Jazz Articles
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Adam Pierończyk & Miroslav Vitous: Ad-Lib Orbits
by Dan McClenaghan
The duet performances on Ad-Lib Orbits feature the voices of two jazz generations. Adam Pieroncyzk, (b. 1970), the Polish saxophonist; and bassist Miroslav Vitous (b. 1947). Pieroncyzk has earned international acclaim for his homage to his countryman, Krzysztof Komeda on Komeda: The Innocent Sorcerer (Jazzwerkstatt Records, 2010) and on his odd and modernistic masterpiece, Monte Alban (Jazzsound, 2016). Vitous rose to top-level fame as a co-founder of the innovative group Weather Report in the 1970s. He has continued to push ...
read moreChanda Rule + Sweet Emma Band: Hold On
by Dan Bilawsky
With a focus on Black American Music, as born and developed in fields, churches and social gatherings, Hold On relies heavily on the strength of roots. But these interpretations address branches as well, drawing from the toughness of solid earth while extending above and beyond. Vocalist Chanda Rule expresses and sees to that understanding between origins and original performance(s) on this arresting collection of material largely focusing on music birthed by unnamed and unknown African-Americans who often toiled in extreme ...
read moreEd Neumeister: Suite Ellington
by Dan McClenaghan
Trombonist Ed Neumeister opened his excellent quartet outing, New Standards (Meistero Music, 2005) with an energized take Duke Ellington's signature tune, Take The 'A' Train." It was apparent that he had a way with Duke's music. A quick dip into Neumeister's resume finds that he played in Duke Ellington's Orchestra for sixteen years, post-Duke, when the maestro's son, Mercer, held the baton. So he has the great experience of a marination in one of America's Greatest Composer's music. With Suite ...
read moreEd Neumeister: Suite Ellington
by Karl Ackermann
A complete summary of trombonist Ed Neumeister's musical career would date back to his pre-school years. Initially a regular fixture on the San Francisco circuit, he later immersed himself in the New York jazz scene dividing almost thirty-five years between the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Mel Lewis Big Band. His additional experiences with classical orchestras and ensembles helped solidify his skills as a conductor and composer. On Suite Ellington, Neumeister and his sextet take on some familiar and less ...
read moreMansur Scott: Great Voices of Harlem
by Larry Reni Thomas
Those of us who know better laughed, snickered, recently, when we read that Harlem-based vocalist extraordinaire Mansur Scott was a rising star." We will agree that he is definitely a star" because he always shines when he sings. His first album, Sometimes Forgotten Sometimes Remembered (Pao Records, 2010), was excellent and caught the attention of a great deal of music lovers. His latest recording, Great Voices Of Harlem (Pao Records) includes two other singers, Gregory Porter and Donald Smith, who ...
read moreGregory Porter/Donald Smith/Mansur Scott: Great Voices Of Harlem
by Dan Bilawsky
Harlem has long been known as an incubator for talent, birthing and/or nurturing some of the all-time greats in music, literature, and art. Nearly a century separates the dawning of the famed Harlem Renaissance and the creation of this album, but Great Voices Of Harlem serves as undeniable proof that this large neighborhood at the north end of Manhattan still holds artistic treasures within its borders. Great Voices Of Harlem, in some respects, isn't just a nod ...
read moreGregory Porter, Donald Smith, Mansur Scott: Great Voices Of Harlem
by Bruce Lindsay
Great Voices Of Harlem showcases the vocal talents of three most fascinating jazz singers--Gregory Porter, Donald Smith and Mansur Scott. Ably supported by Paul Zauner's Blue Brass, the vocalists put their very individual stamps on some classic songs. The result is a stylish, classy, recording. Scott gets the lion's share of credits, with appearances on seven tracks to Smith and Porter's four apiece (all three share vocals on Horace Silver's Peace"). Porter, a Grammy-winning international star, is the ...
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