Before I read the album notes for a new collection called The Very Best Of Prestige Records, I naturally enough thought to myself that it would have been child's play to put together this double-album commemorating the label's 60th anniversary. After all, Prestige has a long history as one of the best jazz labels around, … Continue reading REVIEW: Various Artists – Very Best Of Prestige Records
Category: Review
REVIEW: Steve Haines Quintet – Stickadiboom
Retro rules the roost in a new release from bassist Steve Haines and his group, who seem to have found a direct route to the kind of music that would have been right at home in the hard-bop era. Stickadiboom, now out on the Zoho label, is strongly evocative of the days when creative jazz … Continue reading REVIEW: Steve Haines Quintet – Stickadiboom
REVIEW: The Rippingtons – Modern Art
When a musical group with two decades of success releases album number eighteen, you have to figure that the guys making up the group are pretty much on top of their game. That would be an accurate description of the Rippingtons, and the group's new album, Modern Art, is now out on the Peak Records … Continue reading REVIEW: The Rippingtons – Modern Art
REVIEW: Linda Presgrave – Inspiration
When St. Louis native Linda Presgrave moved to New York about a decade ago, she'd already built a nice career as a respected jazz artist. But it might have been the catalyst that helped the talented pianist and composer begin to find wider success, because she soon signed a recording contract and began a string … Continue reading REVIEW: Linda Presgrave – Inspiration
REVIEW: Carol Fredette – Everything In Time
Carol Fredette is a perfect example of an undiscovered treasure. Or at least undiscovered by a wide audience, because she's been a fixture on the New York club scene for many years and has built a following of loyal fans, some of whom are her fellow artists. She's been called 'a musician's singer,' and jazz … Continue reading REVIEW: Carol Fredette – Everything In Time
REVIEW: Eddie Daniels & Roger Kellaway – A Duet Of One
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
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: Ray Landry & Friends – Mes Racines Cadien Sont Creux
In the last few years I've reviewed a lot of albums filled with Louisiana music, including Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp Pop, R&B, Country-Rock, and probably a few I've forgotten. Some of those albums even included more than one variety of the area's music. But a new issue From Ray Landry and Friends on the Swallow label … Continue reading REVIEW: Ray Landry & Friends – Mes Racines Cadien Sont Creux
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
Geezer Music Club 