New Jazz Adds – 8/24/2018
New Jazz Adds – 8/24/2018
Dee Bell – Lins, Lennox, & Life (Laser): Vocalist Dee Bell has been a devoted fan of Brazilian composer Ivan Lins for forty years. This disc focuses on his often mellow, beautiful and soothing compositions and style. She explains, “This new release is intended as a healing and calming CD, my balm for our current weary world.” She is the author of many of the lyrics attached to Lins’ compositions. Bell is supported by Marcos Silva (keys), Tyler Harlow (bass), and Zach Mondlick (drums), with Erik Jekabson adding flugelhorn on two songs. The music is quite varied within its genre and the disc offers some nice surprises along the way. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Michael Brothers – Three Times Two (Girod): Michael Brothers has been an instructor of percussion and Director of Jazz and Percussion Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University for nearly forty years. He has also played on Broadway musicals and notably has performed in “The Phantom of the Opera” over 6600 times. Jeff Carswell and Chris Kozak alternate from song to song on bass and the group is completed by Andy Nevala on acoustic and electric piano. The music flows crisply throughout. The songs range from the Eagles’ “Life In The Fast Lane” and Sting’s “Perfect Love…Gone Wrong” to two originals by Andy Nevala. Things swing and bounce throughout the disc. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Rachel Caswell – We’re All In The Dance (Turtle Ridge): Veteran vocalist Rachel Caswell has a surprisingly nonchalant and lilting style which creates the expectation that that is the extent of her art, but she also does a bit of scatting and vocalese which creates a nice variety to this disc. Her music partners on this release include her sister Sara (violin on 3 songs), Dave Stryker (guitar), Fabian Almazan (piano, Fender Rhodes), Linda May Han Oh (bass) and Johnathan Blake (drums). The son selections range from Bob Dorough’s “Devil May Care” and Charlie Parker’s “Dexterity” to Rodgers and Hart’s “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” and Henry Glover’s “Drown In My Own Tears” and Sting’s “Fragile”. Her sound is certainly her own and I would say there is something wonderful here for many tastes. Click here and then click on the square marked “Audio Player” to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Dennis Dreith – Reunion (Presh Media GmbH): Dennis Dreith (composer/director) has gathered as many of his old bandmates from the 80s for this recording as a means of showcasing their often heard performances of films from those times. Many of the players have been successful over the intervening decades, but are not particularly well known. The disc contains seven compositions performed by the reunion players: Andy MacIntosh (alto and soprano sax, flute, piccolo), Gary Herbig (tenor and soprano sax, flute), Bob Crosby (tenor and soprano sax, clarinet, flute), Greg Huckins (bari sax, bass clarinet, flute), Chuck Findley (trumpet, flugelhorn), Dan Fornero and Ron King (trumpet, flugelhorn), Charlie Morillas (trombone), Phil Teele (bass trombone), Jim Cox (piano, B3), Ralph Humphry (drums), Dominic Genova (bass), John Goux (guitar) and Brian Kilgore (percussion). The performances here are super tight and dazzling. Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.
Ron English – Dance/Cry/Dance (Detroit Music Factory): Veteran guitarist Ron English likes variety but not for it’s own sake. In his case, the style and instrumental variety are important elements in the overall program. That is a characteristic of this release as is the composition of the players, which shifts freely from song to song. Groupings shift from trio to a dozen players with many shifts along the way. Contributors are Jaribu Shahid (bass), Glenn Tucker (organ, piano), Zen Zadravec (piano), John Douglas and Dwight Adams (trumpet), Leonard King or Renell Gonsalves (drums), Miguel Gutierrez (percussion), Jason Didia and Rick Steiger (sax), Davey Bones Lazar (trombone), Paul Onachuk (English horn) and Mark Kieme (sax, flute). There are a variety of mood shifts, but the performance will provide several fine performances throughout. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Amanda Gardier – Empathy (Green Mind): Composer /alto sax/flute/clarinet player offers her first release as a leader and her style and compositions are delicate and flowing with a fresh property that draws the listener’s attention. She is accompanied by Charlie Ballantine (guitar), Clay Wulbrecht (piano), Jesse Whitman (bass) and Chris Parker (drums) with occasion guests Rob Dixon (tenor sax, 5 songs) and Mina Keohane (2 songs). Gardier is certainly one to watch out for and unless you’re in the midwest, there’s no better way than to check out this disc. Click here for an introduction to Gardier and her music.
Dale Head & The Mindwinder Orchestra – Swing On The Rocks (Mindwinder): The idea is to take rock songs and transform them into hip swing songs. Head is not really a shouter, but doesn’t sound much like a swinger either. It’s sort of a reincarnation of the new swing of the 1990s, but without the jumping jive. It is, at times, its own “wall of sound”. There’s a seventeen piece band that is pretty tight and several guest artists are listed with Paul Shaffer being the most well-known. The songs range from “Hey Baby” (Ted Nugent composer), “Little Dreamer” (the Van Halens and David Lee Roth composers) and Tyler & Perry’s “Walk This Way” to Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic”, Fiona Apple’s “Criminal” and Paul Simon’s “Baby Driver”. Click here for a sample of the show songs.
Tom Lundberg – Prime Time (Max Frank Music): Trombone player and arranger Tom Lundberg leads his octet across a dozen theme theme songs associated with television shows. The elections range from comedies (8) to drama (2), the “Jeopardy” theme and The Muppet Show theme. In addition to Lundberg, the players include Doug Rinaldo and Will Boyd (sax, flute), Bethany Hankins (violin), Ben Dockery (keys), Harold Nagge (guitar), David Slack (bass) and Keith Brown (drums). No commercials! Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
The Doug MacDonald Quintet & The Roger Neumann Quintet – Two Quintets: Live Upstairs at Vitello’s (Blujazz): Two bands doing live sets! First we have the Doug MacDonald’s Quintet, featuring MacDonald on guitar, Rickey Woodard (tenor sax), Andy Langham (piano), Harvey Newmark (bass) and Paul Kriebich (drums) opening with a MacDonald original, “T&G” and covering an oldie stretching from Irving Berlin’s “Empty Pockets” to Cedar Walton and the Hacketts “The Holy Land”. Next up is the Roger Neumann Quintet, featuring Neumann (tenor sax), Carl Saunders (trumpet), John Campbell (piano), John B. Williams (bass) and Roy McCurdy (drums) offering Sonny Rollins’ “Tenor Madness” and Jobim’s “If You Never Come To Me”. They also play two originals by Saunders. A nice touch is that each disc splits roughly half and half for each group. Click here to listen to samples of performances from this double disc.
Larry McDonough Quartet – Alice In Stonehenge And Other AcoustElectric Adventures (Self-produced): “Fans of Larry McDonough will find no significant disconnect between the two discs comprising Alice in Stonehenge. Those encountering him for the first time who are generally drawn to acoustic music will likely be surprised by how much they enjoy the melodicism and energy of the electric disc. And vice-versa: Those generally favoring electronic pop and rock will find themselves drawn to the romantic verve of the acoustic set. It’s trite to say there’s “something for everyone.” More accurately, everything here is likely to appeal to music lovers of all persuasions, because every track brings a timeless tune delivered by steadfast talents–acoustic or electronic. The 2-volume title is a mash-up of the first tracks from each–Larry’s take on Bill Evans’ “Alice in Wonderland” and his re-arrangement of Spinal Tap’s “Stonehenge.” And on each disc Larry draws upon his recent shows–tributes to Chet Baker, Miles Davis, and Bill Evans and Tony Bennett, as well to the rock icons of Sting, Clapton, Spinal Tap, and more. Disc 1, like live shows, also includes the jazz-themed poetry of saxophonist Richard Terrill.” (Liner notes) This essentially nails the nature of this set. It’s intriguing yet highly accessible. The players are Larry McDonough (piano, keys, vocals), Richard Terrill (tenor and soprano saxes and original poetry), Greg Stinson (acoustic, electric bass) and Dean White (drums) with guest Steve Kenny (flumpet). It’s truly interesting and fun. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this release.
Joey Morant – Forever Sanctified (Blujazz): Trumpet player/composer/entertainer Joey Morant offers a combination of old jazz styles with a southern accent blended with his down home but hip commentary and musical seasoning. He has recorded and/or performed with Ray Charles, James Brown, Tina Turner, Paul McCartney, Benny Goodman and Jabbo Smith among others. Morant plays horns and congas and sings on this disc and is accompanied by a shifting set of players including Mike LeDonne (organ, piano), Mark Whitfield (guitar), his son Amadeus Morant (drums), John Simon (tenor sax), Max Schweiger (bari sax), Ted Firth (piano), Cameron Brown (bass), Joey Morant (flugelhorn), Terrence Conley (piano), and Gene Ludwig (organ). The set covers a lot of ground stylistically and invites the listener to let his or her hair down and have a good time. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Bill Overton – Only Love Can Do That (Self-produced): Bill Overton (singer, multi-instrumentalist) offers a wide range of songs from the Great American songbook and a few more recent numbers such as “A Rainy Night In Georgia” and “Across The Universe”. He is accompanied by Jeremy Kahn (piano) and Brian Wilke (electric guitar and pedal steel). He has mostly been an instrumentalist during his lengthy career. This is his third release as a singer and player. Click here to listen to samples of this disc.
Matt Shevitz – Forward Motion (Self-produced): Veteran tenor sax player Matt Shevitz is a solid player with great tone. Having achieved his Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, in May, 2009, Shevitz has dedicated his work to instruction as well as performance. This disc features him in three settings: accompanied by Josh Lava (keys), Kurt Schwartz (bass) and Bob Parlier (drums) on two songs; Scott Hesse (guitar), Cory Biggerstaff (bass) and Jon Deitemyer (drums) on three; and Kevin Kozol (piano) on two songs. This gives the disc really nice variety as well as some fine grooves. Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.
The South Florida Jazz Orchestra – The Music Of Gary Lindsay: Are We Still Dreaming (Summit): “Professor Lindsay is a well known performer throughout South Florida, thanks to his numerous appearances with such distinctive ensembles as the Atlantean Driftwood Band, Miami Saxophone Quartet and the South Florida Jazz Orchestra. He has also performed with a number of musical luminaries, among them, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Jaco Pastorious, and Toots Thieilemans.” (https://people.miami.edu/profile/glindsay@miami.edu) The South Florida Orchestra directed by Chuck Bergeron performs three compositions by Gary Lindsay on this disc as well as compositions by Richard Rodgers, Freddie Hubbard, Pat Metheny, Theloniuos Monk and Billy Strayhorn. The orchestra features 24 musicians, augmented by special guest vocalists Nicole Yarling and Julia Dollison and guitarist John Hart. Click here to listen to songs on this disc.
The Tiki Collective – Muse (Vesuvius): “The Tiki Collective are a large ensemble of friends who perform jazz, pop and exotica music…. The collective was conceived by Jaymz Bee and Music Director, Eric St-Laurent in 2016. Bee has been a fan of exotica and Lounge music for years and felt the time was right to present a nuevo-retro sounding ensemble that included elements of surf, jazz and pop with a nod to Tiki Culture. The instrumentalists bring decades of experience and share a love of world music while the singers bring a fresh approach to a diverse array of material. This ensemble steers clear of the type of cultural appropriation that appeared in exotica recordings of the fifties, relative to Polynesian and South Pacific island cultures. Instead, the collective focuses on using similar instrumentation to those of early exotica records, with thoughtful arrangements that blend Eastern, Western, and local influences.” (https://www.thetikicollective.com/about/) Featured singers include Geneviieve Marentette, Joanna Majoko, Heather Luckhart & The Willows, Lily Frost, Tyra Jutai, Melissa Lauren & The Willows, Jocelyn Barth, Paget, Jessica Lalonde, Irene Torres, Mingjia Chen, Avery Raquel and Danielle Bassels and the song titles include “Harlem Nocturne”, “Hypnotized”, “The Sweetest Taboo” and “I’ll Be Seeing You” among others. The Tiki Collective includes Eric St-Laurent (MD, guitar); George Koller (bass); Great Bob Scott (drums, percussion); Attila Fits (piano, Rhodes); Michael Davidson (vibes); Ernie Tollar (alto sax, flute); Drew Jurecka (violin); Bill McBirnie (flute); Carlos Del Junco (harmonica); John MacMurchy (bari sax); Tom Walsh (trombone) and Jono Grant (electric sitar, keys, guitar). Click here to listen to sample of the songs on this disc.
Toronto Jazz Orchestra – 20 (Self-produced): Led by Josh Grossman, composer of all but one song here, The Toronto Jazz Orchestra has a lot of punch and they are a tight unit. This release showcases the composition and arranging work of TJO Artistic Director Josh Grossman, and is a celebration of the TJO’s 20th anniversary. The players include Chris Roberts (soprano and alto sax, flute), Jake Koffman (alto sax, flute), Paul Metcalfe and Chris Hunsburger (tenor sax, clarinet), Shirantha Beddage (bari sax, bass clarinet), Steve Dyte (lead trumpet) with James Rhodes, Alexander Brown and John Pittman (comprising the trumpet section); Christian Overton (lead trombone) with Pat Blanchard and Mark Grieve (trombone); Sylvain Bedard (bass trombone), Todd Elsliger (guitar), Carissa Neufeld (piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer), Mark Godfrey (acoustic & electric bass), Ben Ball (drums) and Luis Orbegoso (percussion). This is a dynamic group and if you are at all interested in big band music, check it out. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Steve Turre – The Very Thought Of You (Smoke Sessions): Steve Turre makes a change of focus for this new release. First of all, he only plays trombone and, secondly, he emphasizes ballads, four of which are originals. Beyond them, he has selected classics like “The Very Thought Of You”, “September In The Rain”, “The Shadow Of Your Smile” and “Danny Boy”. The other players are Kenny Barron (piano), Buster Williams (bass) and Willie Jones III (drums) with special guests George Coleman (tenor sax on two songs), Russell Malone (guitar on four songs) and a string octet on four songs). The musicians in the octet are Randall Goosby, Valerie Kim, Brendan Elliott and Meng Jia Lin (violins), Chloe Thominet and Jasper Snow (violas) and Khari Joyner and Marza Wilks (cellos). The performances are quite lovely. I regret that I am unable to find a sample from this disc.
Western Michigan University Jazz Orchestra – Turkish Delight (Blujazz): Dr. Scott Cowan of Western Michigan University presents the jazz orchestra performing one of his original compositions and an array of jazz and blues songs, including Dizzy Gillespie’s “Bebop”, Horace Silver’s “Song For My Father” and a pair of less performed Ellington compositions and blues like “Goin’ To Chicago” (Basie-Rushing). The band sports five woodwinds, seven trumpets, four trombones, a guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion and features two vocalists. All are given a modern slant but there is still plenty of swing. I regret I am unable to find a sample of any of the songs on this disc.
Mark Winkler & Cheryl Bentyne – Eastern Standard Time (Cafe Pacific): Vocalists Mark Winkler and Cheryl Bentyne present their vocal interactions on eleven songs, covering a span of styles. They dedicate the disc to Bob Dorough and open the program with his “Devil May Care”. Winkler co-wrote two songs on this collection and they are two of the best on the program: “Like Jazz” and “I Could Get Used To This (Bumpin’). Other selections range from Rodgers and Hammerstein’ “The Gentleman Is A Dope” to Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side”. Instrumental backing is provided by Rich Eames (piano), Gabe davis (bass), Dave Tull (drums) with the addition of Grant Geissman and Pat kelley (guitar), Bob Sheppard (sax on 4 songs), Kevin Winnard percussion) and Stephanie Fife (cello on the closer). Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.
Miki Yamanaka – Miki (Cellar Live): Pianist Miki Yamanaka offers her first full length release, which includes eight original compositions and covers of “Monk’s Dream” and “For All We Know”. She moved to New York and was one of three pianists selected to participate in “Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead”, an intensive composition residency at the Kennedy Center and recently earned her Master of Music degree from Queens College. Yamanaka is accompanied by Bill Stewart (drums), Steve Nelson (vibes) and Orlando Le Fleming (bass) on this disc. Yamanaka is a wonderfully fluid player and her interactions with the other players is terrific. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this release.
Kopasetically,
Professor Bebop
