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Sheryl Bailey: Homage
by Jim Josselyn
Homage, Sheryl Bailey's 12th outing as a leader, is a welcome and well deserved musical love letter to the late, great Pat Martino. The opening track, with one of the great song titles in instrumental music history, The Velvet Hammer," was written for Martino, and the decision to have keyboardist Miki Hayama play the Fender Rhodes throughout harkens back to one of Martino's masterpieces with Gil Goldstein, We'll Be Together Again (Muse, 1976). But make no mistake, Bailey ...
read moreNeal Smith: Some of My Favorite Songs Are...
by Elliott Simon
Debut recordings can give a deceptively strong impression of a leader, since his or her best hour of material is showcased. Many an artist can't match that initial effort and fall prey to the dreaded sophomore jinx. Drummer Neal Smith has confounded that scenario by releasing his second recording along with his first--and when they are taken together, one is left stunned by a multifaceted drummer who is at home in a variety of milieus. While Swingin' is Believin' was ...
read moreNeal Smith: Swingin' Is Believin'
by Elliott Simon
Swingin' is Believin' is evidence that Neal Smith is well aware of the Indian proverb A good drummer listens as much as he plays. Not to say that Smith is a wallflower. Au contraire, he has that much-desired talent of solidifying an organized sound while driving the music in interesting directions. Coupled with an obvious connection to pianist Rick Germanson and bassist Michael Hawkins, Smith, pianist Cyrus Chestnut's first-call drummer, has elected to share the spotlight with no less than ...
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