Get your coins ready for the “Jazz Jukebox” by Jordan Young
One of the strengths of Marc Free’s Posi-Tone imprimatur is that it is responsible for introducing us to many great and upcoming jazz artists. Drummer Jordan Young is a Detroit native who has studied with some of the best of the modern-day masters and is making a name for himself in New York. His sophomore release for Posi-Tone, Jazz Jukebox, is a bristling thirteen-track collection that liv ...Read More
Just What the Doctor ordered, “All These Hands”, by Michael Dease
Gathering a hand picked bunch of all stars to make the trek with him as he brings his sound and vision to fruition, Dease and his bunch make a history of jazz recording that has no dust on it and sounds much more looking forward than looking backward. A dazzling set that’s striking in it’s ability to say something new here, this is more than a pleasingly swinging set that cooks. A solid wo ...Read More
Midwest Record gives us a look at “Central Line” by Art Hirahara
Here’s a piano man bold enough to make a modern, mainstream date and doing it while surrounding himself with hell raisers like Donny McCaslin, Rudy Royston and Linda Oh. Swinging easy but to the left, you won’t mistake this
for cocktail jazz but Hirahara could do a killer job on that form if he every chose to take the easy way out. Piano fans take note, this is a date not to be missed. Hot ...Read More
All About Jazz gives a great review for “Allied Forces” by Steve Fidyk
The military reference in this record’s title is right on the mark. For over a quarter of a century, Steve Fidyk has held down the drum chair in the U.S. Army Blues (part of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”), an 18-piece ensemble that has performed America’s original art form in a variety of venues throughout the U.S. and around the world. Like any great j ...Read More
Why the World Needs More Folks Like David Gibson
If you follow trombonist David Gibson on Facebook, or are FB “friends” with him, you’re likely familiar with some of his posts that cover a whole host of topics, from the power of music, to what it means to be a professional, how to act on a gig, how to communicate with people you might not agree with, etc. In these posts he is always positive, insightful, and generally optimistic.
Now I ...Read More
A polished trio fronted by an articulate drummer is “Jazz Jukebox”
The predominance of the jukebox in social situations is essentially a thing of the past. But how much has really changed? Those once-ubiquitous machines that brought musical happiness to the good people in corner bars and diners throughout the land may have vanished, but the concept they put forward has not. It’s simply been modernized, with shuffling playlists, random streaming, curated lis ...Read More
All About Jazz likes what it hears on “Bright Side” by Doug Webb
From one perspective, Doug Webb‘s Bright Side is basically twelve tracks clothed in very recognizable forms —a few varieties of soul-jazz, a couple of heartfelt ballads, a taut bossa nova, and an array of middling and up tempo straight- ahead swingers. Although the material is thoroughly enjoyable, it’s tempting to succumb to a nagging notion that its all been done countless times be ...Read More
All About Jazz gives “Message In Motion” 5 stars
Message In Motion is a recording that can be gainfully approached from a number of angles. You can choose to play it in a single sitting from start to finish, taking in an array of moods evoked by bassist Peter Brendler’s seven compositions and a band worthy of his exemplary skills as a writer. (The record also includes selections penned by Duke Ellington, Elliott Smith, and Alice Coltrane.) ...Read More
Musicalmemoirs’s likes the no nonsense straight ahead jazz from David Gibson
I have to begin this review by complimenting Positone Records. Every CD this company has sent to me reflects a high quality of jazz artists. It’s been a joy listening to each and every one of them. David Gibson is no exception to this course of excellence. “Inner Agent”, the title tune, is an original composition by Gibson and sets the mood for this entire project. It’s Straight Ahead, no ...Read More
Classicalite says Peter Brendler’s “Message In Motion” lives up to it’s name
Another winner from the left coast’s Posi-Tone: consider it a Message In Motion by Peter Brendler where six of the tracks feature no chords whatsoever as it’s Brendler’s bass augmented by Rich Perry’s tenor sax, the trumpet of Peter Evans and Vinnie Sperazza with the type of kinetic drumming that continually moves the music forward.
Brendler wrote eight of 10 and his comp ...Read More