jazz2love

Album:  Major Influence Artist:  Graham Dechter Label:  Capri Records Website:  https://www.grahamdechter.com https://www.caprirecords.com The smooth jazz trimmings of guitarist-bandleader Graham Dechter are aurally gratifying on his latest release Major Influence from Capri Records.  Geared for cultivated audiences, Dechter is accompanied by Tamir Hendelman on piano, John Clayton on bass, and Jeff Hamilton on drums. Influences of straight-ahead jazz are lodged in the rhythmic pattering of "Moonithology," as Hamilton's perky brushed strokes are pleated into the bopping pulse of Clayton's bass and Hendelman's twirling keys.  Dechter's guitar licks ignite a sizzle in the strutting riffs along "Minor Influence," imbuing the track with a bluesy smoothness.  Elements of smooth jazz are heard in the serene atmospherics of "Pure Imagination" and the bouncy guitar licks of "Reference."  The bopping beats of "Bent on Monk" perva...

Album:  Hermanos Artist:  Cortez-Williams Project Label: Blue Bamboo Music Website: https://bluebamboomusic.net/cortez-williams-project https://www.orlandoatplay.com/event/cortez-williams-project-4 The Latin flavors and nocturnal ambiences of guitarist Chris Cortez and percussionist/trumpet player Larry Williams are honed into a verdant field of feel good expressions throughout the duo's release Hermanos from the Blue Bamboo Music label.  From the sprightly gait of the title track, spruced in the frilly keys of pianist Bob Thornton, to the trundling stride of "Melody Makes It Happen," buttered in the bourbon tones of Dan Jordan's tenor saxophone, the recording serves listeners with a bounty of pleasing aesthetics. Williams's star-gazing twinkles scrolled on the trumpet give "Glorious!" a refined luster as Cortez's sensitive musings on the guitar burnish an introspective atmosphere.  The bossa nova sway of Williams's trumpet emblazes "Un Ped...

Album:  Isolation Emancipation Artist:  Mace Francis Plus 11 Label:  Self-Released Website:  http://macefrancis.com Trombonist and bandleader Mace Francis celebrates the virtuosity and uplifting spirit of big band music with his latest endeavor Isolation Emancipation .  Joining Francis is Plus 11, comprised of 11 musicians who stoke the embers of swing jazz, a timepiece that Francis believes is a bygone era though he proves its principle idioms transcend the ages.  Adorned in catchy rhythms and attractive harmonies, the music's appeal is noticeable from the start, crafting a slew of subliminal, melodic passages. The sinewy bursts of the brass and woodwinds, constituted of saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and Tahlia Denn on French Horn is bountiful, thrusting ardently while delightfully splayed across the title track.  Harry Mitchell's piano keys bolster a gleeful prance as the steady drumbeats of Bronton Ainsworth are partnered with the bopping pumps ...