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The Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra: The Stage Door Still Swings (And Movies Too)
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Since around 2001, noted trumpeter Mike Vax has periodically assembled an extraordinarily talented group of former members of the Stan Kenton's, Maynard Ferguson's and other elite bands and led that crew on short performance tours (and clinics) around various sections of the United States. While an alum group and not a “ghost band," their repertoire is ...
Tony Adamo: Sun Ra Throws a Brick Through a Jazz Window
by Nicholas F. Mondello
When one listens to the work of Tony Adamo, there needs to be a self-understanding that Adamo's approach to jazz completely abolishes any pre-conceptions of what “singing," “vocalese," and “storytelling" are. His efforts are a highly-stylized ultra-hip gumbo of these things, usually overlaid over a swinging, driving rhythmic platform. His is music intense and this track ...
Gio Washington-Wright and Michael Breaux: Maxine
by Nicholas F. Mondello
In 1982, after his Steely Dan tenure with the late Walter Becker and striking out on his own, pianist/composer Donald Fagen released “Maxine" as a single. It was also included in Fagen's first solo album, The Nightfly (Warner Brothers Records, 1982). The track and album featured some of the finest studio musicians, including the famed Brecker ...
Eric Jacobson: Discover
by Nicholas F. Mondello
With Discover, Milwaukee-based trumpeter and jazz educator Eric Jacobson and team take us on an aural time trip back to the days when album covers were iconically black and white or monochrome and the contents within were drenched in blue-hued Hard Bop. This is a fine effort with that precise presentation. “New Combinations," ...
Diane Marino: I Hear Music
by Nicholas F. Mondello
"I Hear Music," from Nashville-based vocalist, pianist and arranger Diane Marino, is a twelve-track retrospective of selections--famous and not so--drawn from the Songbook, as well as being associated with such great artists as Dakota Staton, Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O'Day, and others. The opener, the rarely heard “I Hear Music," is Marino's fine upbeat ...
Glenn Zottola & Chick Corea: The Legend & I
by Nicholas F. Mondello
With his untimely passing in February 2021, accolades emanated worldwide from musicians, critics and fans about multi-Grammy winner Chick Corea. What was less known then is the fact that Corea and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Glen Zottola were not only longtime close pals, but frequently interacted musically. The Legend & I is an artistic culmination of that friendship ...
Victor Haskins: Ikigai
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Ikigai is a Japanese concept which pertains to leading a vibrant, fulfilling, purposeful life. Over his career, Victor Haskins, who spent his early years in India, has obviously been influenced by the improvisational potential of music. With Ikigai, the visionary performer, composer and creator of “ImproviStory" delivers an utterly enthralling sonic exploration in nine originals.
Andrea Tofanelli & The Trumpet Show Band: Vulcano
by Nicholas F. Mondello
In the Tyrrhenian Sea, just north of Sicily sits the tiny island of Vulcano, the mythological chimney of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan. While Italian trumpeter, Andrea Tofanelli may or may not be paying pay tribute to Vulcan or his eponymous isle, with Vulcano he's gathered some of Italy's top players to deliver 10 explosive ...
