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Laszlo Gardony: Signature Time
by Bruce Lindsay
According to his liner notes, pianist Laszlo Gardony's Signature Time is “a tribute to all African-inspired sound." It's a tribute that recognizes the centrality of African music in so many contemporary genres, showing this recognition in the creation of some fine original music and the reworking of some classic songs. Gardony was born ...
Vinnie Cutro Trio: Montclair, NJ, April 3, 2011
by David A. Orthmann
Vinnie Cutro TrioTrumpets Jazz ClubMontclair, NJApril 3, 2011 Vinnie Cutro's opening set at Trumpets Jazz Club wasn't weighed down or overshadowed by history. The gig closely followed the release of the trumpeter's The Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, this year on Royal Music Ensembles Records. A couple of ...
Gold Medalists Abound at Big Band Olympics
by Jack Bowers
As this is being written, Betty and I are just back from a ten-day visit to California, the first six days of which would be of absolutely no interest to readers of this column. The last four, however, were spent at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel attending the L.A. Jazz Institute's “Big Band Olympics," which ...
Anthony Branker: Jazz Dialogics
by Victor L. Schermer
Anthony Branker is a musician for all seasons. He began his career as a trumpeter, including a stint with the Spirit of Life Ensemble, which honored its African-American and Afro-Caribbean roots during a multi-year tenure as the Monday night band at the legendary Sweet Basil club in New York City. Over time, Branker developed an increasing ...
Phil Woods and Bill Mays: Woods & Mays
by Dan Bilawsky
Putting two musicians of this caliber in a room and recording the results is a surefire recipe for success. Pianist Bill Mays and saxophone icon Phil Woods have little to prove at this point in their respective careers and their music isn't about defying expectations. Both men, on the contrary, carry the reputations that they do ...
Art Hirahara: Noble Path
by Dan Bilawsky
Art Hirahara has gained the most notice for his work on saxophonist Fred Ho's adventurous outings, but the pianist's own music, while occasionally outward bound, often has a more immediately accessible sound to it. Featuring eight pieces from Hirahara's pen and four newly arranged classics, Noble Path is a piano trio record that's both commonplace and ...
Charlie Hunter: Burlington, Vermont, April 24, 2011
by Doug Collette
Charlie Hunter with Erik KalbClub MetronomeBurlington, VTApril 24, 2011 The last time guitarist nonpareil Charlie Hunter came to the greater Burlington area, drummer Erik Kalb also accompanied him--so this recent show was one of the few instances of the idiosyncratic guitarist repeating himself in his last ten years of appearances ...
Mark Rapp's Melting Pot: Good Eats
by Dan Bilawsky
Legendary saxophonist Lou Donaldson doesn't subscribe to a one-size-fits-all approach in his own music making. His oeuvre, which spans more than half a century, touches on bop, hard bop, soul-jazz, and funk, with each setting allowing for a different aspect of his musical personality to shine. In crafting a tribute to Donaldson, trumpeter Mark Rapp honors ...
Terell Stafford: This Side of Strayhorn
by Dan McClenaghan
Some music just stands out from the crowd, and certainly Billy Strayhorn's tunes do exactly that. What would the great composer/bandleader Duke Ellington have been without his collaborator? He still certainly would have been considered one of the America's greatest artists, but it's hard to imagine an Ellington “greatest hits" offering--if one could be achieved, considering ...
Audrey Silver: Dream Awhile
by Wilbert Sostre
to tell, by the pure joy of Audrey Silver's voice on Dream Awhile, that this 2009 collection is the singer's favorite jazz standards. Silver amazing, glimmering tone shines all throughout, especially on the up-tempo, swinging tracks “I Will Wait For You," “Exactly Like You" and Irving Berlin's “The Song Is Ended." She even adds some Ella ...
