Results for "Jo Lawry"

Jo Lawry

Rarely does a singer come along in whom virtuosity meets sensitivity. Jo Lawry at once tests the limits of technical facility and explores the furthest reaches of musical expression. Her music, steeped in the jazz tradition without being constrained by its traditional forms and functions, demonstrates a unique combination of maturity and inventiveness. Born in South Australia, Jo was awarded a 2003 Fulbright Fellowship for study in the United States, which led her to New York where she still resides. There, she studied with such jazz luminaries as Javon Jackson and John Riley, and recorded with Renee Rosnes, Peter Washington and Lewis Nash

Laila Biali: Out Of Dust

By DAN BILAWSKY

There's no boxing Laila Biali in. A sharp-minded songwriter, respected pianist and celebrated vocalist who straddles jazz and pop with unusual ease and strength of vision, Biali is truly beyond category. Possessing clear eyes, a perceptive mien and a sharpshooters's gifts in regard to emotional aim, she often expresses more in a single breath than others ...

Aubrey Johnson: Unraveled

By DAN BILAWSKY

Serving as a statement of elucidation, exploration and emotional reasoning, Unraveled lays bare a unique soul while presenting a clear-headed means of disentangling complex artistic threads. It's an album that's as sophisticated as it is accessible and as personal as it is universal in its line(s) of thought. In short, it's a debut destined to stand ...

Anat Cohen/Fred Hersch: Live In Healdsburg

By DAN BILAWSKY

When you think of these two lauded artists, duo encounters aren't the first thing likely to come to mind. Pianist Fred Hersch spends most of his time toggling between solo and trio work, and it's almost impossible to keep up with the size and/or scope of clarinetist Anat Cohen's varied pursuits. But that's not to say ...

Peter Eldridge: Disappearing Day

By EDWARD BLANCO

Pianist, songwriter and Grammy Award-winning singer Peter Eldridge unveils his fifth solo album with Disappearing Day, presenting a varied mix of styles from jazz and alternative to a country-tinged piece, on seven original tunes and five covers offering arrangements from Paul McCartney, Leonard Bernstein to Frank Sinatra. This is not your typical jazz vocal album where ...

Peter Eldridge: Disappearing Day

By DAN BILAWSKY

It wouldn't necessarily be inaccurate to refer to Peter Eldridge as a “singer-songwriter," but that tag definitely does not fit him. Such a label just undercuts the creative brilliance behind his music, diminishing the beauty, truth, strength, wit, and compassion in his work. The man is far more than a simple spinner of songs. His is ...

Christopher Zuar Orchestra: Musings

By BUDD KOPMAN

There is no doubt that composer Christopher Zuar's debut recording Musings is an impressive achievement. The sheer overall sonic brilliance and obvious control of the instrumental forces at hand signal a talent to be reckoned with. Not even thirty at the time of the recording, Zuar's music is surprisingly mature and well conceived. The ...

Will Vinson: Perfectly Out Of Place

By DAN BILAWSKY

Perfectly Out Of Place--the sixth album from saxophonist Will Vinson--is a marvel of compositional design, textural beauty, and musicality. It's both in keeping with his previous work and several steps beyond and above. While Vinson is essentially sticking with his favored quintet format on this one, he's expanded his sonic palette by adding ...