jazz2love

Album:   Hidden Gems Artist:   Brent Laidler Label:   BEL Records LLC Website: https://brentlaidler.com/ https://www.facebook.com/BrentLaidlerMusic/ https://brentlaidler.bandcamp.com/album/hidden-gems   Hidden Gems  is the third project from composer-arranger-guitarist-bandleader Brent Laidler and features arrangements inspired by such jazz luminaries as Dave Brubeck and Cannonball Adderly.  Some listeners will consider the compositions as contrafacts, creating improvisations based on original material.  And some listeners will consider Laidler's works as completely original, being adaptations of original works with new melodies and new chord reharmonizations.  However people wish to view Laidler's material, there is no denying that the compositions are easy on the ears, promoting sleek improvisations and harmonious collaborations among his sextet. Accompanying Laidler in his adventure are Mark Buselli on trumpet, Ned Boyd on saxophone a...

Album:   Love on the Tyrrhenian Artist:   CeCe Gable Label: CCGableLLC Website:   https://cecegable.com   Love on the Tyrrhenian , the sixth full-length recording from vocalist CeCe Gable blends American swing with Latin influences and easy listening/contemporary adult pop serenity.   Track after track weaves a melodious tapestry of picturesque tunage, sweeping listeners away along a blissful cruise. A lounging samba rhythm transports the title track and "Little Boat" into a balmy, paradise-imbued realm with the keys twinkling softly as Gable's warm vocals blanket the listener in succor-rich vibrations.   There is a nostalgic slant in the music reminiscent of the alluring escapes penned by Antonio Carlos Jobim.      Gable continues serenading the listener with the luxurious atmospherics of "The Riviera," a staple of Cy Coleman and Joseph Allen McCarthy .   The arrangement is given an elevating boost by pianist-arranger John Shipley, en...

Album:  Imaginably Artist:   Yuto Mitomi and Yuto Kanazawa Label:   Self-Released Website:  yutomitomi.com   Saxophonist-composer Yuto Mitomi and guitarist Yuto Kanazawa perform one of a kind recording Imaginably .  Pairing the soulful strumming of the guitar with the malleable curves of the saxophone, the duo create a dulcet sojourn that magnetizes the listener to their performance. "Sweet Lorraine" is a warm ballad that displays the duo's impeccable timing and complementing response to each other's assertions.   The title track is a charming tune that spotlights Mitomi's agile dexterity on the saxophone, demonstrating a flexibility in his performance that is admirable.   "Karatachi no Hana" is a serene melody that integrates caressing strokes and wistful flutters, interpolating glinting swells.     The buoyant musings of the saxophone splayed across "Dorelice" are cradled in the tender strums of the guitar, shifting into the languid w...

Album:  Continuation Artist:   Yuto Mitomi Label:   Self-Released Website:  yutomitomi.com   Japanese jazz saxophonist and composer Yuto Mitomi makes his debut as a leader with his release Continuation .  Based in New York, Mitomi blends his musical roots with influences of American bebop, improvisation, swing, and straight-ahead jazz.  Featuring eight original compositions and two jazz standards with his arrangements, the album showcases Mitomi's fluency in the jazz framework, leading his band mates Takahiro Izumikawa on keyboards, Moto Fukushima on six string bass, and Kazuhiro Odagiri on drums. The recording's title is inspired by Mitomi's continuous journey from being a pupil of Japan's folk and pop music to becoming a participant on the Manhattan jazz circuit, discovering contemporary perspectives from modern musicians, shaping his artistic leaning and contributing to the world music market.  Mitomi displays a sympatico with his band mates th...

Album:  What Is? Artist:  Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band Label:  Self-Released Artist Website: russanixter.com Arranger-improviser Russ Anixter shares his affinity for big band music gelled with pop/rock, blues funk, R&B, and jazz on his 2025 release What Is?   A self-released collection of Anixter's arrangements that rework an assortment of jazz and pop standards, the music is performed by his 11-piece Hippie Big Band with special guests Steven Bernstein on slide trumpet and Oz Noy on guitar.  The result blends decades of American culture from Anixter's retooling of Tower of Power's "What Is Hip," sounding like a theme song from the 1970's TV program Kojak to the cajun/New Orleans flavored jazz of "Dixie Chicken," penned by Lowell George of Little Feat and Martin Kibbee.  Bassist Steve Count and drummer Scott Neuman play in tandem, providing a firm base for the horns, which move freely and expressively.  At one point in "Dixie Chicken...

Album:  Soft Light Artist:  Mark Scott III Label Name: Miller Three Publishing Artist Website: https://markscottiii.com Soundcloud Link: https://soundcloud.com/mark-scott-419586889/sets/soft-light Mark Scott III is a jazz guitarist based out of Austin, Texas.   He makes his debut as the leader of a jazz trio with their recording Soft Light from Miller Three Publishing.  Joined by bass player Ben Triesch and drummer Mike Gordon, Scott composed a suite of original compositions dedicated to his loved one that have passed away and to those who are alive, celebrating the joy that life offers.  His music is softly lit, and his melodic prose projects a sentimentality and vulnerability that bonds with listeners. The tracks chronicle pieces of Scott's journey to adulthood, demonstrating a maturity that is laudable.  His thoughts and emotions are channeled into the rustling of his chords.  The listener is a spectator along the ride as Scott intimates a ran...