the art of the trio featuring the estimable rhythm section Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums. It had long been Lee's dream to play with these two legends and the result is a collection of favourites and some new material that swings with both vigour and subtle intimacy. The opening track is “It's A Blue World," ...
Continue ReadingCharles Chen: Charles, Play!
by Jack Bowers
Pianist Charles Chen makes his recorded debut and confidently answers the command on Charles, Play!, a splendid quartet date on which he is ably supported by veteran tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore and the peerless rhythmic tandem of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. Chen wrote four of the album's nine engaging numbers and had the good sense to pair them with three pleasurable standards and tantalizing originals by Charlie Parker ("Passport") and Cedar Walton (the closing ...
Continue ReadingOne For All: Blueslike
by C. Andrew Hovan
As the timeworn adage goes, sometimes the best things come from situations where one is asked to function in less than ideal circumstances. When you have little time to analyze things and go with pure instincts, there's an air of veracity and spontaneity to the results that is seldom arrived at by any other means. Although the hard bop collective One For Allhas forged a shared identity through regular gigs and a growing catalog of recordings for several labels, including ...
Continue ReadingOne For All: Live at Smoke Vol.1
by C. Andrew Hovan
Aside from the musical fireworks that make the enclosed sides noteworthy, there are additional factors that mark Live at Smoke as a major event. For one thing, this “on location" recording is one of the rare live dates to grace the Criss Cross catalog. Furthermore, it serves as a perfect summation up to this point of One For All's musical fortunes as heard in the same venue that fostered the ensemble's very formation. Back in the mid-'80s, drummer Joe Farnsworth, ...
Continue ReadingJim Snidero: For All We Know
by Dan McClenaghan
The cover photo on Jim Snidero's For All We Know features the saxophonist holding his horn out in front of his body as if he is offering it to us as a holy relic. Holy it is when he plays it; a relic it is not. The album is Snidero's first recorded offering in a trio setting--sax, bass and drums. No chording instrument. His partners in chordlessness, Peter Washington and Joe Farnsworth--bass and drums, respectively--are a perfect choice, ...
Continue ReadingXaver Hellmeier: X-Man in New York
by Jack Bowers
Drummer Xaver (X-Man) Hellmeier has been little known to date outside his native Germany and other European countries. One way to help redress that oversight is to surround oneself with some of the most well-respected and talented musicians on the New York scene, which is what Hellmeir has done on his superb debut album, X-Man in New York. When it comes to choosing sidemen, it is hard to belie the inclusion of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, pianist ...
Continue ReadingSteve Davis: Steve Davis Meets Hank Jones, Vol. 1
by Dave Linn
Trombonist Steve Davis was born in Worcester, MA, in 1967, and in 1989 graduated from Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute. It was McLean's guidance and recommendation which allowed Davis to land his first major performance with Art Blakey in NYC. His lyrical, hard-swinging style gained him broad recognition and, in 1998, he won the TDWR (Rising Star) Trombone Category. He was later named in the top five of the Trombonist of the Year by The Jazz Journalist Association from 2010-2013, ...
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