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Tamir Hendelman: Destinations
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
Destinations, pianist Tamir Hendelman's second CD as leader, is a bold and satisfying follow-up to his 2008 debut, Playground (Swing Bros). There are many fine pianists with impressive technique and swing who are convincing in a number of styles, play with real feeling, and contribute a tuneful original or two. What increasingly distinguishes Hendelman is his ...
The Continuing Adventures of the Mad Musician and the Bipolar Genius
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
For those interested in the continued rumors about bipolar geniuses and mad musicians, here's the latest installment of my campaign against those popular myths. This article appeared in the May/June issue of The National Psychologist, the 19 year-old newspaper for independent psychology practitioners that prints what's really going on in the trenches, as opposed ...
Gene Lees, 1928-2010: Someone Who Lit Up My Life
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
On April 23, 2010 we all lost Gene Lees, the incomparable jazz writer, historian, and lyricist. I also lost an irreplaceable mentor and friend. Unlike the great pianist Eddie Higgins--who died criminally unsung in 2009--Gene was granted a New York Times obituary. Published on April 27, it was written by Peter Keepnews, who attributes ...
Bill Mays: Mays at the Movies
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
Bill Mays has spent much of his career as a first-call studio pianist in Hollywood, accompanying singers like Sarah Vaughan and Al Jarreau, and playing on movie soundtracks. Moreover, his most recent CDs have involved his innovative third-stream group, The Inventions Trio, with trumpeter Marvin Stamm and cellist Alisa Horn. As a result, Mays's profile may ...
Lorraine Feather: Ages
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
Lorraine Feather, daughter of famous jazz critic Leonard Feather, is a seven-time Emmy nominee who once sang backup for Petula Clark and Grand Funk Railroad and has released eight well-received recordings of her own, including Language, (Jazzed Media, 2008). It does not diminish her musicality, charm, or wit to say that, more often than not, Ages ...
Gene Harris, Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones: For the Love of Ivory
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
These CDs have two major things in common: they each represent the very best of jazz piano, and they're both recorded live, with appreciative audiences whose rapture is contagious. With no studio fixes and no second chances, they also provide that pure, breathless excitement that comes from working without a net. Gene Harris ...
Tamir Hendelman: Living a Dream
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
One of those “overnight sensations" who's been working steadily for years, Israeli-born pianist and composer Tamir Hendelman has finally caught a rocket. A member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Jeff Hamilton Trio, as well as leader of his own groups, Hendelman is also a first-call arranger and accompanist for some of the best vocalists ...
The Nice Guy Trio: Here Comes the Nice Guy Trio
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
It's obvious just from this trio's composition--trumpet, accordion, and bass--that something new is going on. It's also clear that to fully appreciate this boundary-busting CD, you must let go of your usual musical signposts. Even a taste for the wildest of free jazz won't prepare you for this music, since it's far too thoughtfully conceived and ...
Graham Dechter: Right on Time
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
Memo to all those folks who insist that “real" jazz is dead, or at least on life support: do check out the leader/producing debut of 23-year-old guitarist Graham Dechter. His Right on Time supplies irrefutable evidence that the tradition is not only alive, but flourishing, because of young artists like Dechter who are both able and ...
Hot Club of San Francisco: Hot Club Cool Yule
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
The liner notes imply that this is the Christmas album Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli might have made, had they made one. Certainly the The Hot Club of San Francisco is a virtuosic group that specializes in conjuring that era (see their masterful Bohemian Maestro for a recent example). But there's a wealth of delicious humor ...
