Circles in a Yellow Room, by Mike Freeman ZonaVibe is a wade, a plunge, a swim, and a utterly fantastic voyage in Jazz-, Latin-, and Blues-styled musical waters. The album incorporates elements of Latin jazz, salsa, mambo, and blues—all characteristic of Mike Freeman’s style. I could happily listen to a vibraphone or a marimba all … Continue reading
On his fourth release, Running Through My Mind, David Bailis leads a quintet with Caroline Davis (alto sax), Andrew Links (keyboard), Jordan Scannella (bass), and Kenneth Salters (drums). As spectacular as the individual solos are (and believe me, they are sublime), the album’s true strength lies in the group’s unified sound. In fact, the entire … Continue reading
The gorgeous album cover is a lot to live up to. Happily for us, on her new release Expressions, vocalist Antonia Bennett does, with style to spare. Antonia Bennett fully inhabits each note, each lyric, indeed, even every rest.. She is subtle, sincere, and pays each song the highest compliment possible: she trusts the material. … Continue reading
Vocalist Marilyn Kleinberg joins harmonica player Will Galison and a trio of jazz musicians for a sublime set of standards, delivering reflective and swinging performances with intimacy derived from the attentive interplay between the band members. There are a few surprises in the song choices, yet after listening they seem inevitable. The sign of a … Continue reading
Musicians of Los Angeles Improvisation Ensemble: Robert Hardt (woodwinds), Louis Stewart (piano), Andrew Shulman (cello), Michael Valerio (bass). This improvised set shows strong coherence and agreement among the players. The woodwind, piano, cello, and bass quartet format might be an unusual grouping, but in their skilled hands it leads to unexplored musical textures that are … Continue reading
Release date: July 1, 2025 Transcendence is a dynamic jazz trio (Bob Gluck – piano, Christopher Dean Sullivan – electric bass, Karl Latham – drums) that explores Pat Metheny’s compositions with emotional depth and astounding atmosphere, from lyricism to keen observation to playfulness. The musicians’ synergy in listening and responding to each other further elevates … Continue reading
Basie Rocks! features Deborah Silver with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. It is a marriage made in musical heaven. Add to this the perfectly chosen songlist (this unique album reimagines classic rock n’ roll hits from artists like The Beatles and Elton John) and you have one of the most exciting jazz albums out this … Continue reading
Aaaaahhhhhhhh…. If you are wondering what one’s natural response is to Ron Rieder’s new album, Día Precioso! is likely to be. It’s a collection of songs that earns a sigh. That sigh is one of satisfaction. All songs composed by Ron Rieder, RonaldoMusic (BMI)Musical Arrangements by Ricardo Monzon; Beautiful Day and Funday arranged by Ron … Continue reading
Guitarist and sitarist Daniel Garbin‘s new album, Rising, is an alluring interplay of rhythm, melody, and harmony. Garbin (who wrote and produced all songs on the album, with the exception of three tracks co-written with Simona Pop) leads an equally gifted quintet: Camila Cortina Bello (piano & keys), Scott Litroff (alto saxophone), Eddy Khaimovich (electric and … Continue reading
After several acclaimed jazz-rock trio albums, guitarist Jake Hertzog shifted to a more intimate sound with 2016’s solo electric guitar album Well Lit Shadow, followed by the duet projects Stringscapes in 2018 and A Turn of Events in 2023. With this album, he has created a large-scale work for jazz orchestra, guitar, and string quartet, … Continue reading
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