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Ed Calle: Sunset Harbor
by John Sharpe
Lovers of Kenny G. and smooth jazz may find Sunset Harbor to be a nice place to visit--I did not. Although tenor saxophonist Ed Calle has worked with some recognizable talents over the years, Gloria Estefan, Bob James, Julio Iglesias, etc., I find nothing distinctive or original in his playing or his compositions. This is standard ...
Justin Robinson: The Challenge
by John Sharpe
For every young jazz musician the challenge lies in their ability to develop an original, uniquely identifiable sound. Altoist Justin Robinson, whose sound and approach owe a huge debt to Charlie Parker, has a way to go before he meets that goal. Justin spent some time in the short-lived Harper Brother's band (along with pianist Stephen ...
Marcus Printup: Nocturnal Traces
by John Sharpe
Trumpeter Marcus Printup may echo the sounds of the greats, but this young, hard-bopper is slowly finding his voice and is making quite a name for himself. His tone on this CD, his third for BlueNote as a leader, is tart and tangy, very musical and totally confident. His assured demeanor could be explained by the ...
J. J. Johnson and Ray Anderson: Heroes and Funkorific
by John Sharpe
Many years ago, I played the trombone in my high-school band. Personally, I found it to be a rather awkward, unwieldy instrument. These two discs demonstrate that, in the hands of master musicians, the old 'bone is capable of great range and expressive versatility. Heroes and Funkorific are a study in contrasts between the legendary veteran ...
Gil Melle: Complete Blue Note 50's Sessions
by John Sharpe
This wonderful 2-CD set by saxophonist Gil Melle is one of six titles released as part of Blue Note's new Connoisseur 10" series. The set consists of four 10" LPs and the one 12" LP (Patterns In Jazz) Gil recorded for the label. These extremely rare sessions contain a mix of straight bop, a number of ...
Maynard Ferguson: Brass Attitude
by John Sharpe
Maynard has scaled back the personnel of his orchestra in recent years but his 10-piece Big Bob Nouveau still packs a hefty punch. They provide plenty of brassy backing and rhythmic muscle for Maynard's lip-busting high note gyrations. Although he has recently shown a certain degree of restraint, the seventy-year-old trumpeter is still capable of uncorking ...
Michael Kaeshammer: Tell You How I Feel
by John Sharpe
What sort of strange, cross-cultural jazz hybrid do we have here? This twenty-one-year-old whiz kid was born in Germany, moved to Vancouver and tickles the ivories like old time stride/boogie-woogie legends Fats Waller, Pete Johnson and Meade “Lux" Lewis! The eleven tracks on Tell You How I Feel, Michael's second release, run the stylistic gamut from ...
Yellowjackets: Club Nocturne
by John Sharpe
The Yellowjackets have undergone a number of personnel changes over their seventeen-year history. Original members Russell Ferrante (piano/keyboards) and Jimmy Haslip (bass) are now joined by William Kennedy (drums) and Bob Mintzer (tenor/soprano). The addition of Mintzer, a player with solid, straight-ahead jazz credentials, gives the Yellowjackets a slightly harder edge than many of their R&B/fusion ...
Various Artists: Jazz For The Quiet Times
by John Sharpe
Jazz For The Quiet Times holds the distinct honor of being the first album from 32 Jazz to top the Billboard “Traditional Jazz" Chart. This 12-track compilation of soothing standards and ballads provides the perfect aural accompaniment to those days when you just want to stretch out and relax. Although no dates are given, it appears ...
Keith Jarrett: Tokyo '96
by John Sharpe
Hard to believe that it's been over twenty years since Jarrett released his landmark Koln Concert album. Over the course of the next two decades he released an enormous (some would say self-indulgent) amount of material in both solo and group settings. Yet, as Tokyo '96 demonstrates, Keith Jarrett remains a vital force and his “standards" ...
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