jazz adds february 23, 2015

nilson matta.  east side rio drive.  world blue.  Brazil and its first cousin jazz Americano dive into arrangements by leader/bassist, Sao Paulo native nilson matta with humberto leder.  national characteristics harmonize together:  NoLa reed master (tenor + bass clarinet) craig handy and flutist anne drummond share their post-modern splash with guitarist romero lubambo, and cyro baptista’s exotic percussion.  not to be overlooked, pianist edsel  (Puerto Rico to Berkelee to Brazil) gomez, vince cherico@drums.  genre rekindled.

duchess.  eponymous ( amy cervini, hilary gardner, melissa stylianou).  anzic.   Charming & vibrant trio in the tradition of the boswell sisters, duchess = vocalists:  country-esque amy cervini,  the elegant  melissa stylianou , and newcomer hilary gardner–described as having a ” sound and vibe like the secret love child of peggy lee and tom waits.”.  i left my marks all over this cd;  band is a-list– matt wilson@drums;  michael cabe, piano; paul sikivie.  arrangements by man of the hour @ anzic records, obed lev-ari.

jacky terrasson.  take this.  impulse.  French-American pianist (adding in  fender rhodes & synths)   looks for a new door into jazz expression from his band:  burniss travis, bass, plugged & un;  lukmil perez@drums;  adams diarra on percussion, and sly johnson  (from the world of French hip hop) on human beatbox.  high energy refreshes things we know like the back of our hand__come together, blue in green, un poco loco, take five.  jacky’s solo–somebody that i used to know–is  a fine example of how not to overdo the pop/jazz hybrid.

andy brown.  soloist.  delmark.  Wonderful superb guitar solos from the American songbook by Chicago-based guitarist andy brown.   playlist covers everything from the European classic estate to the krupa/eldridge drum boogie;   brown has played with jazz aristocracy including local pianist hod o’brien.   recording circumstances for this cd were a cold winter night in Chicago….hmm, maybe that’s why it sounded so good this past weekend.

the h2 big band.  it could happen.   origin.  Smooth as silk  large (two dozen+ musicians)  big band  led by trumpeter al hood and pianist dave hanson;  musicians from LA, leaders from Denver.  guest vocalist rene marie adds sexy and authority to her originals (autobiography, black freudian slip and i like you).  more innovation from seattle’s origin records.

gene argel.  luminescent.  origin.  Debut recording from beloved Northwest pianist.     gene argel, living on Maui since 1982, played with the fancy and not when they  came through the islands.   playlist reflects his collaboration with guitarist shiro mori on genealogy, as well as his Native American roots on haida welcome song and hermosa.  with jay thomas, chuck deardorf, and mark ivestor.

karl lathan.  constellations.  challenge.  Funk and fusion from stellar quartet:  internationally known drummer karl latham;  ryan carniaux on trumpet;  nick rolfe on keys;  and mark egan– from pat metheny group and the gil evans orchestra–on bass.  playlist  based on the music of bjork;  star of the show is ex-pat trumpeter from Rhode Island ryan carniaux who channels an electric miles tempered by eric vloiemans.

ian sims.  conundrum.  self.  Baltimore-based tenor sax player ian sims performs with trumpet  alex norris, paul bollenback on guitar, ed howard, bass,  e.j. strickland@drums. all original compositions.

kevin fort.  red gold.  self.  Chicago pianist/educator kevin fort mixes  polished originals and jazz covers in his debut cd with doug hayes on bass, and jon deitemyer@drums.  kenny barron’s voyage,  clare fischer’s  pensativa, and never let me go shine.

brian swartz.  portraiture.  summit.   Award-winning (for composition down with downs) horn sextet led by trumpet/flugel brian swartz.  with matt otto & robby marshall on tenor;  martin sullivan, trombone;  andy langham, piano;  j.p. maramba, bass and jens kuross@drums.

george van eps.  once in awhile.  delmark.  Old school guitarist  george van eps in a mostly trio setting, recording in 1944-1949 on the jump label;  with him new orleans reed man eddie miller, and  Oklahoma pianist stanley wrightsman.  their place of business was a very musical Los Angeles, CA.    pioneer van eps makes it look easy, accompanies movie soundtracks (i.e. fred astaire in damsel in distress) , and sets the stage for many guitarists including charlie byrd.

steve cromity.  all my tomorrows.  self.   Vocalist steve cromity with his second recording of jazz standards.  eric lemon on bass; darrell green@drums; marcus persiani, piano;  eric wyatt and kenyetta beasley on horns.

 

 

 

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