new jazz adds may 6, 2015
irvin mayfield. live at the New Orleans Jazz Playhouse. basin street. Seven cd set recorded live at the Jazz Playhouse in New Orleans’ Royal Sonesta Hotel. trumpeter irvin mayfield believes in giving back to his beloved hometown; yearly since katrina, mayfield hosts “the love sessions “ where all the ticket sales go to charity for New Orleans social policy, literacy, health care and music education. The core band is exceptional: derek douget, tenor and soprano sax; john chin, piano; jason marshall, bari; peter harris, bass; adonis rose, drums; vince gardner, trombone; mayfield on trumpet. many guests came to the bandstand: the lovely sasha masakowski (#3) carving her name into skyfall and st. james infirmary; jamison ross and michael watson (#1 & #5) on seven years and jasmine; banjo man don vappie everywhere–#4, eh la bas; #2, buddy bolden’s blues. plus george porter jr, davell crawford.
charles lloyd. wild man dance. blue note. Exceptional live performance by tenor saxophone & multi reed titan charles lloyd with his sextet: the two geralds, clayton at the piano and cleaver@drums; joe sanders on bass; and then for delicate exoticism sokratis sinopoulos on the lyra, and miklos lucaks beating the cimbalom, a large hammered Hungarian dulcimer. the six part suite unravels like silk, though each movement can stand alone. no shorties here, what is expressed takes time. recording made in 2013 at Jazztopad festival in, Wroclaw Poland–please visit WiKi for Polish pronunciation.
christina watson. passage. right turn. World-class vocalist, alumna of Berklee after studying French literature in college. but it’s not just about having a great voice, as the playlist reveals watson’s ability to sing van morrison’s into the mystic, then sting’s the pirate’s bride, and take charge of buddy mondlock’s the cats of the colosseum. Nashville-based, arrangements by trombonist & husband oscar utterstrom. merit un detour.
billy mintz. the 2 bass band…live. 13thnote. Debut recording (live @ ibeam in brooklyn) from drummer billy mintz’s nonet features all originals, ” curious and forceful–NYT”. twenty-five years in workshop since their beginnings in LA, the group is a wonderful who’s who of contemporary avant-garde-ish players: at least two of everything–trumpet, dave scott & ron horton; trombone, brian drye and samuel blaser; saxophones, john o’gallagher & kennry berger & adam kolker; bass, cameron brown & masa kamaguchi. ghost sanctuary is gorgeous!
jared gold. metropolitan rhythm. posi-tone. Expert ease from jared gold’s organ trio with dave stryker on guitar and kush abadey@drums. every cue sounds like a millions bucks, without overdoing it. gold is a golden boy– redefining B-3 composition and group performance.
kait dunton. triokait. real & imagined. Homegrown jazz pianist kait dunton almost stole the show @ Brooks Hall last spring when she opened for pianist alon nechustan. working with trio-mates, jake reed@drums and cooper appelt on bass, dunton composes and plays like an experienced pro. Find her!
kermit ruffins. # imsoneworleans. basin street. Barbecue New Orleans from trumpeter/vocalist kermit ruffins & family. his veteran band includes kevin morris, bass; jerry barbarin anderson@drums; and yoshitaka “z2” tuji, keyboards, plus guests. favorite cues are tipitina, ruffins’ own mexican special w/ steel drums, and a gospel-y at last featuring vocalist nayo jones.
steve johns. family. strikezone. With his newly formed label strikezone, guitarist dave stryker has a platform to spotlight and join jazz artists making their recording debut. family features the johns family: seasoned drummer steve; his wife, tenor/soprano player debbie keefe johns, and their son, daryl on bass. stryker and bob devos share the guitar duties.
joey alexander. my favorite things. motema. Eleven year old jazz pianist joey alexander from Bali, Indonesia has brightened the NYC jazz calendar with his mature arrangements and polished style. The playlist of standards mixes in ulysses owens jr@ drums; larry grenadier on bass –title track duet sparkles. alexander came out of wynton marsalis’ Lincoln Center dizzy’s Coca Cola club.
vincent herring. night and day. smoke sessions. Great variety in altoist vincent herring’s annual release–this year a quiet tribute to an understated musician cedar walton. several standouts: the keyboard work from pianist mike ledonne, and dynamic clarity of trumpeter jeremy pelt on several cues. herring’s playlist shows his vast musical experience; with joe farnsworth@drums & brandi disterheft on bass.
pat bianchi. higher standard. self. Old school organ trio features pat bianchi on organ; craig ebner,guitar; byron landham@drums. set list from the jazz standards folio.
jimmy heath. dear dizzy. bcm+d. The Temple University Jazz Band led by trumpeter terell stafford tributes the music and style of dizzy gillespie with cameos from tenor jimmy heath and trumpeter jon faddis as well as members of the TUJB.
