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Matt Zebley: Live At Moondog
by Jim Santella
Matt Zebley’s straight-ahead session was recorded at a small café in Los Angeles. At twenty-eight, the artist works from the modern mainstream, establishing his unique voice. Tradition and exploration work side by side. Building a quintet without piano or other chording instrument has proven to be quite rewarding for the Berklee grad, who composed most of ...
Jackie McLean: Nature Boy
by Jim Santella
At 67, Jackie McLean sounds better than ever. Highly recommended, his latest album surrounds that distinctive alto saxophone tone with a seasoned trio, presenting classic songs – the kinds of songs that got us interested in jazz in the first place. “Nature Boy" swings lightly with a loose bebop flavor after McLean first offers the melody ...
Tal Farlow & Red Norvo: On Stage
by Jim Santella
This reunion between Tal Farlow and Red Norvo was recorded at the 1976 Concord Jazz Festival and originally released in 1981. Now available on CD, the session marked their first time together in many years. Along with Charles Mingus, Farlow was a member of the Red Norvo Trio of 1949. Mingus stayed for only a brief ...
La Bottine Souriante: Rock & Reel
by Jim Santella
La Bottine Souriante – Rock & Reel (EMI/Hemisphere) Manufactured by Capitol Records, Hollywood and Vine, Hollywood, CA [47446] (51:18) Label this one in the Fringes of Jazz category. The universal language. When it comes from talented artists working with perfect execution, the music crosses boundaries and appeals to all. Especially when it melds traditional “French North ...
Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers: Roots And Herbs
by Jim Santella
Recorded early in 1961, not released on LP until nine years later, and now available as a CD, Roots And Herbs carries on the tradition of hard bop and those unique features that set the genre apart from other forms of jazz. Art Blakey’s quintet recorded the compositions of Wayne Shorter at three sessions in February ...
Mark Shim: Turbulent Flow
by Jim Santella
Mark Shim’s modern mainstream quintet consists of first-rate artists who possess the technical skills necessary for fast-paced improvisation. This is not a swinging session; the arrangements are intended to push hard and provide the listener with a mood of intensity. The rambling nature allows each artist his solo spots with the opportunity to pump a lot ...
Dave Frishberg: You're A Lucky Guy
by Jim Santella
Dave Frishberg’s highly rated 1978 album swings, with his vocals taking a back seat to Frishberg’s lively piano work. The first time on CD, this session features four quintet tracks, two duets with saxophonist Al Cohn and three solo piano pieces. Frishberg sings “Truckin’," “You’re a Lucky Guy" and “The Underdog." With tremolos and crisp, staccato ...
Don Stiernberg: About Time
by Jim Santella
Classic jazz in the Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli tradition serve to launch new record label Blue Night Records with positive vibrations. Jazz mandolinist Don Stiernberg proves to be the perfect choice, taking an all-acoustic lineup through tried and true standards and making it perfectly clear that these melodies never lose their shine. Samples from six ...
Michael Feinstein: Big City Rhythms
by Jim Santella
What do Michael Feinstein and Maynard Ferguson have in common? They’re both prolific (Feinstein has 18 albums now). Both have an appreciation for popular songs and both employ distinctive sounds. Feinstein’s vocal quality is smooth, shallow and friendly, while Ferguson’s thin, high-pitched trumpet acrobatics are legendary. Neither artist makes full use of music overtones, preferring instead ...
Antonio Ciacca: Hollis Avenue
by Jim Santella
Italian pianist Antonio Ciacca’s modern mainstream quartet session breathes dramatic fire and still contains the necessary dollop of lyrical charm. Thirty years old, favoring Thelonious Monk’s compositional spontaneity, and aware of the need for balance in one’s work, Ciacca leads two different quartets through several standards and a few originals. Young lions all, the artists dish ...
