Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Another AAJ piece on Jared Gold “Out Of Line”…
www.allaboutjazz.com
The age of the classic chitlin’ circuit organ combo passed away with Jimmy Smith in 2005. Regardless, greasy-spoon organ jazz is still frequently summoned, if only in approximate form, beating the alternative of no new mainstream B3 music at all. New Yorker Jared Gold tore things up on hisSupersonic (Posi-Tone, 2009) and Dan Pratt’s Toe The Line (Posi-Tone Record ...Read More
Tim Niland’s review for Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece “Little Echo”…
Tenor saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Behn Gillece have been playing jazz together since they were growing up in Philadelphia. Now based in New York City, the co-leaders are joined on this album by Rick Germanson on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass and Quincy Davis on drums. The result is a classy album of mainstream jazz with a bit of a Bags & Trane vibe, with bright sounding boppish sax ...Read More
Glenn Astarita’s review of Jacam Manricks “Trigonometry” for eJazzNews…
Saxophonist/composer Jacam Manricks’ 2009 release “Labyrinth,” looms as a captivating artistic statement. Composed for jazz quintet and chamber orchestra, Manricks conveyed great depth and enveloped quite a few jazz-tinged frameworks into the grand schema. Similar attributes emerge on this 2010 follow-up, featuring some modern-day jazz titans amid an aggregation of cunning developments that ...Read More
Derek Taylor weighs in with his take on Jim Rotondi “1000 Rainbows”….
by Derek Taylor
Contextual questions of excessive repertory fealty are largely moot in the music of Jim Rotondi. A trumpeter who’s canny style blends Hubbard-like velocity and clarity with a persuasive lyricism, his fixation on a stripes of hardbop steeped in 60s Blue Note decorum is hardly worth getting bent about, though there are those who would likely fault him for it just the same. This se ...Read More
Bruce Lindsay of All About Jazz provides a thoughtful write-up of Jim Rotondi “1000 Rainbows”….
by Bruce Lindsay
1000 Rainbows swings beautifully, drawing together a few original tunes from trumpeter Jim Rotondi and some out-of-the-ordinary classics that are delivered in real style by a classy quintet. The New York-based Rotondi has been in the jazz scene for more than 20 years and has an extensive back catalog of recordings as a leader. This is his third Posi-tone release as leader, follow ...Read More
A nice review of Jim Rotondi “1000 Rainbows” by Step Tempest blogger Richard Kamins…
By Rickard Kamins
1000 Rainbows – Jim Rotondi (Posi-tone Records) – Jim Rotondi is a trumpeter out of the Freddie Hubbard/ Woody Shaw school with roots in Clifford Brown (his sweet articulated notes remind this listener of Brownie.) On record, he rarely ventures into unknown territory and that’s just fine because his music never sounds stale. Surrounded by veterans like Joe Lock ...Read More
Lucid Culture weighs in favorably on Jim Rotondi “1000 Rainbows”…
Trumpeter and Ray Charles alum Jim Rotondi’s new album 1000 Rainbows is a brisk, no-nonsense romp through a mix of strong, memorable themes that an inspired cast – Joe Locke on vibraphone, Danny Grissett on piano, Barak Mori on bass and Bill Stewart on drums – lock onto and charge through with gusto. The opening track, Bizarro World moves from a rumble to a scamper and back and then fades ou ...Read More
Peter Hum reviews “Little Echo”…
communities.canada.com
Little Echo (Posi-Tone)
Ken Fowser & Behn Gillece
Unlike Dana Lauren, the saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Behn Gillece, who are a few years older than she is, have a very focused take on their stylistic turf. They are unabashed lovers and perpetrators of hard bop and a brand of modal jazz that more secular than the spiritual style that John Coltrane ushered into ...Read More
Here’s the Lime Wire Music Blog Review for Jim Rotondi “1000 Rainbows”….
By Jim Allen
When it comes to trumpeters on the NYC straight-ahead jazz scene, Jim Rotondi is strictly top-shelf. He’s been making his musical presence felt since the ‘90s, and while he’s deep into his recording career by this point, 1000 Rainbows nevertheless finds him employing an approach that’s not only tonally spotless but emotionally open, achieving a searching quality even while sh ...Read More
John Barron of All About Jazz chimes in with his review of Jim Rotondi “1000 Rainbows”….
By John Barron
On his third release as a leader for Posi-Tone Records, acclaimed trumpeter Jim Rotondi leads a stellar quintet of New York heavy-hitters on a straight-ahead presentation of original compositions and standard fare. Featuring the unremitting vibraphone work of Joe Locke, 1000 Rainbows swings hard through up-tempo burners, ballads and laid-back funk grooves.
Rotondi and Locke are as ...Read More