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!
Category: Retirement
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
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
REVIEW: Tito Puente – Live At The 1977 Monterey Jazz Festival
Another in a series of Concord albums celebrating the Monterey Jazz Festival (previously: Brubeck, Tjader) presents the music of an American-born, but purely Latin music maestro, Tito Puente. It was recorded during his band's triumphant appearance at the 1977 festival, the first of many he would make at the storied venue through the years. At … Continue reading REVIEW: Tito Puente – Live At The 1977 Monterey Jazz Festival
Ray Peterson — Rising Above Adversity
For many years polio (poliomyelitis) was a dreaded specter that hovered over parents with small children, and the very thought of it scared a lot of families beyond reason. I can remember being warned about everything from touching green flies to putting my mouth on public drinking fountains, although I'm not sure how well I … Continue reading Ray Peterson — Rising Above Adversity
REVIEW: Ron Kalina & Jim Self – The Odd Couple
Last year I reviewed an album that featured jazz harmonica (and it was actually my second review of the group's music) and I also reviewed an album that showcased jazz on a bassoon. So I guess it makes perfect sense for me to review a new release starring a couple of guys who offer jazz … Continue reading REVIEW: Ron Kalina & Jim Self – The Odd Couple
Geezer Music Club 