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Gerard Gibbs & ORGANized Crime: To Be Or Not To B-3
by Jim Santella
Gerard Gibbs' organ trio offers a lot more than the classic ensemble sound that builds from funk and blues. Ten years studying with Groove Holmes and another five with Jimmy Smith has given him the sensitivity to make this debut recording swing hard. The organ trio will never fade from our memories. Gibbs, however, adds more. ...
Bradley Parker-Sparrow: We Are Not Machines
by Jim Santella
Chicago has espoused a long line of creative artists in more than a century of artistic prominence. Combining creative music with thought-provoking lyrics, however, seems to have been a specialty with The Windy City. Jazz, blues, beat poetry, and rap have each made inroads. Sparrow employs each on his latest adventurous album. One is as effective ...
Stefon Harris & Jacky Terrasson: Kindred Spirits
by Jim Santella
Collaboration means working together toward the same goal. Stefon Harris & Jacky Terrasson have a lot in common, and their collaboration seems quite natural. Vibraphone, piano, bass and drums leave a pleasant combination of timbres that is at once familiar and fresh. Responding to each other, the duo creates a fourhanded affair. Their partnership is particularly ...
Steve Tyrell: Standard Time
by Jim Santella
Recalling the years when Basie and Ellington reigned, Steve Tyrell sings standards alongside big band arrangements, strings, and in small ensemble format. His interpretation of these familiar standards certainly brings back the memories. Tyrell's singing voice, gritty and expressive, somewhat resembles the timeless delivery of Tony Bennett. Preferring to walk the straight and narrow by singing ...
The Mike Longo Trio: Still Swingin'
by Jim Santella
Timeless standards from an intimate piano trio bring a lasting impression when they swing. As Mike Longo tells it at jazzbeat.com , “The motivation for making a CD of this nature came as a result of my watching the Ken Burns special on Jazz." Later, he confesses: “I thought, 'There has got to be a contemporary ...
Neal Miner: The Real Neal
by Jim Santella
A bassist’s album is sure to provide that certain sound. Neal Miner takes the melody in hand and walks it gently around the studio. His quartet prefers straight-ahead jazz with an emphasis on melody. Standards provide instant recognition, while Miner’s five swinging originals add fresh sounds. A lyrical bassist, Miner blends a rich tone and seamless ...
Ren: Vertigo
by Jim Santella
Accurate and crisp with a soulful delivery, singer René Marie brings new life to old standards. These are the songs that we recognize automatically. All it takes is a few bars. Natural and personable, Marie brings her second recording as a leader around as straight-ahead and familiar. She pushes the envelope far enough, however, to prove ...
Satoko Fujii Quartet: Vulcan
by Jim Santella
Four forward-looking artists combine their experience and creative passion for one smokin' session. Satoko Fujii has consistently maintained that dramatic tension be applied to jazz in moderate doses. Vulcan rises and falls with a natural feeling. Like the world around us, her compositions encounter changes in mood – from violent to gentle, bold and humble – ...
Bill Anschell: When Cooler Heads Prevail
by Jim Santella
Splitting his session between originals and familiar gems, pianist Bill Anschell brings his third recording as leader to a wider audience. As Nnenna Freelon's musical director in the '90s, he gained experience with the kind of songs that reach out and touch someone. Anschell's web site contains plenty of biographical information. The pianist's arrangement, here, of ...
D.D. Jackson: Sigame
by Jim Santella
D.D. Jackson's piano trio opens his latest album with a down-home flavor. Laid back and wholesome, the piece forms an instant association with Ray Charles. Jackson's improvisation, however, moves off into a different, desired direction. More adventurous than most, the pianist stretches his blues tinge across the keyboard in favor of dynamic inflection. All the compositions ...
