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Kerry Politzer Quartet: Labyrinth
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist/composer Kerry Politzer's third CD as a leader, Labyrinth, is described as a set of “Brazilian and jazz" originals. For this listener, the word “Brazilian" evokes lilting rhythms and gentle melodies, but the disc's opener, “Rhodes Rage," a fast samba, has more rage than gentleness. The tune proves itself a high-octane cooker, featuring Andrew Rathbun on ...
Matt Belzer: Connections
by Dan McClenaghan
Connections, featuring seven tunes from the pen of composer/reedman Matt Belzer, opens on a jazz/rock groove--in front of some cool and gorgeous and very unrock-like sax/clarinet harmonies. On a flow of gentle propulsion, “Deep Focus" immediately engages the listener while delving into deeper musical layerings. It's an excellent and approachable introduction to Belzer's original concepts.
Matt Otto: Red
by Dan McClenaghan
Saxophonist Matt Otto is Los Angeles-based these days, but for his fifth CD, Red, he got together with some musical running mates from his time in New York: guitarist Greg Toughy, drummer Qasim Naqvi, and bassist Danton Boller. Considering its standard jazz lineup of tenor sax and a rhythm section, the band has crafted quite an ...
Billy Childs Ensemble: Lyric: Jazz-Chamber Music Vol. 1
by Dan McClenaghan
Los Angeles-based pianist/composer Billy Childs mixes the intimacy of classical European sounds with the spontaneity of American jazz in a creative style he terms “Jazz-Chamber Music." The instrumentation of Lyric tells its story: piano, accoustic guitar, reeds, bass and drums say “jazz"; harp, flute, oboe, bassoon and a string quartet say “classical."The harmonic layering ...
Amy Banks: When the Sun Comes Out
by Dan McClenaghan
Vocalist Amy Banks' third CD, When the Sun Comes Out, spun into a jukebox mode for me. Put a quarter in, play your favorite tune. Back in the early sixties, it was noted that people would play the same song over and over again on these “boxes," a phenomenon that greatly influenced pop/rock radio programming of ...
Michael Pagan Big Band: Pag's Groove
by Dan McClenaghan
The saxophones come prowling out, darkly, on “Essential Trivia," the opening track on Pag's Groove. Then the bass and vibes lighten the feeling, and the Michael Pagán Big Band starts the show off swinging. Gorgeous tones prevail, vivid colors splashing all over the charts. Composer/arranger/bandleader Michael Pagán's arrangements use a palette that includes all the colors, ...
The Uptown Quintet: Live in New York
by Dan McClenaghan
Let's start off with the meat of the matter: Live in New York is hard bop of the highest order; it drives straight ahead with a crackling energy. If Art Blakey can hear this disc up in jazz heaven, he surely has a big grin on his face.And now a tangent. You've got to ...
Paula Lammers: A Blanket of Blue
by Dan McClenaghan
Vocalist Paula Lammers, a music major at Gustavus Adolphus College and holder of a Masters degree in vocal performance from the University of Minnesota, almost gave up performing to devote her energies to teaching. Then the Minnesota Zephyr, a dinner excursion train, clanged into town. She got a job there, riding the rails and singing songs ...
Nickos Kapilidis & The Jazz Utopia: Arothymian
by Dan McClenaghan
Like many jazz fans, I've always got my ears open for a “new" sound, music grounded in tradition that still manages to push the borders. Arothymian qualifies. Mixing melodic and rhythmic elements of Greek music with the harmonic colors found in jazz and contemporary sounds, Nickos Kapilidis & The Jazz Utopia have come up with a ...
Dan Moretti and Once Through: Passing Place
by Dan McClenaghan
When I first heard saxophonist/bandleader Dan Moretti's Once Through, I loved the sound and proclaimed it “a wonderful debut." Moretti promptly wrote me (isn't email a great thing) to say that the release was his ninth as a leader. He was polite but insistent that I fix the published review. I complied, explaining that the sound ...
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