jazz2love

Album:  Σymposium For Peace Artist:  George Nazos Website:  https://www.georgenazos.com An agreeable mixture of folkloric jazz, ambient acoustics, and improvised phrasing, Σymposium For Peace from guitarist, composer and bandleader George Nazos is an enterprising venture.  Accompanied by Harvie S on bass, Joe Abba on drums and guest vocalist Tamuz Nissim, Nazos flexes his instinct for theatrical flourishes, threading chords that sow together into searing stories. Nazos's strumming tenderly treads across "I See You" brandishing an ambient texture that's bolstered by the light strokes of Abba's drums and soft throbbing of Harvie S's bass.   Nazos changes course on "Santie" displaying a nimble flutter that wields a folkoric twinkle, which transitions into the gentle glittering effects strewn across "Lonely Moon."  His guitar strings weave searing messages as though groping in the darkness, grasping for something in the distance and wandering ...

Album:  Imaginary World Artist:  Randal Clark Label:  Blue Hour Productions Website:  http://randalclarkmusic.com As a debut effort, Imaginary World from saxophonist, keyboardist, composer, and bandleader, Randal Clark is an exciting addition to the smooth jazz catalog.  Contributing to his outing are several seasoned artists including keyboardists Jeff Lorber and Scott Kinsey, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Jimmy Haslip, and trumpet player Randy Brecker.  His support system is a dream team of jazz pop sophisticates and practitioners of the smooth jazz style, making Clark's first step as a solo artist offering the best he can. Shepherding his crew to channel positive energy from start to finish, Clark achieves delivering an uplifting spirit that is entrancing.  His track "Discovery," composed by himself and Lorber, is studded in synth-pop shimmers with Clark's saxophone flickering and tweeting like sparkling crystals set in a field of sand dunes....

Album:  Distant Voices Artist:  David Janeway Label:  Distant Voices Label/Steeplechase Lookout Website:  www.davidjaneway.com Pianist-bandleader David Janeway presents his third recording, Distant Voices , with a jazz trio.  Released by the Steeplechase music label, the recording features Cameron Brown on bass and Billy Hart on drums.  Included on the recording are 13 selections, four of which are tributes written by Janeway for Ahmad Jamal, Larry Willis, Cedar Walton, and Herbie Hancock.   The remaining 9 tracks are retweaked by the trio covering works by Woody Shaw, Gus Amheim, Hank Jones, Walter Bishop Jr., Arthur Altman, Gary Peacock, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, and Mercer Ellington.  Offshoots of bebop like hard bop and post bop are found on the recording, as well as traits of swing and Latin-imbued trimmings, making for a complimenting bouquet of jazz. Shuffling beats recur throughout the release, making for compositions that are o...

Album:  Body and Soul Artist:  Alexander McCabe Label: WAMCO Website:  www.amccabemusic.com Body and Soul is Alexander McCabe’s 6th album as a leader.  His credits additionally include pianist, saxophonist and composer.  Joining McCabe are his frequent collaborators, Paul Odeh on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, and Craig Wuepper on drums.  The 6-track CD includes four originals penned by McCabe and his re-worked arrangements of Johnny Green's "Body and Soul" and John Coltrane's "Countdown."  Oftentimes, the music takes listeners back to 1960's jazz rooms where lofts and supper clubs were filled with the sounds of traipsing keys and strolling horns cradled in a chassis of steady beats pumping from the bass and drums.  Such easy listening bodywork structures McCabe's daydreamy musings along "Elena," named after his niece, and his softly bobbing "If I See Her."  It's the type of music that makes audiences fall in love with jazz. T...

Album:  Bluish Tide Artist:  Dr. Kristen R. Bromley Quintet Label:  Kristen R. Bromley Music, LLC Website:   www.kristenbromley.com Comprised of original material composed and arranged by guitarist Dr. Kristen R. Bromley, her latest release Bluish Tide is an uplifting jaunt that demonstrates aspects of vintage jazz blues coupled with modern vestiges.  Supported by Ray Smith on woodwinds, Steve Erickson on piano, Matt Larson on bass, and Jay Lawrence on drums, the compositions resonate a cozy and intimate vibe that makes the listener's home to be the setting of choice to absorb her music. The swirling motion of Bromley's guitar weaving along "O Great God – How Great Thou Art!," a traditional Swedish Folk Tune arranged by Bromley, feels soft and flouncy on the senses while Smith's saxophone puffs out dainty smoke rings along the track  The tenderness of their melodic strokes incite a dreamy atmosphere, further achieved by the smooth swinging beats of La...

Album: Morning Star Artist: Thomas Heflin Label Name: Blue Canoe Records Website: www.thomasheflin.com The acrobatic configurations and gliding sails piloted by Thomas Heflin with his trumpet bedazzle the mind.  His latest CD Morning Star from Blue Canoe Records sees him navigating his team of musicians through scores with a sense of expressive verbosity and seamless interaction.  From the samba vibes wafting through "Haiku" to the soul jazz grooves imbibing "Morning Star" and the soft bluesy quakes shimmying along "Evensong," the recording is a vibrant tapestry of jazz, soul, and blues with a speckling of Latin-imbued components. The lobbing knolls crafted by Heflin's trumpet coast along "Evensong," ebbing on occasion to make space for the warmly tempered solos of keyboardist Peter Stoltzman and saxophonist Gregory Tardy.  The arrangement is shellacked in the breezy riffs of guitarist Aaron Matson,  keeled by the gentle rocking of bassist S...

Album:  Transitions Artist:  Yaron Gershovsky Label:  Dorron Music Website:  http://www.yaronmusic.com A compilation of original music and cover tunes, Transitions , the latest CD from pianist/keyboardist, arranger, composer, and producer Yaron Gershovsky, delves into a wide range of jazz-imbued styles from hard bop to samba, swing, easy listening, and stride piano.  His arrangements are upbeat and well-tailored for the jazz connoisseur palate. Opening with the revving grooves of "Northern Light," Gershovsky's jaunty keys bask in the hard bop flurries amassed by Boris Kozlov on upright bass and Cliff Almond on drums.  Switching to a smooth jazz climate in the title track, Gershovsky's sleek key strokes are scaffold by the floating sensations of David Mann's alto flute as the coasting beats of drummer Clint de Ganon and electric bassist Will Lee prop lolling swells along the melodic progressions. The ambient emanations traverse blissfully across the track ex...

Album:  Gemini Artist:  Adrianne Duncan Label:  Self-Released Websites:  https://www.adrianneduncan.com https://linktr.ee/adrianneduncanmusic Gemini , the new release from pianist, singer, composer, and arranger Adrianne Duncan, is an after hours elixir, consisting of four original tunes written by Duncan and closing with her reimagination of Sting's pop hit "Roxanne."  Duncan's background in classical music and jazz vocals shine through in her performance, integrating an innovative choreography among the musicians.  The tracks are beautifully nuanced in Duncan's glistening keys and Nick Mancini's reverberating chimes as the silky inflections of her vocals give the melodies a prismatic flare, held together by drummer Jimmy Branly and bassist Dan Lutz. Duncan crafts a sweet balance between scripted verses and improvised excursions in "He's Not Quite You," featuring the entwining twinkles of Mancini's vibraphone.  The melody develops incrementa...

Album:  El Arte del Bolero Artists:  Miguel Zenón and Luis Perdomo Websites: www.luisperdomojazz.com https://miguelzenon.com On September 28, 2020, amidst the pandemic and worldwide shutdowns, alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo recorded a concert at The Jazz Gallery in New York City that was live streamed in November of that year. When they heard the recording, they knew it was something to share with the public. That recording is their latest release El Arte del Bolero. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, GRAMMY® nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow, Zenón is joined by GRAMMY® nominated pianist, composer, arranger and educator, Luis Perdomo who was born in Venezuela. What the two share is their bond for bolero music, songs that Zenón says in the liner notes, "from the times of our parents and grandparents that somehow stuck around long enough for us to get to know them and truly love them. They are all as essential to our development as the mu...

Album:  Daybreak Artist:  Susan Krebs with Mixed Remotions Website:  https://susankrebsmusic.com Daybreak , the eighth album from soul-blues vocalist Susan Krebs celebrates the trope of torchlight jazz. Joining her is her band dubbed the Mixed Remotions, comprised of Rich Eames on piano, Jerry Kalaf on drums and vibraphones, Domenic Genova on bass, Scott Breadman on percussion, Riner Scivally on guitar, and Rob Lockart and Doug Walter on woodwinds From the Latin-imbued sway of the title track to the waltzing gait of Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer's  jewel "How Little We Know," her interpretation of classic torchlight tunes sprinkles a refreshing glint on these handful of timeless melodies. The andante pace of Krebs's vocals infuses the title track with an infectious sprint. The sweeping glide of her vocals whisks listeners out of their chairs and invites them to join along the leisurely ride. There is a conversational tint in Krebs's lilting vocals that leads ...

Album:  Restless Artist:  Jackson Potter Label:  Wise Cat Records Website:  https://jacksonpottermusic.com Restless , the debut release from guitarist-composer Jackson Potter features six of his original tracks and two covers, Horace Silver's "Peace" and Steve Swallow's "Falling Grace." Accompanied by Gibb Mandish on drums, Patrick Leavy on bass, Leo Folsom on piano, David Mason on alto saxophone, Joey Curreri on trumpet, and Carter Key on tenor trombone, Potter steers listeners through a catacomb of passages that all focus on creating an engaging listening experience. The album starts off with Potter's original number “Bird Flu,” a hardcore post-bop stomper loosely inspired by the playing of Charlie "Bird" Parker. Whether the listener is acquainted with Parker's works or not there is a familiarity in the rhythmic patterns and tone of the instrumentation that vibrates at the caliber of iconic bop players like Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, and Ge...

Album:  The Joy of Playing Artist:  Benjamin Schnake Label:  BSG Website:  https://benjaminschnake.com A whirlwind of graceful instrumentation, The Joy of Playing from guitarist-composer-arranger Benjamin Schnake's ensemble amasses a collaborative collective that showcases the vitality of pianist Santiago Leibson, the expressive doodling of saxophonists Dave Pietro, Sunhyun Yoo, and Tim Struven, the soulful eloquence of trumpet player John Blevins, the billowy flutters of trombonists Eric Quinn and Jennifer Wharton, and the fluid traipsing of Ammon Swinbank's flute, all companioned by the pulsing beats of bassist Gui Duvignau and drummer Paul Shaw.  At the helm is Benjamin Schnake whose guitar augments the melodic passages, adding texture, movement and dimension to the tracks. The suave strumming of Schnake's guitar cruising along "Aju" boasts a cha-cha vibration encircling Liebson's keys bouncing joyfully then ebbing as Shaw's drums pounce and plume. The...

Album:  7 Shades of Snow Artist:  June Bisantz Label:  Arabesque Records Label Website: arabesquerecords.com Artist Website: junebisantz.com Bisantz’s current release on the Arabesque label is a collection of rare and tranquil sounding holiday/winter songs written by Arnold Miller and Connie Pearce for American vocalist June Christy in 1961.  Bisantz's recording 7 Shades of Snow combines swing jazz with ballroom-glinted rhythms like torchlight waltzes and intimate trots.  Featuring bassist Jon Burr and his jazz sextet backing Bisantz, the recording began in the winter of 2020 at the height of pandemic restrictions.  This project was conceived, arranged, and recorded remotely in seven separate studios with musicians who had never met prior. Digital technology combined with the talent of Jon Burr and his jazz sextet made the album a reality in spite of widespread lockdowns. A recurring theme is the pensive embers often customized by the soft glisten of Mike ...