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Ren: Haunted Heart
by Stephen Latessa
My utter and lamentable ignorance of opera leaves me unable to fully grasp the esteem with which Renée Fleming is held. However, on Haunted Heart, Fleming takes temporary leave of the opera world for pop pastures. Such crossover attempts constitute a mini-genre, albeit one with an almost unbroken string of ill-advised efforts (see the Placido Domingo/John ...
Terry Plumeri: Blue In Green
by Stephen Latessa
The sound that comes from the speakers is immediately arresting. It is a groan, or a whine, or maybe a croon. It shifts and slides from position to position, defying your efforts to pin it down. Now deep and sonorous, now thin and electric as feedback, Terry Plumeri's bowed bass work is endlessly compelling. Pair it ...
Mike Rud: Live From Lotusland
by Stephen Latessa
Canadian guitarist Mike Rud is a player of great touch and lyricism. Live From Lotusland features nine tracks recorded at CBC studios in Vancouver from 2002-04. The music within is highly melodic and inviting, featuring musicians who are clearly at ease with each other. Ray Brown's great “Blues For Junior is given a magnificent ...
John Goldman: In Walked Pierre
by Stephen Latessa
In Walked Pierre is the new disc from Portland, Oregon-born, Chicago-based saxophone and flautist John Goldman. Featuring an assortment of original compositions and choice, individualistic covers, the new disc is smooth, assured, and eclectic. The opening title track, a Goldman original, is a soothing, loping number that features Pierre Walker contributing wordless vocals, often ...
Mel Brown Quartet: Girl Talk
by Stephen Latessa
The notes on the back cover of Girl Talk, the new disc from the Mel Brown Quartet, proudly proclaim that the band has “over 100 years of collective experience. Indeed, an easy, lived-in approach defines the ten tracks on the album. It is the work of veterans whose professionalism yields consistently solid results. The musicians--Mel Brown ...
Lizz Wright: Dreaming Wide Awake
by Stephen Latessa
Lizz Wright has an immediately arresting voice. She sounds equally at home whether reaching for high, airy notes or dropping down for the deepest, earthiest tones. Dreaming Wide Awake finds her taking on an eclectic assortment of songs, including a number of impressive originals. With its stripped down soul/jazz/pop arrangements, the album cannot escape comparisons to ...
Thurman Barker: Strike Force
by Stephen Latessa
I have a real fondness for percussion-based albums. Art Blakey's Drums Around The Corner and The African Beat, not to mention Sabu's Palo Congo, have a quirkily distinctive place in my collection. There is a certain unspoken challenge assumed in making a percussion album. The artist sets out to prove just how musical, for lack of ...
Kevyn Lettau: Bye Bye Blackbird
by Stephen Latessa
Bye Bye Blackbird is the first all-standards album by singer/songwriter Kevyn Lettau. Born in Germany but immigrating to the United States when she was fourteen, Lettau has an appealing surpassingly clear voice. The eleven performances on the disc were arranged by Dori Caymmi and often feature subtle Brazilian flavors that help give a sprightly feel to ...
Michael Lampert: Blue Gardenia
by Stephen Latessa
When you think of lead instruments in jazz, the electric mandolin probably doesn't spring to mind. However, if all its practitioners could match the dexterity and achieve the same feel as Michael Lampert, perhaps that would change. In Lampert's hands, the instrument sounds nothing like what fans of bluegrass would expect. Instead, it sounds closer to ...
Tierney Sutton: I'm With The Band
by Stephen Latessa
Reviewers tend to spend a good amount of time talking about technique and other matters while bypassing the simple question of whether a voice or instrument sounds good. But the sound of vocalist Tierney Sutton's wonderful, supple voice is hard to get around; it's just a pleasure to hear. Pairing her with a talented, sympathetic band, ...
