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Results for "Jim Santella"
Ren: Serene Renegade
by Jim Santella
Modern jazz appeals to those who love spontaneity. As René Marie embraces intuitive poetry and heartfelt memories, she applies a personal touch. Her wordless vocals and lyric interpretations give every performance an improviser's cloak. Interwoven with a mystique, her session can mesmerize an audience in minutes. But it's her fresh spontaneity that makes each performance so ...
Mike Longo: Oasis
by Jim Santella
Mike Longo's New York State Of The Art Jazz Ensemble preserves the big band tradition that he served loyally with Dizzy Gillespie for more than sixteen years. Lyrical ballads and hot romps characterize the spirit well. Collectively, the band provides a balanced performance that swings with a relaxed air. Vocalist Hilary Gardner interprets “Love ...
Ron Surace: Trio City 2: The Return Of The Trio
by Jim Santella
The straight-ahead piano trio that Ron Surace brings to the forum keeps the swing tradition alive while imparting a personal share of the music's qualities. As Tatsu Aoki's soul-stirring bass introduces the group's exotic interpretation of “Caravan," you get the feeling that this familiar face is about to receive a facelift. Sure enough, drummer ...
Beaky: Speak Beak
by Jim Santella
Her smoky voice makes Beaky's debut swing with an easy-to-like presence. The familiar jazz standards that she interprets find their way into your heart without a hitch. She transports her audience off into some distant nightclub in the wee hours, after most of the regulars have gone home. Intimacy is her forte. At once, you feel ...
Adam Rafferty Trio: Three Souls
by Jim Santella
The straight-ahead guitar trio led by Adam Rafferty preserves tradition while injecting new energy into today's jazz scene. Their desire stems from an appreciation of what the music can do for your heart. While this trio's music is contemporary, it's out of a love for the process that they perform. Thus, Three Souls appeals to both ...
Bud Powell: Eternity
by Jim Santella
These solo piano sessions by Bud Powell were recorded between 1961 and 1964 in Paris at the home of his friend, Francis Paudras. The recordings, while made informally and never released, have preserved the sound and the spirit that the pianist espoused as a pioneer of bebop and as an influential force on many aspiring jazz ...
Renaud Garcia-Fons: Entremundo
by Jim Santella
World music is universal. As bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons performs eleven original compositions with his small ensemble, we're treated to the sounds of India, Persia, Spain, Ireland, South America, South Africa, and more. Reaping a contemporary flavor with the harmonic depth of a much larger ensemble, his band provides exotic sounds and pleasant melodies. Born ...
Pete Zimmer Quintet: Common Man
by Jim Santella
Pete Zimmer's quintet swings with a straight-ahead enthusiasm that captures the tradition inspired by a century of jazz. His trumpet/tenor saxophone front line strolls gracefully through this program of originals and standards. Zimmer drives the unit gently from the drum set, encouraging trumpeter Michael Rodriguez, saxophonist Joel Frahm, and both pianists in their search for the ...
Sparrow: The Light, a Tone Poem
by Jim Santella
Sparrow creates one tone poem in eighteen movements on The Light to describe feelings and moods. Derived from the blues, his improvised form of communication leaves impressions for his audience to absorb and interpret. Joanie Pallatto provides lovely wordless vocals and meaningful reading of lyrics to complete the picture. Together, she and Sparrow open doors everywhere. ...
The Jeff Kaiser Ockodektet and the Kaiser/Diaz-Infante Sextet: The Alchemical Mass/Suite Solutio
by Jim Santella
Two progressive artists lead these ensembles in a creative affair. Quiet spaces are interwoven with loud cacophony. A group of orchestral instruments can be made to sound like many things. Here, Jeff Kaiser and Ernesto Diaz-Infante light creative fires and push their ensembles to the limit. “The Alchemical Mass" combines the formal sounds of ...
