If improvisational jazz is something that piques your interest, you might want to take a look at A Duet Of One, a new album now out on the IPO Recordings label. It's a deceptively simple pairing of clarinetist Eddie Daniels and pianist Roger Kellaway, recorded live at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, but the … Continue reading REVIEW: Eddie Daniels & Roger Kellaway – A Duet Of One
Category: Jazz
The Master Of The Love Song
I've written before about the incomparable Nat King Cole, but I thought Valentines Day might be a good occasion for a quick post with one of my favorites by him. It's a song that has been in the news lately because of the Etta James vs Beyoncé flap, although it was originally a Glenn Miller … Continue reading The Master Of The Love Song
The Longest Walk Of My Life
I was listening today to the music of Benny Carter, one of my all-time favorites (and someone I've written about before). The long-time bandleader and sax legend was also a first-class composer, and the song I was enjoying was one he wrote many years ago -- "A Walkin' Thing." It's a piece that appropriately begins … Continue reading The Longest Walk Of My Life
REVIEW: Leif Shires – What A Wonderful World
Who knew? When I reviewed a new album by singer Jaimee Paul a while back, I mentioned that her husband, trumpeter Leif Shires, was part of her instrumental backing. But a new album starring Shires himself, titled What A Wonderful World, brings his horn into sharper focus and proves that his wife is not the … Continue reading REVIEW: Leif Shires – What A Wonderful World
REVIEW: Benny Golson – New Time, New ‘Tet, et al.
Tenor sax veteran Benny Golson, still going strong after an extended career that includes a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, is the subject of a new salute from Concord Jazz. The promotion actually includes a pair of albums; one newly recorded and the other a career retrospective, offered separately as a companion piece. New Time, New … Continue reading REVIEW: Benny Golson – New Time, New ‘Tet, et al.
REVIEW: Eliane Elias – Bossa Nova Stories
Not gonna make you wait on this one. No beating around the bush, no hemming and hawing - well OK, a little - but the simple truth is that Brazilian jazz icon Eliane Elias' newest album, Bossa Nova Stories, is one of the best I've heard in a long time. It's a new issue on … Continue reading REVIEW: Eliane Elias – Bossa Nova Stories
Speaking Up In Defense Of Cooties
I'm willing to bet that almost everybody reading this has at some point in their childhood teasingly accused someone of giving them 'cooties' -- or has been on the other end, as the one being accused. It's an old insult that dates back for a number of generations, but most of the kids using the … Continue reading Speaking Up In Defense Of Cooties
REVIEW: Jaimee Paul – At Last
Whether we realize it or not, we sometimes approach tribute albums a little sideways, sort of edging up to them while wondering if the artist will do justice to the original. I suppose it's a natural enough attitude to have, but it seems a little unfair if we judge them too quickly. Those thoughts were … Continue reading REVIEW: Jaimee Paul – At Last
REVIEW: Hendrik Meurkens – Samba To Go!
For the third year in a row, the otherwise frigid month of January is warmed up for Latin jazz lovers via a new Hendrik Meurkens album on the Zoho label. Samba To Go! follows the pattern set by 2008's Sambatropolis and 2007's New York Samba Jazz Quintet, once again showcasing Meurkens' talent on both harmonica … Continue reading REVIEW: Hendrik Meurkens – Samba To Go!
REVIEW: Leonisa Ardizzone Quintet – The Scent Of Bitter Almonds
As the executive director of the Salvadori Center, a charitable New York educational foundation, Leonisa Ardizzone is making a real difference in kids' lives. In her alternate life as the leader of the Leonisa Ardizzone Quintet, the talented jazz artist proves that she's a multi-tasker with few equals. Her new album, The Scent Of Bitter … Continue reading REVIEW: Leonisa Ardizzone Quintet – The Scent Of Bitter Almonds
Geezer Music Club 