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Veronica Swift: Veronica Swift
by Mike Jurkovic
Leave it to the irascibly spirited and octane-charged Veronica Swift to release the party record of the year! From the pure joy scatting of the blast-off opener I Am What I Am" (from Broadway's grand musical La Cage aux Folles) to the rabble rousing, mad-cap Joan Jett jam with The Ramones finale Don't Rain On My Parade" (only available on the CD and digital versions), the incredibly talented and free-swinging Swift swings for the fences and wins the home-run derby ...
read moreVeronica Swift: Veronica Swift
by Katchie Cartwright
Veronica Swift is a masterful jazz singer. Her craft is immaculate. She scats like nobody's business and her texted improvisations are inventive. What's more, she always seems to sing straight from the heart. All that might be enough for some people, not Swift. She is an artistic adventurer who wonders aloud on social media: What would it sound like if you put together Ella Fitzgerald and--I don't know--Jimi Hendrix?" An answer is the third track on her self-titled ...
read moreAlexander Claffy: Music From Big Orange
by Pierre Giroux
Alexander Claffy has released an impressive album entitled Music From Big Orange" which showcases his skills as a bassist and composer, and captures the essence of contemporary jazz while paying homage to the rich traditions of the genre. Switching seamlessly from acoustic bass to electric, depending on the sonic flow of any given tune, it is clear that Claffy's bass playing is the foundation upon which the entire album is built. On this orange-coloured vinyl LP, ...
read moreAlexander Claffy: Good Spirits
by Jack Bowers
Bassist Alexander Claffy's quintet dashes from the starting gate on Good Spirits with a fiery reading of McCoy Tyner's propulsive Inner Glimpse," setting the tone for a bright and animated session whose spirit is undeniably good. The album was recorded live" (no audience) at GB's Juke Joint in New York City at the height of the [coronavirus] pandemic" in February 2021. Claffy's front line consists of trumpeter Benny Benack III and tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover; his teammates ...
read moreMichael Stephenson: Meets The Alexander Claffy Trio
by Pierre Giroux
Record executive and tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds readily acknowledges that growing up in Canada has insulated him from the racial issues prevalent in the United States. As a result, he is using the resources of Cellar Music to help address some of these inequities and record African-American musicians who might not ordinarily have such an opportunity. Vocalist and tenor saxophonist Michael Stephenson falls into this category with this release produced by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. As envisaged ...
read moreChad Lefkowitz-Brown: Quartet Sessions
by Jack Bowers
The Quartet Sessions (there are two of them) mark the eighth recording as leader by New York-based tenor saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, an heir-apparent to an acclaimed dynasty of hard-boppers whose monarchs include Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Gene Ammons, Charlie Rouse, Hank Mobley, Sonny Rollins and their peers, and embraces such contemporaries as Eric Alexander, Don Menza and Josh Redman, among others. In fact, it's hard to listen to Lefkowitz-Brown (or Chad LB, as he is often called), especially on the ...
read moreSharel Cassity: Fearless
by Edward Blanco
Offering her fifth album as leader, saxophonist Sharel Cassity unveils an aptly titled collection of originals and a couple of standards in an album of special significance and meaning in her life, as she confronted a personal health issue that threatened to silence her musical voice forever. This project is not only about producing a delicious bebop sound one will not soon forget but, it is also a testament to her faith and courage in confronting an illness she refused ...
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