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204

Article: Album Review

Torben Waldorff Quartet: Brilliance

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by Dan McClenaghan
January 6, 2007

Don't expect Brillance to blow the roof off the house or light up any fireworks in the sky. This quartet outing--recorded live at the 55 Bar, NYC--stays for the most part in a subdued and reflective mode.Guitarist Torben Waldorff was born in Denmark and is now based in the Oresund Region of Malmö, Sweden. ...

472

Article: Album Review

Sonny Rollins: Sonny, Please

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by Dan McClenaghan
January 4, 2007

Tenor saxophone legend Sonny Rollins took his band into the studio in late 2005 and early 2006 after a tour in Japan to record Sonny Please, his first studio recording in five years. According to Rollins, “...a string of performances tightens up an ensemble...," and a spin of the disc bears that out. A tighter ensemble ...

173

Article: Album Review

Steve Herberman: Action:Reaction

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by Dan McClenaghan
December 29, 2006

One extra string--from six to seven--does indeed make a difference on the guitar. It extends the bass range, and it lends an added richness to the harmonies. Like fellow guitarist Fred Fried, Steve Herberman plays a seven string instrument to craft a distinctive sound. Herberman's previous CD, Thought Lines (Reach Music, '02) mixed standards and originals. ...

815

Article: Year in Review

Dan McClenaghan's Top Ten for 2006

by Dan McClenaghan
December 27, 2006

Ornette Coleman Sound Grammar Sound Grammar Records The free jazz alto saxophone legend's first CD release in a decade finds him at the top of his game, backed by two basses--Tony Falanga and Gregory Cohen, bowing and plucking, respectively--and his son, drummer Denardo. ...

201

Article: Album Review

Ed Spargo: Playroom

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by Dan McClenaghan
December 23, 2006

For a guy who has spent the bulk of his musical career as a sideman, bassist Ed Spargo has certainly cranked up the energy level on his work as a leader in 2006. Earlier this year he released Ed Spargo, his second CD outing as a leader, after 1998's Invisible Man (City Boy Records). With Playroom, ...

230

Article: Album Review

Steve Turre: Keep Searchin'

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by Dan McClenaghan
December 21, 2006

Few jazz artists today are as adept as Steve Turre in straddling the “one foot in the future, one foot in the past" endeavor. On his past two CD releases, the long-time Saturday Night Show trombonist tipped his hat to a couple of past masters: to fellow trombonist J.J. Johnson with One4J: Paying Homage to J.J. ...

148

Article: Album Review

Don Aliquo: Jazz Folk

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by Dan McClenaghan
December 18, 2006

Tenor saxophonist Don Aliquo is based in Nashville, Tennessee, but his sound on Jazz Folk sounds very East Coast mainstream. His smooth, clean tenor tone and seemingly fluid and intricately articulate flow of always surprising ideas brings veteran saxophonist George Coleman to mind, especially the way he makes it sound so easy.Aliquo teams up ...

282

Article: Album Review

The Alex Levin Trio: A Reason for Being Alone

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by Dan McClenaghan
December 14, 2006

The title of this disc might suggest an inward-looking or melancholic listening experience; but the Alex Levin Trio, plus a couple of tenor saxophonists sitting in--Max Hacker and Stacy Dillard--blows the roof off on the opener, “Blues on Thursday." It's a bright, gregarious, Art Blakey-esque sound, the horns sparring like a couple of free-swinging welterweights, snapping ...

237

Article: Album Review

Neil Podgurski's New Fire: Revolutions

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by Dan McClenaghan
December 7, 2006

There's a lot of joy and quirky, off-center energy in pianist Neil Podgurski's playing; his style brings Bud Powell or Elmo Hope to mind. Podgurski is the leader of the group New Fire, and he is also the composer of all the tunes on the band's debut disc, Revolutions.It's great to hear a debut ...

109

Article: Album Review

Jacob Varmus: All the Things We Still Can Be

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by Dan McClenaghan
December 4, 2006

Some influences are readily apparent on trumpeter Jacob Varmus' debut disc, All the Things We Still Can Be, especially Chet Baker and Miles Davis, circa mid-'50s to mid-'60s. The set opens with a buoyant Varmus original, “Ecstatic Little Porpoises." Varmus' tone is warm and round and a bit soft-tufted, like Baker's, as he blows a bright ...