Recording News

Tad Hendrickson's Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2009

Source: All About Jazz @ Spinner
January 2, 2010

By Tad Hendrickson

It's that time of year again where I take a moment to look back and try and piece it all together with a succinct list of the year's 10 best jazz albums. This is an annual rite for jazz scribes and just about anyone else out there that covers a beat for a publication. One could argue that it is a sort of weird to rank different artistic endeavors (After all, isn't beauty in the eye of ...

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Catching up (1): Plunge, Asmussen, Koorax

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
January 1, 2010

2009 brought to the Rifftides doorstep an unprecedented number of albums hoping for attention. If I had listened all day every day this year, I could not have paid proper attention to even a small percentage of them. I have been attempting to catch up with some of the CDs in the stacks that occupy what's left of my floor space (shelves are no longer available). In this series of posts, I will call to your attention a few of ...

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Diana Ross-Touch Me in the Morning

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 1, 2010

It's a mistake for jazz fans to compare Diana Ross to jazz vocalists. Ross' intonation, timbre and roots all come from a completely different place. Her Lady Sings the Blues (1972) drew praise from jazz circles, and it was a big seller. But to me, Ross as Billie Holiday always felt inconceivable and forced. Too much lady, not enough blues. Rather, I much prefer Ross in her zone, notably on her early solo albums--where she delivered a pleading, kittenish sound ...

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Forbes Graham's Wild May @ The Stone on Jan. 5thforbes Graham's Wild May @ The Stone on Jan. 5th

Source: Michael Ricci
January 1, 2010

Tuesday - January 5, 2010 The Stone E 2nd St & Ave C New York, NY 10009 10:00 PM Wild May: Forbes Graham - trumpet Kevin Frenette - guitar Ryan McGuire - double bass Luther Gray - drums Wild May is the brainchild of trumpet player and composer Forbes Graham. Heavily influenced by magic squares, architecture, and poetry, Wild May's music is a reflection of a ...

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Tony Foster's 2009 Trio Debut "In Between Moods" Makes List of "Top 10 Albums of 2009"!

Source: Michael Ricci
December 29, 2009

CBC Radio host Tim Tamashiro who hosts the CBC radio show “TONIC" has included Canadian-born jazz pianist and composer Tony Foster's 2009 debut album “In Between Moods" in his picks for the Top 10 albums of 2009! “Tim Tamashiro, weekend Tonic host, is putting his hat in the ring with his Top Ten, and inviting you to do the same -- whatever the genre(s) of music you prefer. Here are Tim's picks for '09 (he'll also play them on the ...

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Pollard and Gibbs, 1956

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
December 29, 2009

When Terry Pollard died the other day, I scoured the internet in hopes of finding video of her playing. I had no luck. But moments ago, Mark Stryker of The Detroit Free Press notified me that a clip has appeared on YouTube of the pianist in Terry Gibbs's quartet on The Tonight Show in 1956. They play “Gibberish," on the harmonic pattern of “Oh, Lady Be Good," then a riotous vibes duet on the Charlie Parker blues “Now's The Time" ...

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Drummer Kevin Peter Jones Releases "Magnetic Journey"

Source: Michael Ricci
December 28, 2009

Fairfax, VA -- One of Washington, D.C.'s most refreshing new talents, Kevin Peter Jones, is poised to release his long awaited debut-album, “MAGNETIC JOURNEY" on Sakestyle Entertainment. It is with good reason that Kevin has been on the rise since the journey to complete this project started in 2005. Known for his ability to blend a variety of musical genres and styles, he has produced an eclectic yet cohesive sonic experience, Kevin Peter Jones meticulously hand selected each song for ...

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Lionel Loueke Returns Feb. 9 with "Mmwaliko"

Source: Michael Ricci
December 28, 2009

On February 9, 2010, Blue Note Records will release Mwaliko, the new album from acclaimed vocalist/guitarist Lionel Loueke. Mwaliko (pronounced mwah-LEE-koh) is Swahili for 'invitation, ' and the album comprises a series of searching, innovative, intimate duets with special guests vocalist Angelique Kidjo, vocalist/bassist Esperanza Spalding, vocalist/bassist Richard Bona and drummer Marcus Gilmore, as well as three new tracks featuring his longtime trio with Massimo Biolcati on bass and Ferenc Nemeth on drums. Originally from the small West African nation ...

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