Max Hightower‘s The Blues Chooses You has arrived. It is released on MoMojo Records, recorded live-to-analog-tape at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville and produced by Hightower himself. The only thing else you need to know is that it is a smashing success. On the album, the harmonica player and vocalist is joined by guitarist Joe … Continue reading
Event Horizon Jazz Quartet is a Chicago-based collective featuring Jim Kaczmarek on saxophone and flute, Scott Mertens on piano, Donn DeSanto on bass, and Rick Vitek on drums — four seasoned sidemen whose combined résumés read like a who’s-who of jazz collaboration. What sets this record apart, though, isn’t pedigree so much as process: rather … Continue reading
Dave Bass is a jazz pianist who just can’t sit still stylistically — Bach, bebop, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, gospel, pop, it all shows up in his latest album. Trio Nuevo, Vol. 3 wraps up a trilogy he started in 2024 with bassist Tyler Miles and drummer Steve Helfand, and you can hear what brilliant … Continue reading
Giveton Gelin has always played like someone carrying more than one home inside him, and on Island Dreamer: III of III, the Bahamian-Haitian trumpeter turns that duality into a sprawling, seventeen-track statement. This is his sophomore full-length, arriving on Island Dreamer Records, and it plays less like a collection of songs than a single long exhale … Continue reading
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED if you want to enjoy yourself. On Party Time, trumpeter/composer/vocalist Rob Dehlinger and The Alpha Rhythm Kings deliver an exciting album of swing and blues. From the sound of it, they must put on a fantastic live show. Party Time offers 11 tracks, including four originals and several unexpected selections. It opens with … Continue reading
Marciano is a significant voice in jazz. Being one of the specialists on the sopranino saxophone, an alto player compared with some of the instrument’s greats, and an artist whose career has taken her to audiences on several continents, Marciano has seemingly endless gifts. Saxophonist Carla Marciano explores a deeply emotional landscape on Daydreaming, My … Continue reading
The power of the jazz trio is on full display in Arrival. The territory covered is fresh and exciting, and gives each musician ample opportunities to shine. Pianist Nicki Adams and saxophonist Michael Eaton, along with drummer Francisco Mela, combine their talent and impulses to create an album as expressive as the jazz genre itself. … Continue reading
La Cocina de Tango, a new album showcasing the inventiveness of the Argentine tango, brings together newly arranged traditional tango pieces, music by Astor Piazzolla, a contemporary work by Finnish composer Sami Pirttilahti, and original compositions by bandoneonist and composer Alex Roitman. Grounded in tango tradition while exploring new creative paths, the album captures the … Continue reading
More than fifty years after jazz trumpeter Don Ellis introduced JIMBO ROSS as “the only jazz violist in captivity,” the adventurous string player continues expanding his instrument’s possibilities. On BEYOND THE GROOVE, his third jazz recording since 2024, Ross blends his love of the jazz canon, a remarkable five-string electric viola and a deeply attuned … Continue reading
Nashville, Tenn. (September 18, 2026) — Long before his more than two decades of success as a country-music artist, Craig Morgan answered a higher calling — serving our country in the United States Army and Army Reserve. During America’s 250th birthday year, Craig will release My Country, a musical celebration of our great nation as … Continue reading
