Recording News

Gary Nicholson Pays Homage to Home State in "Texas Songbook," out June 21 on Bismeaux Records

Source: conqueroo
May 10, 2011

Known for his songs for artists like Delbert McClinton, George Strait, Guy Clark, Bonnie Raitt and Gregg Allman as well as Oscar-winning 'Crazy Heart,' Nicholson's Lone Star homage, out June 21, features Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel AUSTIN, Texas—Gary Nicholson is a musical renaissance man—a number one hit songwriter, a two time Grammy winning record producer, a guitarist, singer, and recording artist. A consistent presence on the upper reaches of the country chart hit parade for the last ...

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Singer Lynn Veronneau Captivates with World Wise Jazz in Debut CD

Source: The Phillips Agency
May 9, 2011

Music lovers will soon enjoy a captivating collection of world wise jazz courtesy of stunning French Canadian singer Lynn Véronneau and the well-traveled musicians of her band, Véronneau. The international group has compiled some favorite music for their first album on the Indy label, Véronneau Music. The group's CD hits the street and goes to radio in North America and Europe in May of 2011. Entitled Joie de Vivre (Joy of Living), the album flows seamlessly from gypsy jazz to ...

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Gil Evans/Laurent Cugny Big Band Lumiere

Source: Sound Insights by Doug Payne
May 9, 2011

Shortly after graduating college in 1987, I ventured to New York City with the naïve hope of finding a job. It was a miserable time and a memorably awful experience. My hope was to land a job in advertising. I ended up with a film pass for a great foreign film from a prestigious film distributor based in NYC that couldn't hire me and an interview for a position selling ad space for some TV or radio station, knowing full ...

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Ronnie Mathews: Doin' the Thang!

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 9, 2011

Ronnie Mathews is barely known today, but the pianist was a distinguished sideman starting in 1960 and a leader through the years. As a sideman, he appeared on Freddie Hubbard's Breaking Point (1964), Lee Morgan's Rumproller (1965) Max Roach's Drums Unlimited (1965) and Dexter Gordon's The Homecoming (1976), as well as on albums by many leading jazz stars. As a leader, one of Mathews' finest albums was—Doin' the Thang!, recorded for Prestige in December 1963. This album is not to ...

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Sweat Band

Source: Sound Insights by Doug Payne
May 8, 2011

Recently reissued on CD for the first time since 1994 by reissue greats Get On Down, this little-known and barely-remembered album is a 1980 Bootsy Collins/P-Funk joint that deserves far better than it ever got. Between 1976 and 1979, Bootsy's Rubber Band was a hugely successful offshoot of the P-Funk mothership, distinguished by equal parts funk (emphasizing Bootsy's “Space Bass") and silky soulful balladry. Despite Collins' cartoon-y antics and somewhat goofy lyrics, the Rubber Band was often more “musical" than ...

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Nate Wooley - (Put Your) Hands Together (Clean Feed, 2011)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
May 8, 2011

Trumpeter Nate Wooley has played in a plethora of situations from relitavely straight post-bop to free improvisation. On this Clean Feed date, he combines all on these influences in a very well donce album where he is joined by Josh Sinton on bass clarinet, Matt Moran on vibraphone, Eivind Opsvik on bass and Harris Eisenstadt on drums.

The three part “Shandra Lee" shows the band that their most open and abstract. Part One has Wooley playing solo, spare and lyrical ...

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Bones and Tones: Hip Percussive Afro-Jazz

Source: Gapplegate Music Review by Grego Edwards
May 7, 2011

Bones & Tones (Freedom Art 52964) has something very good going on. Their first, self-titled album brings the effectively grooved percussion intricacies of M'boom with African elements and contemporary jazz. That is no doubt due to the talents and proclivities of the quartet: Abdou Mboup on percussion, vocals and kora; Lloyd Haber on marimba, bells, percussion; Jaribu Shahid on contrabass and percussion; and Warren Smith (a founder of M'boom among many other things) on vibes and percussion. This is a ...

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Darius Jones and Matthew Shipp - Cosmic Lieder (Aum Fidelity, 2011)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
May 7, 2011

Alto Saxophonist Darius Jones has made quite a splash for himself in the avant- jazz scene, with his debut album Mannish Boy and his playing in the extraordinary collective Little Women.

Joining forces with the great pianist Matthew Shipp was a masterstroke, as the two musicians complement and combat each other on a series of thirteen short improvisations. Jones and Shipp start off slowly like two boxers feeling each other out in the early rounds of a bout, before delving ...

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