I will be debuting as much of this new as possible on The New Jazz Thing, Monday, August 15, 2011 between 6 and 8 PM PT, so tune in!!JOHN BASILE (– “AMPLITUDE” (Guitarist, playing solo with overdubs, with a mix of
old & new standards and originals).
AllAboutJazz.com: Though initially intended as references for performances with perhaps another guitarist or instrumentalist, the process became so creatively challenging and intriguing, that I ultimately decided to seize this opportunity to overdub all the tracks in what made musical and conversational sense. Years ago, Bill Evans' Conversations with Myself was a great inspiration in this regard With the iPhone revolutionizing our pop-culture, I thought why not use it and see where it takes me?
RUSSELL BIZZETT – “DREAM STREET” (Local trio, doing all standards, straight-
ahead).
AVISHAI COHEN (FB, @AvishaiCohen, YouTube) – “SEVEN SEAS” (Bassist, leading a straight-ahead session with
vocals, doing mostly vocalise tracks).
AllAboutJazz.com (NeNad Georgievski): Seven Seas is another exceptional chapter in the Cohen catalog, one that showcases a willingness to stretch itself to the breaking point and open up the music to a wider array of approaches. It is one of his most spontaneous recordings, with both disciplinarian and freewheeling sense of adventurous interaction. In general, there is a spirit of true exploration on his records which is also evident here, with adventurous improvisation added to that blend of Mediterranean melodies (with touches of Ladino/Judeo-Spanish heritage) and the art of jazz.
TIM COLLINS – “CASTLES AND HILLTOPS” (Vibraphonist, leading a quartet, doing
all but 2 originals, those 2 were written by Bjork and Tom Petty).
MIKE COTTONE (@MikeCottone)– “JUST REMEMBER” (Trumpeter, leading a quintet, in a straight-
ahead outing).
GEORGE GILLIAM – “STEPPIN’ LIGHTLY” (Straight-ahead guitar trio).
JERRY GONZALEZ – ‘Y EL COMANDO DE LA CLAVE” (Latin jazz trumpeter, with
some vocal tracks, can also be played straight-ahead).
CANDYE KANE / SUE PALMER (FB, @SuePalmer_Piano, YouTube)– “ONE NIGHT IN BELGIUM” (The 2 ladies,
performing live).
Candy Kane and Sue Palmer's telepathic musical rapport (George Varga): Kane, a boisterous, sometimes bawdy singer, with a big voice and an even bigger heart, first began playing with ace pianist Palmer in 1991 at the Belly Up in Solana Beach. Their near-telepathic musical rapport was immediately apparent, fueled by their shared passion for blues, boogie-woogie, swing, jump-blues and other earthy American music styles.You can savor that rapport on the recently released “One Night in Belgium,” an intimate live duo album Kane and Palmer recorded in 1999 in Eeklo, Belgium.
CHUCK LOEB (@ChuckLoeb)– “PLAIN ‘N’ SIMPLE” (Smooth jazz guitarist, in a straight-ahead,
SmoothJazzDaily: Tweety Records is proud to present Chuck Loeb’s latest CD Plain ‘n’Simple, his seventeenth as a solo artist. It is an organ trio project, featuring Pat Bianchi on the keys and pedals, and Chuck’s fellow Fourplay band member Harvey Mason on drums. The CD represents a new direction for Chuck, while at the same time harkening back to his earliest influences as a jazz guitarist. From the beginning, he was drawn to the organ trio sound by his love for the early Wes Montgomery records, as well as the hallmark Jimmy Smith recordings of the 1960’s. The repertoire includes eight Loeb originals, two gems penned by Mason, and a couple of standards too. The music is swinging, funky, lush and exciting from note one, and stays that way to the very last drop. Chuck’s fans will find the excellence in playing, sound, and production that they have come to expect from him, as well experiencing a side of the artist that they may have never heard before.
LARRY VUCKOVICH – “SOMETHIN’ SPECIAL” (Pianist, leading a quintet, doing
jazz standards).
Amazon.com: Something Special, this newest offering from Larry Vuckovich, creates a strong 'Blue Note' flavor of soulful, swinging jazz. The selections reflect the pianist's important early influences, honoring the jazz masters who inspired him when he first began playing jazz. Vuckovich runs his deft fingers across the keys on some rare compositions, such as Horace Silver's languid Enchantment and Sonny Clark's Somethin' Special, the album's title track. He presents guest artist, classic tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, in a slightly different light from Scott's past recordings. Hamilton shines as he plays compositions of the bebop masters, newly introduced to him, such as Dexter Gordon's Cheese Cake, as well as the Clark piece, and the funk classic of Ben Tucker's Comin' Home Baby. This studio recording developed out of a 2011 Northern California tour Vuckovich helped arrange for Hamilton.
WESTCHESTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA (FB) – “MAIDEN VOYAGE SUITE” (Big band
versions of Herbie Hancock tunes).
NYTimes.com (Philip Lutz): The recording made last month at Bennett Studios, “Maiden Voyage Suite,” will consist of original arrangements of tunes from Mr. Hancock’s 1965 album “Maiden Voyage.” The suite was enthusiastically received twice in concert, though it became a candidate for recording only when the orchestra won a $10,000 grant from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. The award was announced last June. The recording session, Mr. Holober said, was “definitely overdue.”
SKIP WILKINS – “AFTER” (Pianist, following up his standards release, with an edgy
collection of originals).
Philly.com: The current Lafayette College jazz professor, who is relocating to Europe, says he made After for his grown children who had left home. The intuitive set with drummer Jeff Hirshfield and bassist Scott Lee projects a warm, rich tone and a questing vibe at times. The title track certainly produces righteous heat.
WARREN WOLF – “WARREN WOLF” (Vibraphonist, leading a straight-ahead
session).
The Urban Music Scene: It's no exaggeration to state that the release of Warren Wolf, the eponymous debut album for Mack Avenue Records by Warren Wolf, will make it as apparent to jazz fans as it already is to jazz insiders that the 31-year-old vibraphonist is the next major voice on his instrument. Joined by a unit of authoritative swingers (bassist Christian McBride, pianist Peter Martin, drummer Greg Hutchinson, alto and soprano saxophonist Tim Green, and, on two tracks, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt), Wolf offers a ten-piece program that admirably represents his singular blend of efflorescent chops, muscular attack, lyric sensibility, harmonic acumen, encyclopedic knowledge of hardcore jazz vocabulary, tireless groove and downright musicality.
"I'm trying to bring forth what most cats did back in the day, coming out right at you swinging, nice and hard, not a lot of hard melodies or weird time signatures," Wolf says. "I like to play really hard, fast and kind of flashy. I like to take it to a whole other level."
mostly originals. A little on the edgy side).
Origin REcords: After establishing himself as one of the world's foremost organists over the last decade, Sam Yahel showed off a new side in 2009 with a critically acclaimed piano trio recording that highlighted his broad musical interests and the dynamic interplay of his seasoned band. Now in their tenth year, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Jochen Rueckert again join Yahel as he engages with both the Hammond B3 and piano for an inspired album of fresh originals, and classics including "So in Love" and "A Beautiful Friendship." "...as elegant as anything you've ever heard from an organist. Larry Young would be proud." JazzTimes
