Home » Search Center » Results: Jim Santella
Results for "Jim Santella"
Carla Cook: Simply Natural
by Jim Santella
"Simply Natural." The song's title describes what Carla Cook is all about and what makes her such a thrilling vocalist. She's genuine. Both her scat singing and her lyric interpretations result in a relaxed atmosphere where everyone can sit back and enjoy being a part of it. Accompanists Bruce Barth and Cyrus Chestnut are in fine ...
Lester Young: The Complete Savoy Recordings
by Jim Santella
Savoy’s complete compilation travels through two and a half hours of Lester Young’s studio sessions and rehearsal time. There are several takes for many of the numbers, and the listener has the opportunity to weigh which takes really matter. They all sound great. Some amount to false starts, and others appear to have minor balance differences. ...
Herbie Hancock: The Herbie Hancock Box
by Jim Santella
A retrospective of his work, Herbie Hancock’s four-CD boxed set hits most of the high points. Both acoustic and electric styles are included, as the performance dates range from 1973 to 1988. They’re not simply laid out in chronological order. Instead, Hancock and producers Bob Belden & David Rubinson have taken the time and effort to ...
Greg Adams: Midnight Morning
by Jim Santella
Trumpeter Greg Adams spent much of his career with Tower Of Power. He learned what makes popular music popular. His smooth jazz arrangements remain colored with synth wallpaper and crisp, programmed percussion. Adams' horn has the spotlight throughout, but he refrains from saying much. Light melodies that ebb and flow remain popular, but there's never much ...
Jeff Kaiser & Brad Dutz: The Order Of Her Bones
by Jim Santella
The origins of creative music must go back a lot farther than early European string quartets and small chamber groups from other continents. Music contains such primordial energy that it must surely have begun as one of the very first forms of communication. Imagine early man talking to the spirits. Maybe he and his clan worked ...
George Coleman, Mike Stern, Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb: 4 Generations Of Miles
by Jim Santella
George Coleman's muscular tone and passionate manner exemplify the core of Miles Davis' art. Along with Mike Stern, Ron Carter and Jimmy Cobb, the tenor saxophonist performed a tribute to Davis earlier this year, on May 12th. Their approach is straight-ahead and right down the middle. It's a comfortable fit. One look at the song listing ...
Jeff "Tain" Watts: Bar Talk
by Jim Santella
Propelling his modern mainstream ensemble with clarity, through rigorous action, drummer Jeff “Tain" Watts combines free form humor with swinging rhythms. Complex patterns mingle with delicate waves of motion. For his second Columbia recording as a leader, Watts returns to the studio with a familiar band. As a result of his firm leadership and thoughtful planning, ...
Curtis Lundy: Purpose
by Jim Santella
As if working a nightclub session in the wee hours of the morning, Curtis Lundy's quintet purrs with a smooth sound and a subtle, but forceful, rhythmic drive. The bassist was a student at Miami University in 1979 when Betty Carter “discovered" him and brought him to New York. Since then, he's had many opportunities to ...
Hugh Ragin: Feel The Sunshine
by Jim Santella
Hugh Ragin's title track reminds us that music communicates expression. His passion shines through warmly. By adopting the classic jazz quintet format for his third Justin Time release, the trumpeter has retained a mainstream sensibility. However, his adventurous nature remains evident from start to finish. Standards and originals swing, while introducing flights of fancy throughout. The ...
Patricia Barber: Verse
by Jim Santella
Eclectic in everything she does, Patricia Barber has come up with a winner in Verse. Sound samples may be found at www.patriciabarber.com . All original material, Barber's songs tell stories and bring each tale's meaning around emphatically through modern mainstream jazz interpretations. Reaching into folk song territory, the vocalist provides timeless spiritual communication: made for jazz ...
