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….
As a music fanatic growing up in the late 70s/early 80s (mostly listening to the entire Stevie Wonder catalog) and soon exploring the bars, clubs and discos of Cologne, a perfect night-out always depended on the best music mix: the cherished disco classics combined with seldom-heard pieces and new discoveries. In those “formative” years, I’ve heard…
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…
It was Bill Henderson who recorded Horace Silver’s “Senor Blues” for Blue Note Records in 1958. Bill also worked with Wynton Kelly, Yusef Lateef, Ramsey Lewis, and started to release several albums in the late 50s on Vee-Jay Records. In the 60s, Bill worked with Eddie Harris, Oscar Peterson, and Count Basie and after settling…
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…
The passion and fire of tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri‘s playing and writing certainly had its artistic and commercial peak with his score for Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Last Tango In Paris” from 1973, where the Argentinian musician, who was born into a very musical family, merged both his Latin and his jazz influences into a unique style….
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…
Legendary saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who was certainly more than a blind musician who could play three horns at once, is the topic of a documentary called “The Case Of The Three Sided Dream”. The streaming of the movie and the download on vimeo on demand will be available on May 1st, with iTunes coming later…
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 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will produce the Jazz Masters Tribute Concert on Monday, April 4th at 8pm ET. This year’s recipients are vibraphonist Gary Burton, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, saxophonist Archie Shepp, and musicians’ advocate Wendy Oxenhorn. Participating musicians are Randy Weston, Jimmy Heath, Ambrose Akinmusire, Lakecia Benjamin, Stefon Harris, Justin Kauflin, Rudresh Mahanthappa,…