jazz2love

Album:  Gotham Artist:  Wayne Alpern Label:  Henri Elkan Music Website:  https://www.waynealpern.com Arranger, composer and bandleader Wayne Alpern has made substantial and meaningful contributions to the jazz emporium, and he continues go strong.  His 2024 release Gotham brings together elements of R&B, classic jazz, and sultry Latin swing to enhance a selection of classic standards.  Combined with his melodic sensibilities, the recording pulls the listener into Alpern's world of merrymaking and solemn reflection. The playful interaction of the horns cleated by a swinging Latin beat along "Desafinado," authored by Antonio Carlos Jobim, filament a lively mood and produce an elevating experience.  Turning reflective and amorous, Wayne's reimagination of "Norwegian Wood," written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, opens with breathy guitar strings punctuated by the balmy riffs of the horns.  The smooth waltzing motion of the rhythmic beats are inviting, c

Album:  Owl Dreams Artist:  Dharma Down Label: Dharma Down Records DD001 Website: www.dharmadown.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/dharmadownband Instagram: www.instagram.com/dharmadownband/ Sensual and exotic, the music of Dharma Down shines a spotlight on the confluence of Arabic rhythms, folkloric tableaus, Eastern European vibrations, and modern jazz idioms.  Comprised of Duncan Hardy on alto saxophone and qanun, Mike Effenberger on piano, Scott Kiefner on acoustic bass, and John Mettam on drums, Dharma Down's debut recording Owl Dreams fascinates the listener's imagination and arouses positive sensations.  From the Klezmatic character of Hardy's vibrant raptures on the saxophone sprinting across "Bubu Jinn" to the tingling ripples of his performance on the Qanun, forming a swiveling motion through "Jalla Man," the experience is a veritable treat into lively dreamscapes.  The original scores are animated portraits of middle eastern music paired with mo

Album: Clement Kovalcheck Hamar Artist: Clement/Kovalcheck/Hamar Trio Label:  Self-Released Websites:  www.dawnclement.com https://www.kovalcheckmusic.com/ https://jonhamar.com/ The drummerless trio of pianist Dawn Clement, guitarist Steve Kovalcheck, and bass player Jon Hamar demonstrate a charming rapport that highlights their lyrical sensibilities and penchant for harmonious motifs, comprised of improvised turns and wayfaring musings.  The trio's latest release Clement Kovalcheck Hamar indulges their exploratory natures with all original compositions, probing and traversing in a winsome spirit as they form melodic patterns that send them wandering merrily. From the complex entanglements of "Blind" and the somber passages of "Spirit Spin" to the elegant soundscapes of "Lazy Dragon" and the balmy rhumba flare of "Paseo del Mar," the trio's sense of rhythm keeps the listener engaged.  The bebop pulse of "Hard Ball" is steep in

Album:  Descriptions of Useless Subtitles and Meaningful Sublimations Artists: Renato Diz and Peter Traunmueller Label:  W&J Productions Websites:  https://www.wjproductionsllc.com/artists/renato-diz-peter-traunmueller https://renatodizpetertraunmueller.bandcamp.com/album/descriptions-of-useless-subtitles-and-meaningful-sublimations  https://www.petertraunmueller.com Descriptions of Useless Subtitles and Meaningful Sublimations from keyboardist-composer Renato Diz and drummer-composer Peter Traunmueller is a multi-faceted project with José Diogo Neves mixing and mastering their recording. The project consists of their original recording along with an 18-page book of poems by the same title and authored by Diz and Traunmueller.  The book contains original black and white drawings by Pedro Marnoto to accompany each poem and corresponding track.  The three-fold project combines sound, poetry and visual, forming an unique "ecosystem," in the words of the book's authors.

Album:  Tides Artist:  Philip Weberndoerfer Label:  Shifting Paradigm Records Website:  https://www.weberndoerfer.com Composer-guitarist Philip Weberndoerfer delivers Tides , an exploration of tones, textures, and movement.  Supported by bassist Richard Mikel, drummer Peter Traunmueller, and saxophonist Dayna Stephens, Weberndoerfer experiments with sonic structures, lyrical phrasing, and harmonic forms, intimating private thoughts and reflections. Stephens's saxophone weaves billowy waves along "Low Gravity" that delight the aural senses and elevate the listening experience, as Weberndoerfer's riffing on the guitar enhances the feel good vibrations with the combination of a bluesy tint and an exotic, gypsy-like shimmer in his musings.  The recording shifts to a slow-burning glint through "Peace of Constance," accentuated by the soft rustle of Stephens's saxophone, as the rhythmic beats of Mikel's bass and Traunmueller's drums produce gentle, rol

Album:  World Traveler Artist:  Aleksi Glick Label:  Pinch Records Website:  https://www.aleksiglick.com World Traveler, the new recording from guitarist and composer Aleksi Glick fuses jazz guitar hooks with R&B/soul grooves and bossa nova trimmings, offering a listening experience filled with feel good vibrations from start to finish.  Featuring vocalist Laureana on a handful of tracks, Glick opens the listener's mind to picturesque soundscapes and aurally pleasing explorations. The bossa nova wavelets traveling along "Guitar and Me" are steered by Glick's shimmering chords, producing an atmospheric sonorous that suspends the listener, keeping one in blissful flight.  Laureana's soulful vocals sweep sensually across the bluesy terrain of "She Told Me," moves rhythmically along the bubbly R&B traction of "Leaving LA." and coasts smoothly through the soothing Latin tremors found in "Nordic Bossa."  Musical influences of jazz