Saxophonist Marcus Strickland has come with a brilliant set on Revive/Blue Note called “Nihil Novi”, produced by Meshell Ndegeocello. The album features a few tracks with the wonderful Jean Baylor and also has trumpet maestro Keyon Herrold on tap. The album runs from smooth grooves to warm interludes, free-fall playing to some exceptionally well-executed vocal…
South African trumpeter Darren English has released “Imagine Nation”, his 10-track debut that features four of his original compositions, five standards, and a Dizzy Gillespie piece. His tempo, harmony and structure on the title track, a self-written romp through modern jazz heaven, immediately show his skills and characteristics not only as a top-notch trumpet player,…
New York-based singer and pianist Daryl Sherman has released her latest album on the Japanese label Muzak, Inc. Daryl has performed regularly at the Tableaux Lounge in Tokyo for the past several years and I am more than happy for her success abroad, especially since her long-running, steady gig at the Waldorf in New York…
Producer, director and arranger Doug Richards formed the Great American Music Ensemble in the mid-80s. He recorded this unusual big band in June, 2001 with a few very special guests. And unusual is this ensemble not only because of their distinctive playing, but mostly because of the really outstanding arrangements of the songs on offer….
Norwegian producer, composer, and arranger John Derek Bishop has recorded under several, different names and Tortusa is his ambient music alias. Recorded with famous guitarist and composer Eivind Aarset for Bugge Wesseltoft’s Jazzland Recordings (celebrating 20 years in the business this year), “I Know This Place” is a pretty short, 8-song selection clocking in at…
This is an interesting record from guitarist Julian Lage in various respects: it is his first trio record, it is his first album where he plays electric guitar, and it is his first album produced by singer and songwriter Jesse Harris. All of the 11 tracks on offer are between two and four minutes long…
It’s as if Tommy Flanagan and Bill Evans are coming together as one and meet Hank Jones, each time that I hear pianist Bill Charlap play. The last time he was heard on record was on the brilliantly relaxed and elegant Tony Bennett album with the songs of Jerome Kern. I was lucky enough to hear…
Cheryl Bentyne has recorded a lot of solo albums over the years, in addition to her work with the Manhattan Transfer. Most notably among those, a superb duo recording with the equally impressive Mark Winkler (“West Coast Cool”, 2013). This new compilation with hand-picked songs include tracks that have only been released in Japan. It…
The Spinners were an R&B vocal group from the Detroit area and were first known as the Domingoes. Discovered by producer and singer Harvey Fuqua, they started to record and perform as the Spinners (later they called themselves simply Spinners) in 1961 with their first charted single being “That’s What Girls Are Made For” which reached Number 27…
Tenor saxophonist, composer, and educator Tom Tallitsch who has been around performing and recording for about 25 years now, puts a lot of personal grief and joy into his latest recording “Gratitude”. During the process of recording and writing this album, his father died from a brief illness and Tom himself became a father at…