jazz2love

Imagine one hundred years ago in America when tunes performed by Rudy Vallee, the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, Gene Krupa, and Bix Biederbecke, to name a few, could be heard on mainstream free radio stations, in vaudeville shows and during silent pictures in theaters.  Serendipitously, saxophonist, composer and bandleader Chad Smith became enamored of the jazz music of the 1920's, and one hundred years later, he shows that the music of the Golden Age of Jazz remains relevant to modern audiences. Smith's 2026 recording Saxophobia presents a new spin on the compositions of saxophonist Rudy Wiedoeft,, S whose recordings through the Roaring '20s are noted for popularizing the saxophone.  The inspiration for the album's title is Wiedoeft's track "Saxophobia." Smith admits, "The title of the album was difficult to choose.  I didn’t want it to be historical or boring in any way.  'Saxophobia' is one of the trademark pieces that Wiedoeft wrote and perfo...

  Album:  Quartet Vol. II Artist:   Takeshi Asai Label:   Fono Bono Records Release Date:   November 20, 2026 Website:   https://www.takeshiasai.com/index.html https://takeshiasai.com/QuartetVol2_Album.html   The esteemed Takeshi Asai, a New York City-based jazz pianist, composer and bandleader releases his 24th album Quartet Vol. II, featuring Hashem Assadullahi on alto saxophone, Mark Wade on bass, and John Clay on drums.   The quartet fuses bop, swing, blues, and straight-ahead jazz into a sonic consortium that balances melodic motifs with improvised musings.   At times, the quartet ventures into organic conversations among themselves, but now and then, they immerse their audience in spellbinding storylines that speak to the listener.   "Fillet Mignon" is one such track that speaks to the audience.   The whispery swells of Asai's keys scroll intense musings that cause the listener to pause and take a moment to reflect.   The...

  Album:  Break Allegra Artist:   Jerry Z Label:   Drawbar Records Release Date:   October 9, 2026 Website:   www.jerry-z.com   Hammond B3 organist and composer Jerry Z puts a modern twist on the thick, bluesy-funk grooves of the organ-jazz tradition, presented in his new release Break Allegra .   Produced by Jerry Z and his guitarist Oz Noy, the 8-track recording revamps a vintage palette with the aid of tenor saxophonist Chad LB, percussionist Daniel Sadownick, and drummers Mike Clark, Lenny White, and Joe Dyson alternating their parts on the tracks.   Opening the program with the uptempo of the title track, Jerry Z's organ incites a bustling dialogue among his band mates, jumping into the conversation with a train of improvised voices, threading lively arcs and twirling patterns along the melodic progression.   The recording dives into the swinging motion of "Rego Park," a pulsating track that features adventurous interplay between J...

  Album:  To My Loved Ones Artist:  Alain Bradette Label:  Quantum Gravity Records Release Date:  June 16, 2026 Website: www.alainbradettemusic.com Alain Bradette is a Montreal-born saxophonist, composer, and Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) performer whose work gravitates towards improvisation, harmonizing bold voices and wielding contemporary jazz language.  His latest recording To My Loved Ones presents eight compositions with distinct characteristics, exercising his penchant for improvised conversations among his band.   Seven of the tracks are composed by Bradette, while his longtime friend Fady Karam contributes “Lunatic" to the program, pervading an exotic lilt in Bradette's arching notes. Sometimes turning reflective like in the blissful musings of "Butterfly Angel" and other times the music is bustling with intense activity like in "Pandemic."  Supporting Bradette on saxophone is Zach Muth on guitar, Tal Cohen on acoustic and electri...

  Album:  Taking My Seat: A Musical Inheritance  Artist:  Alexis Cole Label:  Tiger Turn Release Date:  November 6, 2026 Website:  www.alexiscole.com At 50 years of age, Alexis Cole releases the first album on which she is both the singer and pianist, calling the release Taking My Seat: A Musical Inheritance.   The title is pertinent to Cole's life story, having inherited her father's talent for playing the piano, and her maternal grandmother's affinity for creating an intimacy with the audience by singing and accompanying herself on the piano.  Supporting Cole is David Finck on bass and Kenny Hassler on drums, erecting an environment that is reflective of cabarets and after hours clubs. Fluent in both Latin jazz and American swing, Cole holds her audience captive with the bossa nova sashaying of "My Little Boat" and the torchlight setting of "Bye Bye Blackbird."  The delicate flicker in her keys shroud her vocals in beads of crystal thr...

  Album:  A Live Musical Tribute to Peggy Lee Artist:  Angela O’Neill and the Outrageous8 Label: Outrageous8 Records Release Date: August 21, 2026 Website:   www.angelamaeoneill.com Recorded live on September 10, 2024, at The Velvet Martini Lounge at Vitello’s Restaurant in Studio City, California, A Live Musical Tribute to Peggy Lee celebrates vocalist Angela O’Neill and her band, the Outrageous8, entering their tenth year together.  The repertoire reaches back to the band’s beginnings, performing some of the most revered melodies sung by the late, great Peggy Lee.   The Outrageous8 does not approach the material as a re-creation of Lee's recordings but rather as the big band orchestra supporting their own leading lady, Ms. O'Neill. From the big band blazes of "Outrageous ‘A’ Train," the recording rolls into the bluesy burlesque swagger of "I’m A Woman,” laden with smoldering instrumentation as O'Neill performs with all the flaming gusto of a vi...