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Tommaso-Rava Quartet: La Dolce Vita
by Jim Santella
Interpreting film score themes that have affected us for the past forty years, the Tommaso-Rava quartet draws upon various moods that have been inspirational to millions. Cool, calm and collected, the four artists expand upon each theme's original impression and create dreamscapes that grow out of what has passed before us. Trumpeter Enrico Rava ...
Chris Thompson: Red Morning Rise
by Jim Santella
Trumpeter Chris Thompson surrounds the satin-smooth tone of his horn with an array of contemporary musical sounds, both hip-hop and contemporary. Synthesized sounds and mechanical rhythms push his trumpet into the background at times, and they tend to be overwhelming. While the trumpeter's free-flowing melodies soar with a relaxed ease, his horn features are relegated to ...
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: Drum Suite
by Jim Santella
The all-star lineup on Drum Suite gives the album high marks before one note of music is played. It's a piece of history. Released in 1957, the album merged Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with several other musical forces that proved fruitful, rhythmically and otherwise. With this reissue come several bonus tracks that had appeared ...
Neal Caine: Backstabber's Ball
by Jim Santella
It's an odd title for a superb album. The compositions are Neal Caine's, and he leads with a powerful rhythmic stroke from behind his big double bass. Two tenors, Ned Goold and Stephen Riley, give him plenty of lyrical matter, playing it soft and whispery as Caine's quartet emphasizes straight-ahead jazz with a comfortable grasp of ...
Don Ellis: Essence
by Jim Santella
Originally released in 1962 on Pacific Jazz as P-55, this reissue has been a long time coming. It reveals the kernel of Don Ellis that later blossomed into a broad-based big bandleader who straddled the fence between mainstream jazz and free jazz. His intellectually complex compositions have always knocked the socks off listeners and performers alike.
Don Ellis: Don Ellis at Fillmore
by Jim Santella
What a memorable album. I guess I grew up on this one. That was back when my hair still had color, my knees both worked quite well, and I still had that “fresh out of college" attitude that took me off in many directions at once. Don Ellis takes you off on a whirlwind ...
Mark Sherman: One Step Closer
by Jim Santella
Vibraphonist Mark Sherman lights fires with this straight-ahead session. His sterling sextet of all-star jazz veterans lends a cohesive hand to interpret his set of original compositions and standards with authority. Emulating the vocal qualities of his instrument, Sherman spins slow ballads and up-tempo romps with facility. The round edges of his vibraphone tones ...
Sarah DeLeo: The Nearness of You
by Jim Santella
Sarah DeLeo's fresh voice interprets this program of standards with a knowing heart. It has an innocence that rings positive. She gives you the feeling that we're at liberty to lighten up, relax a while, and let the music take care of our worries. Resonating with a youthful timbre, DeLeo's voice appears frail and ...
Beaux J Poo Boo: All Things are New
by Jim Santella
The name Beaux J Poo Boo comes from a Les McCann composition which means just about the same thing as the title of this album. Many things go into the makeup of a veteran jazz quartet, and each member brings something new to the microphone. Here, we have a swinging guitarist who interprets lyrical phrases with ...
Kris Tiner and Mike Baggetta: There, Just As You Look For It
by Jim Santella
Trumpeter Kris Tiner and guitarist Mike Baggetta interpret this set of original compositions with an ear toward meaningful conversation and an eye on balance. Baggetta's light, acoustic guitar spits and spurts with understated emotion, while Tiner's horns express a wide range of feelings. Their musical conversation heats up in places and slows to a crawl elsewhere ...
