Chances are pretty good that you have a record or two in your collection where John Tropea plays guitar. Just to give you a small selection: he has played on the 1972 Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway album, on albums in the 70s by Lou Donaldson, Luiz Bonfá, Ashford & Simpson, Deodato, Jon Lucien, Blue…
Nils Wogram, the German trombonist with the many hats, offers a new chapter with his Nostalgia project. Together with Arno Krijger on Hammond Organ and Bass Pedals, and Dejan Terzic on Drums and Glockenspiel, his “Nature” album is accompanied by a short story from Tobias Premper, a writer from Berlin. Krijger is new to this…
From Muncie, Indiana, comes singer, composer, and producer Cheri Maree with her second album “360° Woman – Rebirth” who melds Soul, Jazz, Rock, Gospel, Hip Hop with the emphasis clearly on Soul and with a voice that has some kind of Aretha-isms, especially in the higher register. The album opens with the catchy Jill Scott-like…
This new George Benson collection is a double disc which ranges from his triple-platinum “Breezin’” album in 1976 all the way to his Nat King Cole dedication “Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole” in 2013. With one exception: the 1971 CTI record “White Rabbit”, produced by Creed Taylor and garnering Benson’s first Grammy nomination….
On “Dee Dee’s Feathers”, her latest record on Okeh, singer Dee Dee Bridgewater is backed by producer and trumpeter Irvin Mayfield (who is one of the founding members of Los Hombres Calientes) and his New Orleans Jazz Orchestra which consists of 18 members. It’s a party record opening with a song written by New Orleans…
35 year old Norwegian trumpet player Mathias Eick is dedicating his newest ECM release to the American Midwest with the help of pianist Jon Balke, bassist Mats Eilertsen, percussionist Helge Norbakken, and violinist Gjermund Larsen. The latter is featured on the opening title track with a solo which seems to combine the traditional rural country…
“I get up to Aretha, get down to James Brown, looking up to Quincy, inspired by Marvin Gaye”. Those are the words of Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick, founder and mastermind of the immensely popular and successful Incognito on “Life Between The Notes”, the title track of his new solo album and follow-up to “Leap Of Faith”…
Michelle Lordi, a singer from Philadelphia has come up with a beautiful new record which was produced by pianist Orrin Evans. Here’s a singer with some very elegant and sophisticated phrasing who is not showing off everything she can. The opening song, Jay Gorney‘s “You’re My Thrill” from 1933 with lyrics by Sidney Clare, is…
Alto saxophonist Matt Criscuolo from New York has released a new album which was recorded last September at Carriage House Studios in Stamford, Connecticut. Criscuolo has studied with Dick Oatts and Walt Weiskopf. His sixth album, “Headin’ Out”, includes four original tracks starting with the state-of-the-art Modern Jazz of “Enchanted” where he sometimes reminds me…
Chicago-born soul singer Gina Carey has released 11 albums so far, many of them were highly praised in the Gospel charts and market. Her new record “The Soul Singer” includes several midtempo soul swayers like “Eyes Of A Child” which was the first single and showcases her as an artist that deserves much more attention….