jazz2love

Album:  Puertos: Music from International Waters Artist:  Emilio Solla Label:  Avantango Records Website:  http://emiliosolla.com Creating a new port for audiences to dock is the goal of bandleader Emilio Solla.  His latest project, conducting the 17-piece Tango Jazz Orchestra, accomplishes this feat with their new release Puertos: Music from International Waters from Avantango Records.  Track after track, the musicians commence by traveling along different paths which then merge and then diverge again.  This pattern mirrors the activity seen at city ports, where passengers from their mode of transportation will disembark together then go their separate ways.  The Tango Jazz Orchestra follows this pattern throughout the recording, making for compositions that move like living organisms.  The new port that Solla creates for audiences combines elements of Latin Jazz with big band gusto and movie soundtrack finesse.  The lively activity of the horns splashing, frolicking, and sizzlin

Album:  Christmas All the Way Artist:  Accent Label:  Accent Entertainment, LLC Websites: accentvocal.com                  youtube.com/AccentVocal                  facebook.com/AccentVocal                  instagram.com/AccentVocal                  twitter.com/AccentVocal Christmas songs presented by traditional vocal ensembles seems like a trend from the past but every now and again, a vocal group brings audiences the beauty of traditionally decked tunes like the vocal sextet Accent.  Their Christmas album Christmas All the Way simmers like a slow burning flame on tracks like "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "The Christmas Song," and jangles like a holiday festival in numbers like "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year."  The group's vocal harmonies are gorgeously nuanced, making them uplifting and able to bring an ounce of bliss to the holiday season. Accent's rendition of the Swedish holid

Album:  Straight Ahead to the UK Artist:  Cathy Segal-Garcia Label:  Dash Hoffman Records Website:  www.cathysegalgarcia.com The songs on vocalist Cathy Segal-Garcia's latest release Straight Ahead to the UK comprises of an assortment of vintage jazz standards, modern jazz compositions, and a few originals by Segal-Garcia.  The alto-enriched palette of her timbres gives the tracks an earthy flavor, searing into the melodies and holding them anchored.  This is jazz music in its prime, lathered in elements of blues, soul, swing, and scat, all of which ratchet up the jazz-drenched romper "Shake It Down." Produced by Garcia along with her saxophonist Andy MacIntosh and organist John Leftwich, Straight Ahead to the UK sails through a myriad of swing-filled grooves from the sudsy flusters of "Song 4 Sandy" to the balmy swells of "Something We May Never Know."  The glistening tone of Garcia's vocals are augmented by the shimmering tone of Cliff Hall&

Album:  Higienópolis Artist:  Local Talent Label:  Project Whatever Records Website:  https://www.projectwhatever.com/discography-1 A montage of sound waves that bend, swerve, arch, genuflect, gleam, and blaze, to name a few of the characteristics created by Canadian based jazz trio Local Talent, led by pianist/keyboardist James Hill.  The trio's music demonstrates their versatility as cutting edge musicians as they experiment with the possibilities of their instruments.  Supported by bassist Rich Brown and drummer Ian Wright, the trio test the velosity of their playing and come up with arrangements that are sonically incandescent like entering mind-blowing galaxies for the ears.  Their debut release Higienópolis from Project Whatever Records is a journey through their stirring experiments made together. The title track opens the disc to boiling surges that froth and rumble in a freestyle fashion.  The rattle of Hill's keys are partnered with thundering drumbeats and pulsi

Album:  Capturing Clouds Artist:  Tamuz Nissim Label:  Street of Stars Records Website:  www.tamuzmusic.com A prolific vocalist at scatting, singer-songwriter Tamuz Nissim knits, kneads, and entwines a significant performance on her latest release Capturing Clouds .   Her high flying vocals mould freestyle formations through the tracks, wielding a saber-swift slashing that makes brisk incisions along the melodies progressions.  Her vocals rivet and ripple with an agility that is uninhibited, showing a spirit that is unchained.  These traits are best heard in "What A Pair" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street." Displaying a graceful vocal stride flickering gingerly along the title track, Nissim expresses an inner serenity that seeps into the listener's soul.  Moving along, the bopping beats lining "Like Someone in Love" put a sunny lift in her vocal swagger, which slows to a gentle trundle along "Saturday Sun" as Nissim's vocals brighte