After a long, cold winter, what a joy to be sent a review copy of a CD that I was planning to purchase. Especially a collection of songs about love and renewal. My love of good music, which I am, thankfully, supplied with on a regular basis, means that I had the release date of … Continue reading
Sometimes a love song is about more than romantic love. Sometimes the words and music amplify feelings of goodness and hope and faith. They turn into what could be called “the sweetest sounds,” and it is fitting that Isabella Isherwood’s album shares that title. This, her debut recording, establishes Isherwood as a major interpreter of … Continue reading
Michael Moody’s The Ecstasy of Love (2026) features standards sung with a warm baritone voice and velvet phrasing. Accompanied by guitar and bass, Moody delivers performances glowing with lyrical emotion and a highly personal interpretive style. Moody’s talent for applying of classical vocal techniques to the Great American Songbook results in several refreshing takes on … Continue reading
On his eleventh studio album, For Every Man There’s a Woman, Jack Wood shows yet again that he is one of the top contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook. Released by Jazz Hang Records, this collection of warm and inviting performances showcases Wood’s vocal abilities at their most expressive. My personal favorite is Wood’s … Continue reading
Release date: March 1, 2026 Retrospective, the latest album from Carl Clements and The Real Jazz Trio, serves as a contemporary continuation of Clements’ critically recognized 2023 release, A Different Light. Contrary to its title, Retrospective presents a modern interpretation of several original compositions making their debut. Clements is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist. With these tracks, … Continue reading
From the opening notes of Shifty Paradigms, you sense a cinematic quality in Dave Slonaker’s rich music. Slonaker’s experience as a composer, orchestrator, and arranger for film and television informs his jazz genius. What emerges in his music is a sense of story. Each note has, and serves, a distinct purpose, all contributing to an … Continue reading
Darren Litzie — On My Own Time Label: Summit Records Pianist and jazz composer Darren Litzie’s second album, On My Own Time, features predominantly original works, along with a few jazz standards. Those standards are particularly rewarding, as Litzie’s interpretive skills are supreme. A bonus is the inclusion of the 60s pop hit “Time Of … Continue reading
The Dave Wilson Quartet’s When Even Goes East created exactly the atmosphere I was yearning for when I reached for a new jazz album to listen to today. Every melody was given full exploration, while establishing a mood that I wish could continue far beyond the album’s playing time. I guess what the repeat button … Continue reading
James Judson’s debut album comes across the creative output of a seasoned pro. He clearly loves to make music, and he has impeccable taste in choosing his material. The album features a variety of tracks—all of them impressive—from the playful opener “Is There A Chance,” to the atmospheric “The Shadow of Your Smile,” to the … Continue reading
While many jazz albums rely on studio polish, a live recording offers a true test of a musician’s skill, revealing not just technique but real-time interaction. Live in Beverly Hills, from the Doug MacDonald Trio succeeds in maintaining this tradition, showing that live musical exchange is still what it’s all about. In the absence of … Continue reading
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