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Louis Smith: Soon
by C. Andrew Hovan
Fast approaching his 70th birthday, trumpeter Louis Smith made a minor splash with the two Blue Note records he led back in the mid ‘50s, only to then vanish under the cover of jazz pedagogy. To be exact, from 1958 to 1978 Smith did not perform or record as a leader, but was active as an ...
Harold Danko Quartet: Stable Mates
by C. Andrew Hovan
It’s a shame that we see so little press for those few working bands currently in existence. It’s bad enough that money and schedules make it difficult to keep any kind of firm line-up in place for very long, making such business enterprises almost unviable these days. Little beyond their developing catalog of SteepleChase sides seems ...
Reuben Brown: Blue and Brown
by C. Andrew Hovan
A native of Washington D.C., pianist Reuben Brown seems to have made a few records back in the early ‘90s and then disappeared, taken off the scene by some illness alluded to in the liners to this set. In addition to those sides cut in 1994 that appeared on his debut trio date for SteepleChase, Ice ...
Dave Ballou: Volition
by C. Andrew Hovan
In his liner notes to this, the second date as a leader from trumpeter Dave Ballou, writer Mark Gardner sagaciously mentions Tim Hagan, John Swana, and Tom Williams among the talented crew of trumpeters who emerged during the early ‘90s. Of course, Ballou also fits into this group and each of these four men have in ...
Doug Raney: The Backbeat
by C. Andrew Hovan
Some how out of the lineage of significant jazz guitarists, the late Jimmy Raney gets left out of the mix. In equal fashion, it seems like his son Doug suffers from the same lack of awareness on the part of the general jazz public. Doug’s choice to reside in Denmark probably doesn’t help the recognition factor ...
Vic Juris Quartet: Remembering Eric Dolphy
by C. Andrew Hovan
As a significant statement of its own by guitarist Vic Juris and his sympathetic ensemble, Remembering Eric Dolphy is an undeniable success. As the tribute affair its title suggests it proves to be far more illusive. For one thing, out of the ten selections only four happen to be Dolphy originals, while the rest are new ...
Ron McClure Quartet: Dream Team
by C. Andrew Hovan
It would be hard to argue with bassist and leader Ron McClure when he assesses the musicians assembled here as being a “dream team”. Drummer Billy Hart alone guarantees the success of just about any record date he is a part of, while pianist Marc Copland has recently been turning heads with his own acclaimed series ...
Danny Walsh Quintet: D's Mood
by C. Andrew Hovan
Leave it to SteepleChase producer Nils Winther to have the fortitude for discovering and then giving recording opportunities to the likes of Ari Ambrose, Michael Cochrane, Dave Ballou, and George Colligan in recent years. Now add to this list the name of alto and tenor saxophonist Danny Walsh. Although he has been heard these days with ...
Michael Cochrane Quartet: Cutting Edge
by C. Andrew Hovan
His resume is an imposing one, marked by gigs with Sonny Fortune, Jack Walrath, Eddie Gomez, Clark Terry, Michael Brecker, Chip White, the Spirit of Life Ensemble, Nancy Monroe, and many more. Add to that beneficial training from the likes of Jaki Byard, Eleanor Hancock and the legendary Madame Chaloff. This gives you just a simple ...
Michal Urbaniak Quartet: Ask Me Now
by C. Michael Bailey
Be Bop Be Bop Be Bop Be Bop Be Bop Be Bop It was not so long ago that I was reviewing a Columbia re-release of Urbaniak's Fusion. That recording found the violinist very much in a Jimi Hendrix/Miles Davis electronic mood (appropriate for the early '70s). While a landmark recording, Fusion did not age well. ...


