REVIEW: Bob Mover – It Amazes Me

Jazz saxophonist Bob Mover has an intriguing resume. A protege of Phil Woods, he was playing professionally at age 16 and subsequently performed alongside many stars, including Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, and one my favorites, alto sax legend Lee Konitz. It was an impressive beginning. Mover also spent some time leading his own group, but … Continue reading REVIEW: Bob Mover – It Amazes Me

Six Degrees Of Ray Noble

I had thought of calling British bandleader Ray Noble the musical Forrest Gump because he seemed to have a way of being in on some significant moments in musical history, but it's probably more accurate to call him the musical Kevin Bacon (as in 'six degrees of'). During his career Noble had connections with a … Continue reading Six Degrees Of Ray Noble

REVIEW: Al Foster Quartet – Love, Peace And Jazz!

It's always nice to see a respected jazz veteran have the opportunity to get his name on the front of a new album, especially if it's someone who has for the most part kept a pretty low profile over the course of his career. Drummer Al Foster has been in the business for many years, … Continue reading REVIEW: Al Foster Quartet – Love, Peace And Jazz!

Mysterious Musical Occurrences

It started innocently enough. I was reading a magazine and I noticed a print ad featuring John Travolta. I think he was selling watches, but the gist of it seemed to be that he was proud to be a pilot -- maybe even more so than he was to be an actor. I won't comment … Continue reading Mysterious Musical Occurrences

REVIEW: Johnnie Allan – Memories

A seemingly endless parade of tropical storms sweeping into the Southeast and blanketing bayou country leads me to one conclusion. It's time to shrug off the bad weather and listen to Memories, a new album on the Jin Records label from Louisiana swamp-pop legend Johnnie Allan. Johnnie, who was born John Allan Guillot and is … Continue reading REVIEW: Johnnie Allan – Memories

Remembering ‘The Guitar Man’ – Jerry Reed

(Jerry Reed died recently. The following was originally published in January 2007.) It seems to me that there have always been actors I like to call "Mr. Smirky". You know the kind of guy I'm talking about -- they appear in a lot of movies and are very popular with their fans, but always seem … Continue reading Remembering ‘The Guitar Man’ – Jerry Reed

REVIEW: Todd Herbert – The Tree Of Life

Close on the heels of his success with 2007's The Path To Infinity, tenor sax wizard Todd Herbert brings us The Tree Of Life, again on the Metropolitan label. With his newest, he's once again offering up a mix of contemporary jazz with a post-bop touch. Herbert has been playing professionally since the early 1990's, … Continue reading REVIEW: Todd Herbert – The Tree Of Life

Hoyt Axton – Modern Renaissance Man

The dictionary defines Renaissance Man as 'a person who has wide interests and is expert in several areas', but it might be easier to just show a picture of Hoyt Axton. For four decades the multi-talented performer was a genre-crossing composer and singer as well as a busy TV and movie actor, and he did … Continue reading Hoyt Axton – Modern Renaissance Man

REVIEW: Aaron Parks – Invisible Cinema

Although he's still only in his twenties, jazz keyboardist Aaron Parks has already put together an impressive resume. He has a background that combines formal musical training with playing next to some of the best, and already has several albums to his credit. Invisible Cinema, his newest effort and his first for Blue Note, will … Continue reading REVIEW: Aaron Parks – Invisible Cinema

The Music Of The Olympics

No, not THOSE Olympics. It would be a natural assumption for you to make, and an obvious ploy on my part to lead you down that path, but we're not here to discuss the music of the recent Beijing games. Nope, our subject is a very good singing group from the Los Angeles area who … Continue reading The Music Of The Olympics