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Jaco Pastorius Big Band: The Word is Out
by Jim Santella
With this second album by the Jaco Pastorius Big Band, led by Peter Graves in South Florida, we're reminded of the impact that the virtuosic bassist left behind. Pastorius' big band roots go all the way back to his earliest professional development. Before the bassist got noticed, he had been working near his home ...
Janis Siegel: A Thousand Beautiful Things
by Jim Santella
The key word from the title of this latest release by singer Janis Siegel is beautiful. She interprets this lovely program of mainstream songs in such a way that we're able to sit back and reflect on the beauty that each one holds. Her message is sincere. Hers isn't some groove shop exercise where she entertains ...
Sathima Bea Benjamin: Musical Echoes
by Jim Santella
Sathima Bea Benjamin recorded this program of jazz standards in February 2002 when she returned to Cape Town to reconnect. The bassist and drummer working with her are from South Africa. The music, however, is universal. Benjamin uses her veteran ears to experiment with pitch, and her accompanists follow suit. Bassist Basil Moses slides ...
Virginia Mayhew: Sandan Shuffle
by Jim Santella
Karate requires discipline and hard work. So does effective musicianship. Most of the martial arts require fast, aggressive motions that are accompanied by slower, more controlled moves. Sometimes, the hand must stop at precisely the right place or someone will get hurt. This requires constant practice. So does playing the saxophone. And ...
Willie Pickens: Jazz Spirit, Volume 1 & 2
by Jim Santella
Veteran Chicago pianist Willie Pickens began his professional career with Eddie Harris when they recorded Exodus to Jazz and etched a message for several generations to remember with smiles all around. Since then, he's worked with Clark Terry, Elvin Jones, Louie Bellson, and has issued several albums of his own. Pickens has a conservative piano style ...
Thomas, Storrs & Sarpolas: Time Share
by Jim Santella
Spontaneity is what gives jazz its unique voice. This jam session from three veterans (and one younger artist) results in a lovely program where melody works in confluence with harmony and rhythm, in spite of the improvisational nature of the work. With this acoustic and fresh project, the quartet shares its appreciation for shared musical beauty.
Jeff Kaiser / Andrew Pask / G.E. Stinson / Steuart Liebig: The Choir Boys with Strings
by Jim Santella
In following their duo session, The Choir Boys, with this quartet performance a year later, Jeff Kaiser and Andrew Pask once again reach out into the realm of electronic music, unfettered by convention. The Choir Boys with Strings adds guitar and bass to the mix, giving Kaiser's trumpets and Pask's woodwinds an added layer of sounds. ...
Dom Minasi: The Vampire's Revenge
by Jim Santella
With an eerie program that follows from Dom Minasi's impressions of Interview with the Vampire, a novel by Anne Rice, an ensemble of improvising artists supplies heightened emotions and powerful sonic storms in empathy. The leader's guitar can be heard leading with passionate strokes as his band of creative instrumentalists stirs up a maelstrom of activity. ...
An Evening with Lena Horne
by Jim Santella
Lena Horne An Evening with Lena Horne Blue Note 2006 The sentiment that comes embedded in Lena Horne's classy 1994 concert performance at the Supper Club in New York, is enough to carry the show all by itself. Her magnetic personality gives the cabaret performance a full charge ...
Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers: Big Blues Party
by Jim Santella
Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers Big Blues Party Blind Pig Records 2005 The blues of Rod and Honey Piazza is universal. Sure, we call it Chicago blues, but their magic formula has spread all over the world. He sings and plays a mean harp, while Honey drives ...
