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Results for "Chris M. Slawecki"
bwb: Groovin
by Chris M. Slawecki
I’ve got to admit: I honestly believed that if you were to begin to tell me about a new smooth jazz supergroup, or about their new album consisting of cover versions of familiar tunes, few people if any could run away faster than me. bwb consists of contemporary jazz cats Rick Braun (trumpet), ...
The Crusaders: Rural Renewal
by Chris M. Slawecki
It’s been more than twenty years since founding members Joe Sample (keyboards), Stix Hooper (drums), and Wilton Felder (saxophones) recorded together as the Crusaders. Though much proverbial water has since flowed under their bridge, with Rural Renewal the Crusaders get back to where they once belonged, straight to the heart of their joyous juke joint roots. ...
Fantasy Jazz, Volume 1
by Chris M. Slawecki
What's in a name? If you've been collecting music for any considerable length of time, you know the answer to this question is: Plenty. Because if you've been collecting music, you've been shopping for music. Shop for music long enough and experience will teach that you enjoy the work of some artists ...
The Playin's The Thing
by Chris M. Slawecki
The Great Bard knew that sometimes, even more important than the final story, traveling the journey is just as essential to the tale. It’s often not just the song, but it’s the playing, that’s the thing. The Crusaders: Rural Renewal (PRA / Verve) It’s been more than twenty years ...
Paradise in Brazil
by Chris M. Slawecki
For decades, music from Brazil has served to illustrate valid arguments from BOTH sides of the classic “heredity vs. environment” debate. Listeners almost naturally sense an organic connection between the softly flowing rhythms of samba, bossa nova, and other Brazilian staples, and the tropical paradise of Brazil’s topography. At the same time, names such as “Jobim” ...
Thoughts of Chico Hamilton: Hollywood Swinging
by Chris M. Slawecki
He’s into his sixth decade of performing and recording, reaching way back to when he kept time for Lester Young and for Count Basie. But with his latest release, Thoughts of..., drummer Chico Hamilton demonstrates that he is not quite ready to drift into the mute pages of jazz history books just yet. ...
Latin Jazz to Warm Your Winter
by Chris M. Slawecki
Maybe it’s the insidious impact of its generally sunny climates, but Latin jazz, in its many forms, seems to project a sense of warmth. Faced with the prospect of a new winter’s chill, it’s comforting to rediscover in new Latin jazz releases that the source of this heat remains an eternal if occasionally flickering flame.
Postcards from Christmas 2001
by Chris M. Slawecki
In a way, the path of holiday music that annually ends each year sort of parallels the trajectory of Jazz released throughout the rest of the year: The releases come in many forms and styles. Though someone will occasionally pen a contemporary classic, the general repertoire is commonly agreed-upon and standard. With a repertoire so traditional ...
The Conga Kings: Jazz Descargas
by Chris M. Slawecki
On many levels, The Conga Kings’ Jazz Descargas is authentic Afro-Cuban jazz. For starters, Carlos “Patato” Valdes and Candido Camero have been Afro-Cuban music pioneers for decades. Patato is recognized as one of the first to tune his congas to a song’s dominant chord, which contributes harmony to the song’s melody as well as to the ...
Nils Petter Molvaer: Solid Ether
by Chris M. Slawecki
Norwegian trumpet player Nils Petter Molvær captures himself in a swirling electronic nightmare of his own creation on Solid Ether (ECM). A stunning meltdown of classic jazz trumpet styles with modern techno, drum-and-bass and electronic music, Solid Ether continues and expands the stylish deviltry of Khamer, Molvær’s debut as a leader for ECM in 1998. Khamer ...
