Results for "Mike Valerio"

Mike Valerio

Kevin Kaska Jazz Orchestra: Shades of Rio

By JACK BOWERS

Seductive melodies and danceable rhythms carry the day on Shades of Rio, a tasteful debut recording by the southern California-based Kevin Kaska Jazz Orchestra, which earns the name by using a full string section on most numbers to complement its well-upholstered twenty-three member core ensemble anchored by master drummer Harvey Mason. Kaska, a story unto himself, ...

Kirsten Edkins: Art & Soul

By HRAYR ATTARIAN

Saxophonist Kirsten Edkins delivers a delightful and charming batch of mainstream jazz with her engaging and exuberant debut Art & Soul. The tracks alternate between soulful, smoky burners and cooler, airier ones with relaxed tempos and intricate arrangements. Keyboardist Larry Goldings' earthy, simmering Hammond B3 often drives the former type. For instance, “Mean Greens" ...

Lyn Stanley: Potions: From the ‘50s

By C. MICHAEL BAILEY

We Baby Boomers are a persnickety bunch. We revel in our nostalgia while keeping a jaundiced eye on current trends and how derivative they are compared with those we experienced when they were really new. Critics dismiss this nostalgia as wasted pathos, pining away for what can never be again. That is missing the point. Memory ...

Lorraine Feather

By CARL L. HAGER

Like her contemporary Kurt Elling, Lorraine Feather is that rare jazz vocalist and lyricist who reinvents herself with every project. With the February 2012 release of Tales of the Unusual (Jazzed Media) comes a new self so different that casual fans may not recognize her at first. Some might feel challenged or mystified by these ambitious ...