jazz2love

    Album Review:  Self-Titled CD from Datura Road Artist:  Datura Road Label: Self-Released Website:  www.daturaroad.com The self-titled CD from Datura Road offers listeners a variety of flavors from Turkish accented woodwinds to the Italian textured strums of the mandolin and the American folk aromas of the acoustic guitar.  Eastern influences meet western elements on the recording, making for a multi-colored sonic collage that, contrary to popular belief about polar opposites, is aurally pleasing. Asian-toned instruments such as the ud/oud, bansuri and tabla are layered with the familiar western sounds of the guitar, bass, drums, and clarinet.   The intermingling of these diverse registers prove to be a complementing mix as multi-instrumentalist Matt Nobile applies a smooth voicing to the tracks.   His  vocals blend nicely into the fluid curves of the tracks, expressing a sage-like presence through the melodies.  He moves with the tide of the chord progressions, becomin

Album Review:  Begin the Agora from Greg Diaz and the Art of Imagination Jazz Orchestra Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.reverbnation.com/gregdiazandtheartofimagination Strolling, strutting, bobbing, and shimmying in a freestyle manner, Greg Diaz takes his saxophone and clarinet through a rambling ride on his new recording Begin the Agora.   Joined by the 15-piece ensemble called the Art of Imagination Jazz Orchestra, Diaz takes audiences along a journey that is exploratory for both them and him. The gospel-tinged rhythm of "Brother John" is a mixture of bopping blues with a spiritual voicing in Diaz's register as he wails jubilantly.  Puffing and tooting, the horns add to the plume of revelry, stirring up a carousing mood as the trombones, trumpets, and saxophones enter into a romping banter.  Changing gears, the band travels into a swinging groove through the mash-up with "2nd Line Strut/Iko Iko," spinning the horns into a heated chatter.  The festive

Album Review:  Cuerno Exotica from Ken Wiley Label:  Krugpark Music Website:  www.kenwiley.com Cuban jazz elements flavor a handful of classic standards and originals on Ken Wiley's new release Cuerno Exotica from Krugpark Music label.  Wiley's French horn takes centerstage as he shows that the understated instrument is plenty vibrant to hold up solos that hypnotize the listener.  He certainly proves as much on his new release as he traverses through a plethora of narratives from soothing island-imbued atmospheres to tingling jungle-infused tempests. The exotic swivels of the French horn laced along Maurice Ravel's "Bolera" garb the classic number in sparkling accents over its rhythmic cadence, brandishing a Caribbean radiance.  The tousling exchange between Wiley's horn and his bandmates ferment a playful interaction that is aurally stimulating. Moving forward, the warm tones of "Cariló," which shares its name with a beach resort in Argentina,

Album Review:  Together from Randy Brecker and Mats Holmquist with the UMO Jazz Orchestra Label:  Summit Records Website:  www.matsholmquist.com and www.randybrecker.com Inspired by the jazz improvisations of Stan Kenton and Chick Corea, trumpet player Randy Brecker and arranger Mats Holmquist collaborate with the 18-piece UMO Jazz Orchestra from Finland for Together from Summit Records.  The jazz instrumentals have a modern flare with influences of vintage swing and Big Band magnetism.  Oscillating between rambunctious interplay and fluid swells, the music shows the band's agility and instinct to elaborate  from each other's phrases.  From a single instrument's chord pattern, other threads emerge forming a tapestry that is never-ending.  Beefy arrangements are produced as each instrument adds to the compositions, extending the overall body of work. Instruments bounce off of one another, adding whorls and trills producing an ornate interweave through "Crystal Sci

Album Review:  Lab 2018/The Rhythm of the Road from the One O' Clock Lab Band Label:  North Texas Jazz Website:  www.theoneoclock.com and www.jazz.unt.edu The One O'Clock Lab Band presents lounge music in the form of Big Band fashion on their latest recording The Rhythm of the Road from North Texas Jazz music label.  Track after track showcases the rip-roaring stylizing of swing, mirroring the era of 1950's jazz.  Melodic and frolicking, each arrangement has an uplifting vibe displaying the positive moods that jazz music projects. From the ambling strides of "Train" to the scampering shuffle of "Hey, It's Me You're Talking To," the One O'Clock Lab Band moves between chord changes with complete aplomb and ease.  Each track is superbly glazed with swing-imbued attributes from the burlesque-inspired strut of the horns along "Blues for Kazu" to the torchlight trimmings of "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing."  The latter fe

Album Review:  A Burgeoning Consciousness from Noshir Mody Picturesque Scenes Put to Music Label:  Self-Released Website:  https://www.noshirmody.net Guitarist Noshir Mody puts picturesque scenes to music.  His landscapes on guitar illustrate luxurious moods, which can be heard on his latest release A Burgeoning Consciousness .  Six of his originals are featured on the project, and performed by a sextet made up of tenor saxophonist Mike Mullan, trumpet player Benjamin Hankle, pianist Campbell Charshoe, bassist John Lanis, drummer Yutaka Uchida, and himself. The liquidity fluency of the recording is constant.  The musicians stretch and recline with a fanciful scroll, surrounding the listener in solace.  Utopian sounding, the musicians display a strong sense of harmony.  Conjuring tranquilizing ethers even when Mody indulges in a swathe of improvised phrasing along "Consequences of the Unintiated."  The music wafts a meditative lulling, as the sextet takes listeners

Album Review:  The Heart Already Knows from Kate Reid Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.katereidmusic.com/ The Heart Already Knows , the third solo CD from torchlight vocalist Kate Reid is melodically groomed in hues of acoustic pop, bluesy jazz, and rhapsodic soul.   Her alto register rises above the delicately strewn keys of her pianists Fred Hersch and Taylor Eigsti.  The tender wisps strummed by guitarists Paul Meyers, Larry Koonse, and Romero Lubambo accentuate the supple texture of her voice.   Her music leaves listeners feeling like they are floating on air. The emotive inflections in her vocals made along "I'm Just A Lucky So and So" give the song a human quality like the lyrics reflect a real life persona.   Her instinct for improvising the nuances in her voice is admirable.  Her gift manages to grab the listener's attention while set to a sedate tempo.   Each track is slow and mellow comprised of a duo with a single layer of music made by an individual

Album Review:  Songs in the Key of Wonder from James Austin, Jr. Label:  JCA Records Website:  www.jamesaustinjr.com Embarking on the journey to rework Steve Wonder's catalog of pop songs, pianist James Austin, Jr. interprets the tunes as pure instrumentals, drawing out influences of big band, Latin swing, classical music, and smooth jazz.  His CD Songs in the Key of Wonder reverberates  a nightingale-imbued iridescence as his keys inscribe a lyrical versing throughout the tracks.    The percussive beats lining "Another Star" exude a Latin shimmer as Austin's keys swirl around them with infectious exuberance.  Austin's interpretation is steep in Latin swing with horns that blaze smooth jazz shades reminiscent of soothing nocturnes.   The sensuous swivels of the horns strewn along "You've Got It Bad Girl" recede to give the piano solo the forefront as Austin's keys punctuate the track with beaming ripples.  The romantic mood familiar to audie

Album Review:  Always Forward from Marshall Gilkes WDR Big Band Label:   Alternate Side Records Website:  www.marshallgilkes.com                www.alternatesiderecords.com Always Forward from trombonist-composer-arranger Marshall Gilkes highlights the glamor and companionship found in big band ensembles.  Merging traditional swing with modern concepts, Gilkes brings big band music into the 21st century.   He re-imagines jazz standards, articulating the voices of the instruments from new angles, developing the interludes and elaborating on the counter-dialogues.  His own wails are sharp and malleable, moving between being in the forefront and being part of the backdrop as other instruments take centerstage.  When other bandleaders aim for order, Gilkes creates a bit of chaos as instruments enter and leave in sporadic waves. Always thinking about where else the music can go, Gilkes applies this approach to "Easy To Love" as Johan Hörlén gavels a crackling alto sax solo. 

. Album Review:  After Us from Elsa Nilsson and Jon Cowherd Label:  Bumblebee Collective Website:  www.elsanilssonmusic.com Swedish/American flutist and composer Elsa Nilsson plays notes with a freehand style.  Her flute moves in arbitrary circles, unscripted undulations, and random spirals, emoting a freedom that is intellectually stimulating and melodically sounding.  Joining Nilsson on her latest CD After Us is pianist Jon Cowherd who adds another layer, another voice to the compositions.  Guided by their natural reflexes, Nilsson and Cowherd take their music where it wants to go as the pair communicate raw emotions and human thoughts channeled into the dialogue of their instruments.  Their collaborations are deeply personal, expressing their innermost feelings into their music. The lines that separate classical music from jazz, blues, and sonic pop are blurred on After Us as the duo crisscross genres, injecting elements of each into their compositions.  The bluesy mood

Album Review:   Wings Uncaged from Aimée Allen Label:  Azuline Music Website:  www.aimeeallenmusic.com Wings Uncaged from vocalist Aimée Allen features a contemporary reworking of a handful of jazz standards interspersed with five new swing-inspired originals.  Most outstanding about Allen's rendering is the dreamy quality of her vocals, managing to engulf the listener in the introspective musings expressed in the lyrics. Her treatment of "Skylark" is mesmerizing welding a siren-esque lure as her handling of "Shooting Star" tailors the song to her vocal facets, accentuating the luminous hues of her register.  If one did not know these songs have been performed by many others before, Allen could claim them as her own.  She shapes the vocal melodies and the music to her specifications. "Invitation" showcases Allen's vocal elasticity, her ability to stretch out notes and etch poignant inflections that draw the listener into the song.   T