11 Feb
Bobby Darin Live ! At The Desert Inn by Bobby Darin
Friday, 11 February 2005
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Bobby Darin Live! at the Desert Inn was originally recorded in 1971 and it shows off what an outstanding performer Bobby Darin was. Darin could sing just about anything …
06 Feb
DVD: In Concert In Holland by Bill Bruford & Michiel Borstlap
Sunday, 06 February 2005
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Watching this live footage of drumming god, Bill Bruford and the exceptionally talented Dutch keyboardist Michiel Borstlap in action, signifies exhilaration personified.…
31 Jan
The Quiet Room by Alex K. Redfearn and The Eyesores
Monday, 31 January 2005
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This large ensemble hailing from Rhode Island presents more than but a few curious propositions. Led by accordionist, and multi-instrumentalist Alex K. Redfearn, this nonet…
30 Jan
4+ Four by Turtle Island String Quartet with the Ying Quartet
Sunday, 30 January 2005
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One of the most innovative string groups, and certainly a groundbreaker, the Turtle Island String Quartet opened the way for improvisation as they performed arrangements of…
01 Jan
Coleman Hawkins/Johnny Hodges in Paris by Hawkins & Rhythm/ Hodges & Orch
Saturday, 01 January 2005
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These side were originally recorded in Paris in 1949 (Hawks) and 1950 (Rabbits). The five Hawkins sides use French sidemen (except K. Clarke) and are ALL RIGHT. But the Hod…
Someone who loves eugene pao??If someone loves him, you must try this album.It is one of the greatest fusion CDs out of Hong Kong....…
Harri Stojka is a gypsy guitarist from Vienna. That in itself is enough to make comparisons to the king of the gypsies, Django Reinhardt, expected. The thrill is that th…
02 Aug
DVD: Rockers: 25th Anniversary Edition by Rockers: 25th Anniversary Edition
Monday, 02 August 2004
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Like The Harder They Come, this is a movie that takes the viewer deep into the day to day reality of Jamaican Rastafari musical culture, at least the scene as it …
Here’s something really different. Ebony & Ivory is clarinetist Fred Jacobowitz and keyboardist Andrew Gilpin. The international duo (US and Canada) en…
If something inside of you is touched by the sounds of gypsy jazz, then you must listen to this release. Austrian born, Harri Stojka is as authentic as it gets. S…
If you’re a fan of guitar and classic swing music, then the new CD by Harri Stojka is just what your looking for. Though a few of the songs seem a little redundant, "A Trib…
Swanee River - Jelinek's banjo opens as if to say "Ready? Here we go." This new and fun version of the Foster classic is indeed a fast trip down the old river. Har…
When I invest in a CD I want more from it than a sound to fill dead air, I want an experience. The self titled album by the band ABATERÍA provides such an experience, it is…
Having heard a few sound samples recently, I was delighted when Harri Stojka sent along his new album for review. Stojka is a highly talented Austrian guitarist who …
Moving away from the cheap dilettantism of most jazz players, Harri Stojka knows which place to fill in today’s contemporary music, and he does so in an appealing and joyfu…
16 Jul
In The Present Moment by Matthew Von Doran
Friday, 16 July 2004
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It has been said many times that the major labels really missed on this release. But in my opinion, the indie world is the meat and potatoes of jazz...without it..Matthew V…
While every listener may not be familiar with the name of the group, most members of the Sangha Quartet will certainly ring a bell. The avant-garde quartet recorded …
It’s a little difficult to really get my head around the latest disc from Daryl Pratt - "Pratt’s Alchemy." To call it a jazz album would be to stretch the definition of the…
"Jürgen Friedrich is the great, young composition talent. He is the first non-american who won the Gil Evans Award. the Right Mistake" and "My Shy ...
23 Jun
Music From A Farther Room by Lucia Micarelli
Wednesday, 23 June 2004
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Even at the age of 21, Lucia Micarelli has been playing violin for almost 18 years, and her means of expressing herself on the instrument is as integrated with her personal…
20 Jun
The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson: Volume One 1969-1974 by King Crimson
Sunday, 20 June 2004
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In the liners, King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp states: "The aim of The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson is to replace the Frame by Frame 4-CD compilation (1991), taki…
The term "third stream" was invented by composer Gunther Schuller in 1957 to describe the (then new) jazz subgenre that consists of the mixing of jazz and classical music. …
We all enjoy hearing a band with vision and pizzazz, especially during this sometimes, saturated post-bop laden jazz era. Hence, this sextet combines a striking persona ami…
31 May
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow by The London Metropolitan Orchestra
Monday, 31 May 2004
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The Paramount Pictures movie Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow is distinguished by the fact that it was the first motion picture produced entirely by actors spec…
Claire Ritter is a new name to me; though I've found that Ran Blake and Franz Koglmann have recorded her compositions, and she's recorded on her own, assisted by such inter…
08 May
Diverted Travels by Jon Balke & Magnetic North Orchestra
Saturday, 08 May 2004
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Keyboardist Jon Balke derives influences from a wide-ranging element of musical stylizations, spanning the globe. On his third ECM Records release with the Magnetic North O…
24 Apr
Porgy & Bess by Clark Terry & The Chicago Jazz Orchestra
Saturday, 24 April 2004
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How dare they? How dare the Chicago Jazz Orchestra record one of the unchallenged masterpieces of jazz: the Gil Evans/Miles Davis version of George Gershwin’s equally cl…
19 Apr
Manilow Scores: Songs From Copacabana And Harmony by Barry Manilow
Monday, 19 April 2004
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To the general public, Barry Manilow is known as a vocalist and songwriter who established his reputation with hit after hit in the 1970’s, surely setting him up for a long…
15 Mar
Black Hills Jam - Preserves Vol.2 by Jam Camp
Monday, 15 March 2004
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Hailing from the Pacific northwest, this dual guitar led quintet hearkens memories of the early Grateful Dead style of jamming, amid a touch of progressive rock, jazz, Sout…
Germany’s DJ Matt, a.k.a. "Motorcitysoul," has concocted an electrified stew, marked by a tasty and to the point fusing of jazzy grooves, Brazilian tinged dance beats and m…
Billed as purveyors of "Funkatronic" rock, these four, very hip gents succeed at melding a party-type atmosphere with foot stomping grooves and melodic synth swashes. You c…
23 Feb
The Best of Play Bach by Jacques Loussier
Monday, 23 February 2004
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Combining jazz and "classical" or "serious" or whatever we call European Art music these days is by no means a new idea. Indeed, when I set out to document the phenomenon I…
15 Feb
Selected Recordings: rarum by Tomasz Stanko
Sunday, 15 February 2004
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Tomasz Stanko is arguably, Poland’s preeminent modern jazz trumpeter. As he selected these works spanning his prolific career with ECM Records, hearkening back to the ‘70s.…
08 Feb
Selected Recordings: rarum by Arlid Andersen
Sunday, 08 February 2004
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ECM Records, Rarum motif is based upon the legacy of artists who have recorded as leaders or sidemen for the label. And of course, the track selections are left to t…
Ok, so this may not be a jazz group in its purest sense, (is Bill Frisell for that matter?) but New Orleans based Theresa Anderson's music is built from the same foundation…
02 Feb
Fear Death By Water by Franz Koglmann
Monday, 02 February 2004
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Trumpeter/flugelhornist Franz Koglmann’s inventive fusions of classical stylizations and progressive jazz are a well-known entity. On this release - underscored by a ti…
Drummer George Schuller is a significant member of today’s progressive jazz scene. Whether performing as a sideman or leading his own projects, Schuller’s pen represents a …
She grew up on a farm in a small town in Sweden, while eventually becoming a band member for blues artist Anders Osborne in 1989. Since then, singer/songwriter/violinist Th…
French guitarist and electronics wiz, Richard Pinhas’ pioneering ways hearken back to the ‘70s with the band, Heldon. Since then, he has continued upon a path, teemi…
Dana Case possesses a soft, yet commanding voice, witnessed on these ten pieces consisting of adult alternative rock fare, spiced up with grandiose, new-age type treatments…
Pianist Greg Jasperse takes a giant step forward with his first ever commercial release entitled ‘Tournesol’ for the Tournesol Music Label. This CD by most standa…
01 Nov
Time Will Tell by Dom Minasi's DDT + 2
Saturday, 01 November 2003
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Guitarist Dom Minasi formed his group DDT a few years as a string trio of guitar, bass, and cello. Through this group, Minasi explored jazz along the paths la…
Italian bassist Maurizio Rolli’s exceptional tribute to Jaco Pastorious "Moodswings," is followed-up by this recording, which unfortunately, suffers from a bit of anonymity…
27 Oct
In A Dubious Manner by Hugh Hopper - Julian Whitfield
Monday, 27 October 2003
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Ex-Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper has led an active and largely fruitful career via an assortment of group-based projects and solo outings. However, this CD co-featuring …
22 Sep
Time Will Tell by Dom Minasi's DDT + 2
Monday, 22 September 2003
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Modern jazz guitar whiz, Dom Minasi has released his finest solo outing to date with this fantastically performed extravaganza. Sure, Minasi is known for his undeniably adv…
14 Sep
Wide Angles by Michael Brecker Quindectet
Sunday, 14 September 2003
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Wide Angles is the latest CD release from veteran tenorist Michael Brecker. Like recent efforts by fellow Verve Records saxophonist Chris Potter, Brecker's CD…
28 Aug
Care-Charming Sleep by Dowland Project
Thursday, 28 August 2003
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The Dowland Project’s Care-Charming Sleep is a unique brand of Third Stream music. Rather than the "usual" setting - that is, either a classical or jazz ensemble inc…
20 Aug
Music of Webern Arrenged for Jazz Quartet by Spooky Actions
Wednesday, 20 August 2003
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This is the debut album of a New York ensemble, named Spooky Actions, that features the work of Anton Webern, an early twentieth century composer of serialist, or atonal, m…
Every year during the holiday season, I look for new music to add to my holiday music collection. We only get to enjoy this music for a short time and then it is time to pu…
08 Aug
The Complete Modern Jazz Quartet Prestige & Pablo Recordings (4 CDs w/booklet) by Modern Jazz Quartet
Friday, 08 August 2003
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The Modern Jazz Quartet Complete Prestige & Pablo Recordings delivers four generous CDs totaling 54 tracks and a comprehensive explanation of their career on the two…