jazz2love

Album:  Hats Off Artist:  Steve Lipman Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.stevelipmanmusic.com Jazz vocalist Steve Lipman returns from a 6-year hiatus to release his third offering Hats Off .  Possessing the suave stylizing of vocalist Michael Feinstein, Lipman's remake of well-known standards from the Great American Songbook interspersed with recent works showcase his vocalese as a magnetic crooner.   Lipman shares in a press release about his choice for the recording's repertoire, “It’s about all kinds of love: romantic love, love for family, love of country; love for all of what constitutes the intricate wonders of humanity." Going into the recording, his choices from the pages of the Golden Age of Jazz along with his selection of contemporary tunes are modulated to fit his alto register.  A register that handles the swing jazz gamut with sophistication, which plumes with refinement in his remake of "You Make Me Feel So Young."  His i...

Album Review:  Gravity from Simon Sammut and Omar Vazquez Album:  Gravity Artist:  Simon Sammut and Omar Vazquez Label:  Self-released Website:  http://simonsammut.com World music and New Age encompass a wide breadth of music but there is likely no doubt in anyone's mind that the music of electric and acoustic bassists Simon Sammut and Omar Vazquez fall into these two open-ended categories.  Their latest creation Gravity consists of compositions that dwell on roomy atmospherics and eclectic soundscapes.  Capricious and airy, listeners detect more soundwaves than chord patterns or intervals of notes.  Like a breeze casting a sail, the particles emitted from the instruments glide like intangible emanations, producing vibrations that float across the air, massaging the listener's aural senses. The soft flutter of the flute moving across "Equinoccio" is layered in heavy bass tones and  meandering keys, which segue to a funky poppish rhythm th...

Album Review:  For Lovers Only from Kenney Polson Album:  For Lovers Only Artist:  Kenney Polson Label:  Jazz Beyond B orders Website: https://kenneypolson.com Set on the trajectory for mass appeal, saxophonist Kenney Polson's latest release For Lovers Only is sonically smooth and emotively sublime.  Track after track is sheer bliss, featuring Polson's relaxed temperament on the sax augmented by the warm R&B-style lulls of guitarists Bruce Conte and Phil Upchurch, the sleek grooves of bassist Michael Henderson, the soft glimmer in Tom Grant's piano notes, the sparkling effects of Roger Smith's keyboards, and the charming interplay of Polson's saxophone with trumpet player Larry Gittens and trombonist Fred Wesley.   Like the title of the album leads audiences to believe, the music is designed to stir the listener's sense of romantic affection.  Perhaps "La La Means I Love You" says it best blanketed in euphoric smooth jazz ethers.  The f...

Album Review:  Emergence from Larry Corban Album:  Emergence Artist:  Larry Corban Label:  Nabroc Records Website:  http://larrycorban.com/ Guitarist Larry Corban demonstrates a kindred spirit to those lyrically-inspired bop artists before him, recalling the music of saxophonist Stan Getz and pianist Bud Powell. Dapper and smooth, the music on his latest CD Emergence from Nabroc Records shows the ingenuity of 60's jazz with influences of modern adult pop and fusion.  As a result, Corban's distinctive brand of jazz co-mingles decades of bop, fusion, and cool jazz. The subtle pulse of Harvie S's upright bass strolling comfortably along "Never Let Me Go" is cushioned by Steve Williams's gentle percussive strokes and Corban's sweet sounding notes, all lyrically strewn to exude a lullaby-like glow.  The tempo is quicken to a speedy shuffle across "On the Fly" as Jerry Bergonzi's saxophone emerges, scrolling a sequence of improvised phrases th...

Album Review:  Dred Scott Rides Alone from Dred Scott Album:  Dred Scott Rides Alone Artist:  Dred Scott Label:   Ropeadope Website:  https://www.dredscott.com It is hard to imagine that all of the instruments on one recording -- piano, bass, drums, shaker, and keyboards are played by one individual but that is what multi-instrumentalist Dred Scott has done for his latest release Dred Scott Rides Alone .  A collage of voices contributes to the mixes, communicating a distinct phrase or statement from every instrument.  When layered, the multiple voices compose a series of vignettes that each come alive. The perky stride of the keys nimbly moving across "Flying Bighorn" permeate mirth and a celebratory mood as though the notes convey an over-arching joy to be alive.  Likewise, many of the tracks display this spirited feel that is inviting and spills out into the audience.  The pensive vibe of "Remember PN" is expressed by the glisteni...