Home » Search Center » Results: Jim Santella
Results for "Jim Santella"
Ray Barretto: Time Was - Time Is
by Jim Santella
The Ray Barretto Sextet delivers. It turns a program of traditional songs and original pieces into a performance of modern jazz designed to inspire. The conguero, who knows about finding rich talent, has put together a stellar ensemble that performs with cohesion, precision, and passion. It's been nearly fifty years since Barretto replaced Mongo ...
Dianne Reeves: Good Night, and Good Luck
by Jim Santella
Dianne Reeves performs on screen in the film Good Night, and Good Luck, which stars David Straithairn as legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow. Shot in black and white, the film contains numerous scenes in which the singer and her quartet deliver the jazz slowly and deliberately. Reeves, one of the world's premier jazz singers, ...
Angela DeNiro: My Shining Hour
by Jim Santella
How is it that scintillating jazz vocalists such as Angela DeNiro can go unnoticed? This is her third album already, and she's still at that “getting acquainted" phase of her career. With a warm delivery, convincing demeanor, and a valuable musical depth in her voice, DeNiro interprets her program of originals and standards with loving care. ...
Rich Halley Trio: Mountains and Plains
by Jim Santella
With their creative ideas flowing naturally, these three musicians open the windows and doors to cast relaxed impressions. The intensity tucked inside their performance ensures, however, that no part of their program becomes too relaxed. A vibrant quality pervades the session, giving life blood throughout. Saxophonist Rich Halley communicates with a whispered tone that ...
Ari Hoenig: Kinetic Hues
by Jim Santella
The Ari Hoenig Group Kinetic Hues Smalls Records 2005 When truly creative artists get together, they issue a memorable proclamation. Ari Hoenig and Jean-Michel Pilc throw ideas around the room like rockets and missiles, as they work out in the intimate performance space at Fat Cat with a ...
Janelle Sadler: Don't Make Me Laugh
by Jim Santella
What stands out on Don't Make Me Laugh is the vibrancy with which Janelle Sadler swings and scats with fluid ease. Articulate and instantly communicative, she's a singer who relates to a broad audience. Jazz and popular music hold hands together on this recommended album. Like a family that hangs out together seven nights ...
Various Artists: 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas
by Jim Santella
Oh, to be a child again and to spend Christmas morning surrounded by the things that Santa Claus left you overnight... Bringing us those Charlie Brown memories from our early television years is an all-star lineup of smooth jazz artists who appreciate the music as much as we do. Surrounded by a large studio ...
Amina Figarova: September Suite
by Jim Santella
The world was changed by the horrific events that took place on September 11th. We were all affected. There's no going back. In composing and interpreting a suite to mark that episode in our lives, pianist Amina Figarova has captured the feelings that we all share. Impressionism remains a vital part of modern jazz, ...
100 Years of Jazz Guitar
by Jim Santella
Various Artists 100 Years of Jazz Guitar Columbia/Legacy 2005 Containing a veritable encyclopedia of written information about the guitarists who have molded jazz during its century of development, this four-CD boxed set has it all. From the earliest recorded traces of jazz guitar to Bill Frisell and John ...
Roscoe Mitchell & Tatsu Aoki: First Look
by Jim Santella
Two masters of improvisation come together on this session, creating a religious experience that leaves plenty of room for individual audience interpretation. On the bottom, Tatsu Aoki fills the room with resonating acoustic bass textures that thump a rhythmic foundation. On the top, Roscoe Mitchell pours improvised flute and saxophone melodies that move like sand falling ...
