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Joe Chambers: Mirrors
by Jim Santella
Drummer Joe Chambers, 56, recorded his first Blue Note sessions as a youthful twenty year old, deeply immersed in the New York City jazz scene. While the 1960s were healthy years for the drummer’s professional development, the decade included many distractions for the jazz world. Fusion with rock music and the electronic revolution in equipment introduced ...
Aaron Goldberg: Turning Point
by Jim Santella
Pianist Aaron Goldberg, who turns twenty-five at the end of this month, is one of those people who can do it all. You know the type: dean's list, first-string baseball player, student body president, lady's man, fixes his own car, fluent in seven languages, and still knows the value of a dollar. Now, I don't know ...
Lenora Zenzalai Helm: Spirit Child
by Jim Santella
In her debut recording, singer Lenora Zenzalai Helm scat-sings and transforms poignant lyrics in an array of jazz styles. Helm, who has a vocal degree from The Berklee College of Music in Boston and has represented the U.S. State Department on a month-long tour of Africa, has put together a winning team effort. However, the singer’s ...
Charlie Hunter & Leon Parker: Duo
by Jim Santella
Guitarist Charlie Hunter and percussionist Leon Parker have more going for them than two hands apiece. Hunter can produce several lines simultaneously and evoke organ, bass and guitar, while Parker runs the gamut of textures from his set. Hunter’s composition “The Last Time," for example, finds Parker with one hand on the drums and another with ...
Chris Connor: Warm Cool: The Atlantic Years
by Jim Santella
Shortly before signing with Atlantic, singer Chris Connor released an album on the Charly label titled Cool Chris. Her style of singing conjures up the title of that 1954 album in the same manner as a genre of jazz referred to as “the cool school." It’s the same use of the adjective we apply when dealing ...
Various Artists: Big Band Favorites Of Sammy Nestico
by Jim Santella
Composer and arranger Sammy Nestico is best known for his tenures with the U.S. Air Force Airmen of Note, the U.S. Marine Corps’ White House orchestra, and the Count Basie big band. Summit Records’ session of Nestico’s arrangements is presented by several all-star bands, whose members reside and work in the Los Angeles area. Supporting successful ...
Cassandra Wilson: Traveling Miles
by Jim Santella
Like the career of Miles Davis, Traveling Miles stretches across various musical boundaries. Blending blues, folk, pop, and jazz on one album, singer Cassandra Wilson honors the legendary trumpeter with a sampling from his vast discography. The bebop echoes of “Seven Steps to Heaven," the dramatic modern mainstream modes of “ESP," the earthy fashion of “Resurrection ...
Irakere featuring Chucho Valdes: Yemay
by Jim Santella
Taking its name from a forest region in Africa where percussionists formed the basis for Cuban music two hundred years ago, Irakere blends timbales, congas, drum set and the heavily percussive piano of Chucho Valdés with its tight horn section. Vocal chorus, call & response melodic patterns, traditional rhythms, and exciting improvised instrumental solos mark their ...
Phil DeGreg: The Green Gate
by Jim Santella
From the mainstream, pianist Phil DeGreg leads his trio and quartet through a varied program of material, both familiar and fresh. The pianist, whose experience includes work with Slide Hampton, Stanley Turrentine, Eddie Harris, and Woody Herman’s orchestra, is an Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Real Audio ...
Ken & Harry Watters: Brothers
by Jim Santella
The Summit Records jazz catalog isn’t large, but it offers nothing but the very best. Their emphasis is on brass instruments, and a list of their recordings may be found at http://www.summitrecords.com/records/jazz.rel.html . The quintet on Brothers performs mainstream jazz with a modern twist. They also reach back to more traditional standards such as Harry Watters’ ...
