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Johnny "Hammond" Smith: Good 'Nuff
by David Rickert
Good Nuff is a perfect title for a Johnny Smith record, given that it aptly describes most of his records. Johnny “Hammond” Smith never earned the acclaim of the other organist who bears his last name, and for good reason; he simply isn’t as talented or inventive as the one who carved out several dynamic sessions ...
Ithamara Koorax: Love Dance: The Ballad Album
by Chris M. Slawecki
Ithamara Koorax has released several albums in Brazil and Japan, but Love Dance is only the second US album for this star from Rio, the follow-up to her debut Serenade in Blue. With her unmistakable voice, Koorax sings English, Portuguese, and Spanish love songs composed by such masters as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz ...
Jim Snidero: Strings
by David A. Orthmann
By staying in touch with his roots as a hard blowing alto saxophonist and leader of razor-sharp small bands, Jim Snidero has successfully married a ten-piece string section and a conventional jazz quartet. His arrangements of six original compositions (including the three-part “River Suite”) and two standards entail a constant shifting between the relative freedom of ...
Dave Ellis: State of Mind
by Franz A. Matzner
A severe gap exists between technical facility and profound expression. The jazz world has become flooded with technically adept performers, and whether they’ve come up from within the rigorous university system or the art institutes, they all display a studied command of their instruments, harmony, sight-reading, and composition. They’ve all been tested, certified, and approved; they’re ...
Eric Alexander: Nightlife In Tokyo
by Franz A. Matzner
"Nemesis," the opening track of Eric Alexander’s latest release, Nightlife in Tokyo, encapsulates within its twisting motif and exotic garb both the positive and negative qualities of the album. The motif is compelling, but only because it is so reminiscent of Coltrane tracks like “India” and “Naima.” The tune provides a utilitarian launching pad for Alexander’s ...
Jimmy Scott: Moon Glow
by Chris M. Slawecki
It took a long time in coming, but Jimmy Scott’s sure found his career groove with his series of “comeback” albums with Todd Barkan for the Milestone label. Barkan somehow knows how to set up Scott’s distinctive vocal presence – an unparalleled dynamic between the performer's exquisite sense of jazz and blues timing, and the ravages ...
Cal Tjader: Latin Concert
by Javier AQ Ortiz
Quick and to the Point : Classic. In hindsight, it is rather easy to understand why this 1958 Cal Tjader group was his best ever. The groove among them is a model of economy, good taste, and simple-yet-profound depth. It sure shows in “The Continental,” with its expertly and tastily executed dynamics converging on Vince Guaraldi’s ...
Vince Guaraldi: The Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites
by David Rickert
Vince Guaraldi has earned a large degree of renown and cemented his place in musical history as the composer of “Linus and Lucy” and the rest of the music for the Charlie Brown TV specials. Guaraldi died in 1976, and thus this new collection is the first by the pianist to appear in quite some time. ...
Vince Guaraldi: The Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites
by Russell Moon
New Age star pianist George Winston has collected tapes of eighty hours of previously unreleased recordings by the late pianist Vince Guaraldi, who died in 1976. Winston recently made these tapes available to Guaraldi's son David. Although the elder Guaraldi recorded this material for Fantasy and Warner Brothers, its current custodian is releasing the first batch ...
Ahmed Abdul-Malik: Jazz Sounds of Africa
by Elliott Simon
A top sideman with Monk and Herbie Mann, bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik must have realized that if he remained parochial it would result in complacency. Early in his career, he chose to explore his Sudanese roots and an association with pianist Randy Weston, known for his own Afro-Jazz blending, perhaps nourished this inclination. During these inquiries, he ...
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