Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
WGLT podcast interview with Spike Wilner…
wglt.org
Publish Date: 06/08/2012 10:46 AM
Run Time: 10:05
Growing up in NYC, Wilner played piano at a young age. His inspiration also came at a young age when he saw a television program on Scott Joplin. Today Wilner is one of the top pianists in NYC, and is co-owner of “Smalls”, one of the top jazz clubs in NYC. Wilner’s new CD on Posi-Tone records is titled “La Tendresse ...Read More
Lucid Culture looks into “La Tendresse”…
lucidculture.wordpress.com
Who Says Club Owners Can’t Play?
Most club owners who play music usually suck at it. The reason many of them open a venue is to have a place to play since nobody else will give them a gig. But once in awhile, you find a club owner who not only isn’t an atrocity exhibition, but actually has talent. Case in point: pianist Spike Wilner, impresario of Smalls, the well-l ...Read More
Spike Wilner gets a look on Midwest Record….
midwestrecord.com
SPIKE WILNER/La Tendresse: First drawn to piano when bitten by the ragtime bug as a teen, piano man Wilner takes his trio on a wild ride through impressionistic to straight ahead jazz, original and cover, putting his own stamp on the whole proceeding. A known quantity to the hard core jazzbo, Wilner is extending his reach here with a feisty but friendly set that isn’t movin ...Read More
Midwest Record reviews Jared Gold “Golden Child”….
midwestrecord.com
JARED GOLD/Golden Child: Dead solid perfect jazz, organ trio that’s right in the pocket and absolutely captures the back in the day groove so well that Jimmy Smith is probably right now thinking he’s found his worthy successor. Uber groovy without an ounce of hipster, self congratulatory vibe anywhere on it. This is the bomb, circa 2012. If you’re any kind of a ...Read More
JazzTimes reviews Steve Horowitz “New Monsters”…
jazztimes.com
By Bill Milkowski
This singular ensemble from San Francisco is led by bassist Steve Horowitz and features the writing of tenor saxophonist Dan Plonsey. The myriad influences heard on this wildly eclectic outing range from tango to Zappa to postbop and free jazz, with touches of klezmer and minimalism thrown into the mix. Those elements come together most effectively on “Mirro ...Read More
Tom Hull’s take on “New Monsters”…
tomhull.com
Steve Horowitz: New Monsters (2011 [2012], Posi-Tone): Bassist, based in San Francisco, has eleven (or more) albums since 1993, some with the group Mousetrap. Quintet, with two saxophones — Steve Adams, from ROVA on alto and soprano (and flute), and Dan Plonsey on tenor — plus piano (Scott Looney) and drums (Jim Bove). Actually, I’m not sure why this isn’t Plons ...Read More
Dan Bilawsky takes on “New Monsters”…
www.allaboutjazz.com
The Posi-Tone label has positioned itself as a distinguished dealer in modern jazz and classy throwback sounds, demonstrating catholic tastes and a willingness to invest in artists of the established and unknown variety. New Monsters, however, doesn’t fall firmly into either category. San Francisco bassist Steve Horowitz oversees this outing that features free blowing fa ...Read More
Midwest Record on “New Monsters”…
midwestrecord.com
NEW MONSTERS: Nothing really monstrous about this Friscocentric jazz date where bass man Steve Horowitz is the leader and sax man Dan Plonsey is the head writer. A delightfully off beat set where the music is fairly linear but marches to the beat of it’s own drum. A little out of the ordinary but not far from the mainstream, the playing is on the money throughout and the ch ...Read More
Midwest Record on Ehud/Harry “Upper West Side”…
midwestrecord.com
EHUD ASHERIE with Harry Allen/Upper West Side: When you can’t tell just who is the leader on this duo date why is that Allen gets kind of a minority billing? And just why has this sweetie of a date been sitting in the can for 3 years? Screw the weak economy! A sublime face off between two jazz cats at the top of their games on piano and sax, the set list focuses on oldies b ...Read More
Tom Hull on the “Upper West Side”…
www.tomhull.com
Ehud Asherie: Upper West Side (2009 [2012], Posi-Tone): Pianist, b. 1979, Israeli (as I recall; his Flash website crashed when I tried to look at it), based in New York; sixth album since 2007. This is a duo “with” tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, who gets smaller, skinny type on the front cover, but carries the standards set, especially from “Our Love Is Here to St ...Read More