Rene Sandoval, born in Chile but now a resident in Sweden, is likely an unfamiliar name to American jazz audiences. The Rene Sandoval 4 debut release Action / Reaction

A pro bass guitar player since the age of fifteen, 43-year old Marcus Miller has worked with a who’s who of jazz, fusion, pop, R&B, funk, and otherwise-you-name-it musical categories. Let’s take a quick sampling: Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Grover Washington Jr., McCoy Tyner, Randy Brecker, Luther Vandross, Kirk Whalum, David Sanborn, Lonnie Liston Smith, LL Cool J, Jay Z... the list goes on. Tell me you don’t have to be an incredibly solid, versatile player with scary chops to pla …

Claire Daly may be a "new" name in jazz, but she’s hardly new to the music scene she’s been at it for nearly 30 years now. Daly’s accumulated a stunning array of compliments from the press. Like most professional musicians, she’s had to play her share of "pay the rent" gigs, but she’s never lost her heart for jazz. Daly’s discography as a leader began with the release of Swing Low on Koch Jazz in 1999, followed by her most recent release, Movin’ On (also on Koch, 2001). Indeed, Cla …

David Weiss is a jazz trumpeter - and happy to be known that way. But don't try to force him into either the hard bop or avant-garde fields. When it comes to his favorite musical pastures, Weiss is squarely on the fence between the two or Walkin’ the Line, as the inspired title of one of his recent CDs puts it and he’s quite happy to be there. Listen to his latest release, Breathing Room, and you’ll understand what he means. This is real jazz, eminently listenable, but it’s not …