Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
JazzTimes reviews Spike Wilner “La Tendresse”…
jazztimes.com
Following the stirring modal opener, Wilner’s original title track which carries a distinct McCoy Tyner influence, the pianist settles into a program of charming old-school ditties performed either solo or with accompaniment by his capably swinging rhythm tandem of bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Joey Saylor. There’s a giddy solo piano interpretation of Harold Arlen’s “I ...Read More
Music and More reviews Jordan Young “Cymbal Melodies”…
jazzandblues.blogspot.com
Jordan Young is a drummer leading a group on this recording that features Brian Charette on organ, Avi Rothbard on guitar and Joe Sucato on tenor saxophone. Young is a subtle drummer, using shades of texture and nuance instead of dramatic loud playing. The album is a very solid mainstream jazz session melding pop music, the earworm melody of “Raindrops Keep Falling on M ...Read More
More coverage for “Flip the Script”…
www.thejazzpage.com
The inventive and bold pianist Orrin Evans is back with a new project called Flip The Script. On this effort, Evans heads a fantastic trio, which includes Ben Wolfe on bass and Donald Edwards on drums. The adventurous combo stretches on mostly Evans’ originals or less-traveled works by other composers and presents it in its own refreshingly different way. The unit moves tog ...Read More
Here’s the first review for Jordan Young’s “Cymbal Melodies”…
www.criticaljazz.com
I have to admit when I first saw the tune selection on this disc I wondered how in the world Jordan Young could pull it off. You have a hard bop tune from Lee Morgan along with some more classic covers from Grant Green and Irving Berlin and mixed in you see some more dated popular standards from Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Webb and Sting.
Life is easy, people make it hard. Same ...Read More
Alex Rodriguez takes on Orrin Evans “Flip the Script”…
ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu
Two new CDs out by contemporary jazz leaders Branford Marsalis (below) andOrrin Evans (left) offer a pair of unique takes on what it means to swing in the 21st century. Both are assertive, interactive, and powerful statements, but it’s what makes them different that I find particularly fascinating.
Flip the Script is passionate and thoughtful, pointing the ...Read More
Another great review for Brandon Wright “Journeyman”…
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/08/21/post-bop-till-you-drop-cd-reviews/
You have to give the Los Angeles-based label Posi-Tone props for bringing the music of some lesser-known up-and-comers to the jazz market. One of the label’s brightest prospects is the 30-year-old tenor saxophonist Brandon Wright, especially given the musical strength and breadth he demonstrates on his latest discJourne ...Read More
Peter Hum covers Steve Davis “Gettin’ It Done”…
blogs.ottawacitizen.com
Trombonist Steve Davis’ latest disc, his second on that post-bop flagbearer of a label Posi-Tone, is loaded with keen, well-crafted music for a no-nonsense, at times Blakey-style sextet.
Kicking off the CD is an incisive three-horns arrangement of John Coltrane’s 1961 piece Village Blues. Davis, alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo, the brash-young trumpeter Josh Bruneau, ...Read More
lucid culture reviews Jared Gold “Golden Child”…
lucidculture.wordpress.com
Jared Gold Pushes the B3 Envelope
In a way, organist Jared Gold is to the Posi-Tone label what Willie Dixon was to Chess: he seems to be on practically all their records. And why not? He’s a good player, and he’s literally never made a bad album. His fifth as a bandleader, Golden Child, has been out for a few months: fans of organ jazz who’re looking for some ...Read More
Audiophile Audition reviews Steve Davis “Gettin’ It Done”…
audaud.com
Steve Davis – Gettin’ It Done – Posi-Tone Records PR 8099, 57:14 ****
(Steve Davis – trombone; Josh Bruneau – trumpet/flugelhorn; Mike Dirubbo – also sax; Larry Willis – piano; Nat Reeves – bass; Billy Williams – drums)
Hard bop lives. Well perhaps not the edgy version practiced by Art Blakey and Horace Silver in the ‘50s and ‘60s, but the softer-sided sound as e ...Read More
David Adler chimes in “On Orrin Evans”…
blog.adlermusic.com
Pianist Orrin Evans is on a hot streak. For evidence look to his recent Posi-Tone releases Freedom, Faith In Action andCaptain Black Big Band, not to mention his sideman turn with Ralph Bowen onPower Play or his work with the co-led group Tarbaby. On his new Flip the Script, the Philadelphian enlists bassist Ben Wolfe and drummer Donald Edwards for a trio se ...Read More