Nalani Rothrock‘s new release, titled The Rock House Sessions (Extended Cut), is a spectacular showcase for her vast vocal gifts. Producer and keyboardist Kevin McKendree has delivered an album (on the Jolani Music Group label) that rivals the best from any other label this year. Nalani Rothrock and co-writer/guitarist Joshua Lamkin create and sustain a soulful … Continue reading
Available now on Solid Blues Records (distributed by Stony Plain Records) Don’t let his model good looks fool you. Canadian guitarist and songwriter JW Jones is as capable of capturing the essence of the blues as the most been-through-the-ringer-looking artist you could ever imagine. He has complete control of his gifts and he has an … Continue reading
Ute Lemper’s new album, Time Traveler, is a series of loosely connected refreshing contemporary jazz and pop songs that straddle a 23-year time span. It is a work that is bound to benefit from repeated listenings. Most challenging material this good is always worth the time it takes for the listener to catch up to … Continue reading
Saxophonist Jason Kush’s Finally Friday is a tonic good for any day of the week. The album is a steadily building state of euphoria that features the Jason Kush Quartet: Jason Kush – tenor saxophone, Alton Merrell – piano, Jeff Grubbs – bass, and David Glover – drums. As a composer, Jason Kush covers territory far beyond what might be … Continue reading
From the very first notes on their new release —Sixty and Still Cookin’— the Las Vegas Boneheads lay it all out there. The song is “Al Cohn Tune,” and it is akin to a finely tuned and now rare classic racing car starting its engine and then going for a dizzying spin. There is a … Continue reading
A canvas is just about the most exciting thing there is. A blank slate upon which anything is possible. On their new album, titled Canvas, Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy — two of the world’s top Celtic fiddlers — bring a musical canvas to life, filling it with passion and drama, and making the disc … Continue reading
In Puerto Rico, a menjunje is a healing drink given to those who need to recover. After the pandemic, Roy McGrath’s new album of Afro-Caribbean jazz is just what we all could use. The collection of 8 tracks blends together the traditions and rhythms of Puerto Rican music with the playful sprit of jazz, and the expressiveness … Continue reading
This album of jazz duets from Franglais successfully fulfills a very specific need. If you know someone who has become a bit more of a wine expert during the recent stay-at-home period, this might be a perfect gift to bring them if they decide to invite you over for dinner once again. Ben Wood and … Continue reading
Artistas, Músicos y Poetas is Chembo Corniel’s sixth album under his record company Chemboro Records, Inc. Everything about this project is extraordinary. The material, the structure, the consummate musicianship, and the album art (by Andres Chaparro and Charlie Rosario) all contribute beautifully to Corniel paying homage to his musical roots. It is a highly satisfying result. If … Continue reading
Multimedia artist Fella Cederbaum is a writer, a director, a painter, a filmmaker, and an artist who is brave enough to be an original. For that alone, she deserves our admiration… especially since her art is aimed at embracing reality. Although I’m uncertain about future desires to play Speech Acrobats again and again, I must … Continue reading
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