Home » Search Center » Results: Billy Strayhorn
Results for "Billy Strayhorn"
Duck Baker: Breakdown Lane: Free Solos & Duos 1976-1998
by Mark Corroto
This release is a great introduction to the music of Duck Baker and, maybe more importantly, a reminder of why the musician's sound is so vital. Baker, a finger-style acoustic guitarist, is a folk music omnivore. Besides Scottish and Irish fiddle music, he is at home with bebop, blues, free jazz and free improvisation. Let that ...
Brian Landrus: Plays Ellington & Strayhorn
by Jack Bowers
When gathering material for a new recording, one time-honored rule of thumb is that it is hard to stray too far off course when revisiting the musical handiwork of renowned composer Duke Ellington and/or the Duke's virtuosic alter ego, Billy Strayhorn--even if one chooses to lead with an Ellington theme as relatively unknown as “Agra" from ...
2024 Record Store Day Black Friday Jazz Releases
by Kyle Simpler
Record Store Day Black Friday is back for 2024. There are releases that appeal to practically every genre of music, and jazz is no exception. This year's lineup features releases for jazz enthusiasts and vinyl collectors alike. From previously unreleased live performances to excellent vinyl debuts, this year's offerings showcase a variety of jazz styles. Below ...
The Jim Self-John Chiodini Duo: Feels So Good
by Jack Bowers
Tuba maestro Jim Self and gregarious guitarist John Chiodini unite for the fifth time on Feels So Good, a studio date whose title neatly encapsulates its upbeat vibe. Even though it seems at first blush that the tuba and guitar should be playing in different leagues, Self and Chiodini somehow make the odd mixture work. Self ...
Day Dream: Duke & Strays Live
by Pierre Giroux
The Day Dream trio's album Duke & Strays Live is a two-CD release recorded at Bucknell University in September 2023. It is a sparkling exploration of the timelessness embedded in Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's music. Lead by drummer Phil Haynes along with pianist Steve Rudolph and bassist Drew Gress, the trio deftly navigates the familiar ...
Jeff Rupert: It Gets Better
by Jack Bowers
Florida-based tenor saxophonist Jeff Rupert leads a superlative quartet on It Gets Better, a graceful and charming album recorded September 2021 at the renowned Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey. While comparisons to other musicians are as a rule less than viable, the striking similarities between Rupert and the late jazz giant Stan Getz cannot simply ...
Andy Baker: From Here, From There
by Scott Lichtman
Andy Baker has crafted an uplifting recording featuring his trombone plus trumpet, upright bass and drums--no chordal instruments. From Here, From There is a fresh take on swing/bop ballads that melds top-notch instrumentalists--Baker, Russ Johnson on trumpet, Clark Sommers on bass and Dana Hall on drums--with beautiful compositions and cover arrangements. Baker luxuriates in “the incredible ...
Planet D Nonet: Echoes of Harlem: A Salute to Duke Ellington Vol 2
by Jack Bowers
Operating on the time-honored principle that one successful tribute deserves another, the Detroit-based Planet D Nonet has recorded Echoes of Harlem, Vol. 2, an homage to the great Duke Ellington and follow-up to the ensemble's well-received album from 2023, Blues to Be There: A Salute to Duke Ellington. Each of the studio session's ...
Lucy Woodward: Lucy Woodward & The Rocketeers
by Angelo Leonardi
La sensuale e talentuosa Lucy Woodward ha offerto nel decennio appassionanti interpretazioni di rhythm & blues, soul e rock sganciandosi dai giovanili successi pop. Anche in ambito jazz ha dato ottime prove a partire dalla lontana partecipazione all'album della Love Speak Orchestra di Joshua Shneider e con le lunghe collaborazioni col gruppo Snarky Puppy e con ...
Franco D'Andrea Trio: Something Bluesy and More
by Giuseppe Segala
Lungo il percorso artistico di Franco D'Andrea si incrociano continuamente tappe significative, compiutamente collocate nella vasta mappa che il musicista concepisce come un affresco unitario e coerente. Con questo titolo, allusivo in modo stuzzicante, Something Bluesy and More, si affaccia nuovamente l'organico del piano trio, già praticato da D'Andrea abbondantemente nelle sue molteplici declinazioni, dalle più ...
