CD Reviews (11563)
Find full CD and individual track reviews of your favorite jazz artists right here, and hopefully you also discover some new artists to add to your collection as well.
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Pianist Noah Haidu composes and plays with a genuine approach to blending the sounds of hard-bop, soul and Latin-tinged jazz. Slipstream, his debut release for Posi-Tone records, effortlessly melds varying styles into an accessible mix of sleek melodic themes and contagious rhythms. Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon…
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Adding to his growing body of work for Seattle's Origin Records, trumpeter Chad McCullough teams up with Belgian pianist Bram Weijters for Imaginary Sketches, a compelling set of original compositions, full of lyricism and harmonic delight. Along with bassist Chuck Deardorf and drummer John Bishop, the works as a showcase…
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“Tight rhythm section, exquisite solo work that enhances my singing, not overpowering it… There is a strong unity of the musicians, the vocals and the arrangements. Dynamic!” quotes Ms. Stuart, thinking back to her studio memories on Don’t Look Back. Since her debut with Beginning to See the Light, Ms.…
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A young Italian vocalist from Naples with a persuasive sway describes music this way, “Music could perhaps be called the most truly human form of dialogue among people.” The assured artist is Eugenia Munari and her passion… jazz. Ms. Munari’s tone of voice can be diversely described numerous ways, but…
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Jo Thompson shows she’s only getting better with age on Forever Fabulous. The octogenarian is in fine form leading the J.C. Heard Orchestra, under musical director Walt Szymanski, through 15 jazz and blues jewels. The singer-pianist sets the tone for the album by leading off with a strong, high-energy version…
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When Ron Carter writes album notes for another bass player, I take notice. After hearing this album, I think even non-bassists will agree Kenny Davis deserves the praise. Whether soloing or under the top line with well-chosen harmonic support, his articulation is clean, his intonation dead-on, his tone rich and…
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The Captain Black Big Band, led by pianist Orrin Evans, is a high-intensity, swinging affair featuring a number of top soloists from the jazz scenes of New York and Philadelphia. Recorded during three different live performances in 2010, the group features a rotating cast of thirty-eight musicians over seven tracks.…
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All Things Must Converge is a memorable listening experience, and the orginal jazz compositions are well-conceived, lively, and enjoyable listening. Al Garcia plays guitars, and other instruments, and these songs are his creation.Al Garcia has a big, lovely talent, and it is much in evidence with this collection. The CD…
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Acclaimed vocalist Gretchen Parlato presents an ambitious follow-up to 2009's In a Dream with The Lost and Found, a smorgasbord of vocal jazz styling over a diverse set of tracks. Along with associate producer Robert Glasper, Parlato reaches far and wide with the aid of a first rate band. Pianist…
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This is Walter Beasley's fifteenth album which was released on October twenty-six of 2010. This album was produced by Chris "Big Dog" Davis and Phil Davis. Walter Beasley is a best-selling contemporary jazz artist of today. He is a recording artist, performer, full professor at Berklee College of Music, performance…
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A pivotal jazz luminary in New York City’s progressive downtown scene, alto saxophonist Tim Berne has notched his name into the record books as an innovator and stylist. His discography and collaborations are well-documented. However, Berne’s a global artiste who recurrently investigates nouveau spins on jazz and improvisation. This release…
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Adventurous has always been the word for the music of Matthew Shipp, and Art of the Improviser his new two-CD set is no exception. At first glance, the purple-and-black cover, with its solid-set lettering, appears to be two disks of Matt solo, but it turns out to be two dates:…
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San Francisco vocalist Margie Baker’s assembled five musician friends with the idea of playing African-American music from the 1930s and ‘40s, which was then known as “race music.” Their three-hour sets would be tribute to the music that Baker heard as a young girl growing up in the city’s Fillmore…
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These veteran Italian improvisers convey freedom of expression with a musical panorama that scales rather well. One of the compelling factors on this live recording pertains to the band’s ability to expand themes and subplots without concentrating on one mode of action. With capacious and unrestricting dialogues to complement a…
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Educated at the Academy of Music in Malmö, Sweden, Kristian Lind is a young bassist beginning his contributions to the global corpus of recorded jazz with the release of his first record, Wintergames. Like the Sonny Rollins piano-less trios that inspired him, he is joined only by drums (Peter Danemo)…
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The Massachusetts-based Mill City Trio stirs up a quiet brand of intensity on Looking Up, with the somewhat unusual instrumentation of drums and two guitars. Drummer Anthony D'Anna provides a delicate, yet driving foundation for guitarists Jamie Dunphy and Greg Passler who display a like-minded approach to jazz guitar. Exchanging…
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Sending My Love is the fitting title of the splendidly captivating contemporary jazz release on Peak Records & Concord Music Group from accomplished guitarist Norman Brown. Although Brown is indeed most prominently a superlative guitarist, he also expertly excels at songwriting and from time to time bestows his urban rooted…
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Holly Hofmann (www.hollyhofmann.com) is one of the premier flutists in jazz, "Along with Hubert Laws. . . the best jazz flute player today" according to Phil Woods. Bill Cunliffe (www.billcunliffe.com) is an outstanding pianist--1989 winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Award--and an award-winning arranger--he won a Grammy in…
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Approximately 23 years ago, Harvie S received a telephone call asking if he would be willing to play bass for a new, young musician performing at the JVC. Harvie has always been in demand both here and abroad, and he accepted the offer. The festival went off without a hitch…
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Featuring a stellar cast of Brooklyn-based musicians, G.R.A.S.S.—the Gowanus Reggae and Ska Society—take on the challenge of reworking the classic sounds of Bob Marley and the Wailers. Their self produced release, G.R.A.S.S. on Fire brings an instrumental, jazz leaning perspective to Marley's 1973 major label debut Catch a Fire. Although…
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