jazz2love

Album:  I Love Paris Artist:  Melbreeze Label:  Blue Canoe Records Website:  www.melbreeze.com Jazz vocalist Melbreeze once again embraces the worlds of Brazilian syncopation with traces of bossa nova, rhumba, calypso, baião, and Latin swing on her latest release I Love Paris .  A compilation of classic pop tunes and jazz standards, the recording is produced by Melbreeze and her keyboardist Scott Kinsey.  The result is a sonically luxuriating ride into the after-hours cafe culture. Possessing a cabaret vocal style familiar to audiences by the likes of Celia Cruz and Dolores del Rio, Melbreeze winds her listener around her penetrative delivery.  With a flare for vocal theatrics, she drapes the lyrics in the silky textures of Kinsey's keys along Johnny Mercer's prized novelty "Autumn Leaves," basking in the rhumba pulsations of Gergö Borlai's drums and Brad Dutz's percussion.  Tim Hagans' trumpet fastens a flirtatious lift along the melodic swells. ...

Album:  MicroCosmo Artist:  Micro Corgi Website:  https://microcorgi.com/               https://microcorgi.bandcamp.com/album/microcosmos The New York City based outfit MicroCorgi are a jazz trio, comprised of pianist Andrew McGowan, guitarist Yuto Kanazawa, and drummer Ilya Dynov.  Their 2020 debut release MicroCosmos sees the trio combining elements of smooth jazz, R&B-imbued bop, adult folk pop, and blues rock fusion.  Recorded by Ng Jun Yang, the release was produced by the trio's drummer Dynov and mixed and mastered by the band's guitarist Kanazawa.  All nine compositions on the recording are originals, written by the three band members, each offering three of their own creations and showcasing three very distinct songwriters. Out of the three members, Ilya Dynov's compositions demand little more from listeners than to sit back and be engulfed in the tranquil, smooth jazz aesthetics....

Album:  He & Me Artist:  Ada Bird Wolfe Website:  adabirdwolfe.com                 facebook.com/jazzbirdie He & Me , the latest release from singer and lyricist Ada Bird Wolfe, is a duo with pianist and arranger Jamieson Trotter.  The pair perform an assortment of jazz standards and original tunes, demonstrating the smooth texture of Wolfe's register, which conjures up an intimacy with audiences that lures them to the stories being told in the songs.  The drama in the tales is subdued by Wolfe's calm voicing and clarion timbres.  Her refined phrasing is complimented by Trotter's silky swagger on the keys.  Together, they construct very pleasing atmospheres for listeners. Call it soft swing, rhapsody blues, torchlight jazz, or cabaret, the music of Wolfe and Trotter present palatable moods using vocals and piano.  Their subtle variations on the melodic motifs of Dizzy Gillespie's gem "Night in Tunisia...

Album:  Solitude Artist:  Frank Kohl Label:  Self-Released Website:  frankkohl.com Guitarist-composer Frank Kohl enlivens the jazz guitar idiom on his latest release Solitude .  His chords pave a path, charted by instinct and motivated by peace of the heart, and peace is what he achieves in his music.  From the gentle ruminations in his riffs to the tranquilizing rocking of his strokes, Kohl attains a Zen-like state in his music. The bumps and notches made by Kohl's notes traipsing across the title track have a hypnotic lilt.  Their comforting cadence applies a soothing stroke on the aural senses.   His ruminations are seamless, cording each thought in a stream of consciousness.  Track after track are personalized reflections channeled through the movements of the guitar strings.  Like a journal of experiences, the recording wanders and roams freely, finding new areas to explore about the guitar.   Kohl's music is an expression...

Album:  DNA (David-Nelson-Agreement) Artists:  Mon David and Josh Nelson Label:  Dash Hoffman Records Website:  mondavid.net                 joshnelsonmusic.com Vocalist Mon David expresses the emotional depth of songs through the vibrant inflections in his voice.  A strapping crooner, David's latest release DNA is his collaboration with pianist Josh Nelson.  The acronym stands for David-Nelson-Agreement, a title that describes their collaboration and insight into what audiences will hear.  What audiences will hear is David and Nelson's refashioning of jazz standards and original straight-ahead jazz-inspired tunes, giving them a bright  torchlight gleam. David lulls the listener into a blissful state through tracks like "Here's To Life" and "You Must Believe in Spring."  The gentle strokes of Nelson's keys shroud David's vocal inflections in sheaths of tender glitter....

Album: The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful Artist: The Jeff Benedict Big Big Band Label: Groovy Panda Records Website: marooncreekmusic.com The Jeff Benedict Big Big Band are ringing in 2021 with their second offering The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful.   Produced by the band's leader Jeff Benedict, the recording is a lively assortment of original compositions by Benedict interspersed with five of his arrangements of American standards.  Benedict builds on the Big Band harmonies of Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk and modernizes the format for present generations.  He creates a contemporary montage relatable to the vigorous churning and robust surges of Rich Willey's Boptism Big Band, the One O'Clock Lab Band, and Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra. The recording opens with one of Benedict's original numbers "Moonscape," a sizzling arrangement featuring the billowing puffs and swerving doodles of trombonist Paul and tenor saxophon...

Album:  Sunday at Pilars Artist:  Chris Rottmayer Website:  https://chrisrottmayer.com Pianist/songwriter Chris Rottmayer's studio recording, Sunday at Pilars celebrates the atmosphere that his quartet created during their Sunday gigs at Pilars Martini in Winter Garden, Florida.  Rottmayer's quartet performed at the club regularly on Sunday afternoons between 2015 and 2018.   Performing a handful of American Popular Songbook tunes, jazz standards, and originals by Rottmayer, the band plays in a straight-ahead jazz fashion with sprigs of improvised excursions scattered throughout the tracks.  The music is conducive to dining club settings, adorned in classic jazz trimmings.   Rottmayer's original number "Trocadero" is coated in a smooth jazz film as his keys imprint whimsical flickers while drummer Walt Hubbard and bassist Charlie Silva stoke a torchlight shimmer.  Track after track threads into one another like a seamless story, traveling fro...

Album: Lights Out Artist: Tal Yahalom Label: Self-Released Website: http://www.talyahalom.com Linking a chain of introspections and mindful reflections transcribed on the acoustic guitar, songwriter/guitarist Tal Yahalom translates his thoughts into musical patterns on his new release Lights Out .  His lyrical riffs shift in weight and resonance, laying down notes that form majestic vistas while occupying space sparsely.  The program on Lights Out gives audiences the impression that his narration speaks about finding one's way in the dark, and reaching a positive destination at the conclusion of the tale. The lacy guitar strokes lumbering along "Too Sad To See" move at a meditative pace as though contemplating something very heavy that burdens the mind.  Yahalom's acoustic ponderings are lofty without being loud like in "Sleepless."  His ruminations are relatable to a wide audience without making his sound monumental in size.  The tenderness displayed in th...

Album:  Con Moto Artists:  Bill DiCosimo and Edgar Pagán Label:  SubCat Records Website:  https://www.edgarpagan.com Latin flavors compliment R&B/soul driven melodies on songwriter/organist Bill DiCosimo and songwriter/bass player/vocalist Edgar Pagán s latest endeavor Con Moto .  Produced by multi-Grammy winner Jimmy Haslip, the recording is powered by a unrelenting spirit to pursue happiness with a tendency to heighten audience's sensitivity to be open to joyful vibrations. The reggae grooves piping “Show the World” is a prime sample of a universally uplifting melody that touches the masses, transcending human differences and man-made conflicts.  Featuring Ceili Rain's frontman Bob Halligan Jr on vocals, the cruising melody is motored by Jeff Lorber's poetic musings on the keyboards as the lyrics inspire peace, love, and unity among listeners.  Halligan prophesizes, "Come together people / Show your love somehow / So turn to each other / Just rea...

Album:  Whirlwind - Live at Sam First Artist:  Max Haymer Label:  Emerald City Records Website:  www.maxhaymer.com An athlete by nature, pianist/composer Max Haymer plays the keys with the same spontaneous spurts of energy and reflexive impulses as he does playing sports.  His new release Whirlwind - Live at Sam First was recorded live at Sam First, a popular Los Angeles club before the COVID-19 shutdown was enacted.  Haymer is joined by his trio consisting of David Robaire on bass and Dan Schnelle on drums. The recording is laden with dynamic shifts and nimble strokes that reflect its title.  Comprising of six original tunes by Haymer and three standards, Haymer treats his arrangements as a dramatic form of art, where restlessness and lyricism are expressed in a narrative framework.  The tracks embody a series of stories channeled through music and shared with the listener. Haymer opens and closes the album with two Cole Porter tunes, “So in Love...

Single:  Once Again It's Winter Artist:  CeCe Gable Label:  CCGableLLC Website:  https://cecegable.hearnow.com Fireside jazz is a precise description of singer-songwriter CeCe Gable's music.  Her single "Once Again It's Winter" is a collaboration she did with pianist/accordionist/composer/arranger Corky Bennett. While Bennett wrote the music, Gable wrote the lyrics and sang the tune.  The verses are primarily based on her experiences while living in Vermont, a transitional phase in her life that left an indelible mark in her memory, which she shares in the song. The elegant phrasing of Akio Sasajima's guitar chords imbue a bossa nova flare strewn across the track, producing a balmy atmosphere around Gable's soothing tone.  The music is both airy and earthy as bassist Harvie S and drummer Andrew Heglund infuse gently rolling knolls along the melody.  The intimacy Gable creates with the audience results in a cozy, fireside ambience. The single follo...

Album:  Love Finds Everyone Artist:  Henry Godfrey Jazz Orchestra Label:  Self-Released Website: https://www.facebook.com/henrygodfreymusic              https://henrygodfreyjazzorchestra.bandcamp.com When melting pots like jazz collectives are done to their potential, the voices of multiple instruments move in harmony with one another while making individual statements through the clusters of billowing masses.  Such is the case of the Henry Godfrey Jazz Orchestra whose leader, drummer Henry Godfrey, conducts a grand ensemble of musicians where out of many voices evolves compatible interchanges, which form an agreeable menagerie. The Henry Godfrey Jazz Orchestra made their debut with Love Finds Everyone , self-released on July 1, 2020.  The recording features Boston-based musicians with six out of the seven compositions and all of the arrangements written by Godfrey.  Some tracks are live recordings...

Album:  Touch & Go Artist:  Susan Tobocman Label:  Self-Released Website:  susantobocman.com                 facebook.com/susantobocmanmusic Vocalist Susan Tobocman makes an indelible mark as a striking arranger, writer and jazz singer with her fourth release as a leader named Touch & Go .  Produced by Tobocman and her guitarist Pete McCann, the recording contains five original tracks written by Tobocman, two instrumentals, three covers of classic pop tunes, and two reimaginations of jazz standards.  One standard being "What'll I Do" penned by Irving Berlin, and the other is "The Man I Love," a bedrock in George Gershwin's catalog that Tobocman performs at a vibrant swinging tempo. Tobocman's vocals nuzzle the words, pronouncing poignant syllables in the lyrics of "Wichita Lineman," making her impressions cling in the listener's mind.  A hit song written by Jimmy Webb an...

Album:  Glitter & Grits Artist:  Deborah Silver Label:  NTL Records Website:  www.deborahsilvermusic.com Tunes from the Great American Songbook are polished with a western swing glaze on Glitter & Grits , the new release from vocalist Deborah Silver.  Her sojourn through a rotating spectrum of classic swing, country soul, and Americana is a ride that never grows tired. Relatable to classic country vocalists like Kitty Wells and Connie Smith, Silver's vocals sashay across the melodies with a flirty swagger that oozes sensuality, topped by a coquettish bounce.  The feline lilt in her register permeates a playful spirit in "Ballin' the Jack," a tangy duet she performs with Ray Benson. The flouncy lilt in her vocals exudes an infectious elation across "Almost Like Being in Love," enhancing the swanky ambience brimming with dollops of western swing. Her treatment of Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's timeless ditty "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive...

Album:  Follow Up Artist:  Eric Lilley Label:  Goat Music Website:  https://ericlilley.com From Latin salsas to funky grooves, slinky bop-infused struts and free-style ruminations, pianist Eric Lilley travels through a gamut of jazz-inspired patinas on his latest release Follow Up .  Supported by Mark Diamond on bass and Dru Heller on drums, the trio create a lively banter that demands listeners to simply sit back and let the music fill in the empty spaces of their lives.   The traipsing stride of Lilley's keys glinting along "The Weston Walk" are layered by the taut pulse of Mark Diamond's bass and the frolicking drumming of Dru Heller.  The trio form a plush thickness across the melodic progressions that continues to take centerstage through the prancing ripples of the bass clinging to the frenzied statements made by the keys in "The Hollow Way," delivering a hardcore bop-bent in the trio's spontaneous prattle.   Lilley's free-style leanings in ...

Album:  The Sounds around the House Artist:  Jeff Ellwood Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.Jeffellwood.net The Sounds Around the House , the new release from tenor saxophonist and bandleader Jeff Ellwood is precisely what it says it is -- music that people can enjoy listening to around their home.  Sedate on the senses, soothing to the mind, and meditative for the spirit, the recording nurtures the intangible parts of human beings. Replicating the effects of a light cocktail, "Provence," written by Rick Margitza, satisfies one's thirst for lucent libation. The mellow sonorous of the title track is sowed by the pacifying phrasing of Alan Pasqua's piano keys and Ellwood's tenor sax softly dripping with refined wails.  "Old School Blues" changes the course and springs on the listener a jumping blues platter, fashioned by Ellwood's percolating tweets on the tenor and the funky thrusts of Darek Oles' bass and Joe LaBarbera's drumming. "Kin...