jazz2love

Album:  My America 2:  Destinations Artist:  Jim Self Websites:  bassethoundmusic.com facebook.com/JimSelfMusic The second installment to tuba player Jim Self's 2002 recording My America , which featured iconic melodies reflective of America's early songwriters like Katharine Lee Bates and Samuel A. Ward's perennial "America the Beautiful" and Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King's country classic "Tennessee Waltz," changes course on his recording My America 2:  Destinations .  His second installment in his America series concentrates on iconic melodies descriptive of America's states and cities, of which Self had lived or worked like the luxurious and bucolic destinations of Kansas City and Georgia.  The recording is a collaboration between Self and arranger Kim Scharnberg, who offer the ensemble of musicians ample space for soloists to play stirring improvisations and demonstrate their fluency in the jazz language. The album starts off with Scharnber

Interview with Sherrie Maricle, the drummer of 3D Jazz Trio and the Diva Jazz Orchestra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSy8Gesnh2s Clip is provided courtesy of Kari-On Productions

Album:  Parabbean Tales Artist:  Iwan VanHetten Label:  Blue Canoe Records Website:  http://www.iwanvanhetten.com/ UK based trumpeter, keyboardist, musical director, composer/songwriter, arranger, and producer Iwan VanHetten delights listeners with his latest offering Parabbean Tales .  Born from the concept of combining Caribbean-influenced music with particles of contemporary cool jazz and R&B/funk, VanHetten creates a synthesis that rouses his creativity as he plays with an enthusiasm that is infectious.  His experiences as a stage perfomer, playing beside such notable artists as Sister Sledge, The Pointer Sisters, Jimm Haslip, Jools Holland, and Paul Turner (Jamiroquai) to name a few, has honed his sharpness to conjure up verses that come from his soul.  He leads his ensemble, consisting of Russell Ferrante on piano and keyboards, Will Kennedy on drums, Lenny Castro on percussion, Andy Narell on steel pans, Bob Mintzer on saxophone, and on bass Melvin Lee Davis and Jimmy Hasli

Album:  Puttin' On The Ritz Artist:  Rich Willey Label: Boptism Music Website: boptism.com/store Composer, arranger, and bandleader Rich Willey leads a big band of strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments through a setlist of original scores alongside jazz standards and modern jewels in the rough in his offering Puttin' on the Ritz .  Part of the recording concentrates on Willey's acumen to parlay modern tunes into big band gems, giving Frank Zappa and George Duke's blues rock melody "Uncle Remus" a sophisticated sheen balancing recurring motifs with improvised passages. Playing the trumpet, bass trumpet, valve trombone, tuba and Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI), Willey demonstrates multiple facets in his musicianship.  Sometimes jumbling the horns like in sections of "Uncle Remus" and sometimes creating ambient swells like in "Song for Janet," dedicated to his wife.  One of Willey's original works, "Holy Trinity,&quo

Album:  Talking Hands Artists:  Greg Hatza and Enayet Hossain Label:  AIMREC Website:  https://www.aimrec.com Talking Hands , from keyboardist Greg Hatza and tabla player Enayet Hossain, mixes the Asian textures of the tabla with the glittery radiance of the electronic keys.  The duo's rapport is magnetic with the pulsating beats of the tabla embellished by the resonating effects and sinuous curves of the electronic keys. The recording launches with the title track, merging tribal beats with the rhapsodic banter of the keys, sprinting and flexing across the breadth of the track.  There is a conversational easiness to the chord movements that move further in "Crazy Calcutta Streets," harnessed in a percolating cadence, buoying the glittering effects of the keys, working as a sonic stimulant for the aural senses. The strolling rhythm of "Sweet Shop" is layered in warm aesthetics that switches to gyrating shimmies across "Dark Matter," peppered in glintin

Album:  The Reel To Real Sessions Artist:  Nancy Kelly Label:  SubCat Records Website:  www.nancykelly.com Singer, songwriter and freelance educator Nancy Kelly takes a leap forward with her 2-track solo EP, The Reel To Real Sessions.  Accompanied by a litany of guest musicians, Kelly demonstrates a zeal for swing and an instinct for soul.  Both tracks are original tunes written by Kelly and display her leaning for jazz standards emblematic of Stephen Sondheim and adult pop in the ilk of Carly Simon. "Jazz Woman" wields a catchy stride in the rhythm section as Harry Allen's tenor sax flares at poignant moments along the track.  Kelly's versing moves naturally with vocal inflections that punctuate the lyrics as she muses, "Sang out the blues and wore platform shoes /  Made all the scenes in my Vanderbilt jeans / Danced on a stage in a furious rage / Screamed rock 'n' roll and R&B/Soul... such a jazz woman."  The lyrics have an autobiographical app

Album:  Standing Eight Artist/:  Jeremy Green Label:  Self-Released Website:  https://jeremygreenguitar.com Standing Eight, the latest CD from guitarist Jeremy Green is an 8-song recording that fuses funk with  blues rock, adult pop,  and  jazz.  The release showcases an assortment of illustrious performers from the rock, pop and jazz worlds including Jimmy Haslip and Billy Sheehan on bass and Mike Stern on guitar.  With all songs written by Green, the tracks are a collaborative effort with band members, adding their input to the arrangement. The laid back vibe of "Michael and Me" has a vintage '70s sheen in its blues rock grooves that transition into a repetitive funk pop pulse along "The Land of Oz."  The guitar licks play a prominent role in the tracks, shaping and defining the melodic progressions.  Reverberating effects echo across "Big Shoes," giving the track an abstract sonorous while laden with a rhythmic pattern that brandishes an earthy pou

Album:  Lemon Twist Artist:  Linda Carrone Website:  https://www.lindacarone.com https://lindacarone.bandcamp.com Roots music vocalist Linda Carrone once again charms audiences with her graceful style, feline phrasing and sultry vocalese on her 2023 release Lemon Twist .  A blues stylist reminiscent of vintage performers like Billie Holiday, Rosemary Clooney, and Peggy Lee, Carrone integrates the finery of jazz with the unpretentious melodicism of roots music embellished by a swig of Latin stimulants.     Her repertoire focuses on forgotten gems, classic ballroom jazz, swing standards, and cabaret blues.  Her treatment of the title track, written by Bobby Troup, puts a flirtatious edge on her vocals that grabs the listener's attention as she percolates, "Here is a word to the wise / The top dieticians in town insist / The best source of vitamin C there can be / Is a lemon twist."  Changing to a sultry swagger along "Having It All," Carrone is supported by the s

Album: 9 to 5 Artist: 3D Jazz Trio Label: DIVA Jazz Website:  https://3divasjazztrio.com 3D Jazz Trio's original creations and reimagined arrangements are filled with nimble improvisations in union with finely groomed motifs.  The trio of pianist Jackie Warren, acoustic bassist Amy Shook and drummer Sherrie Maricle are a ball of kinetic energy that radiate merriment and an indefatigable zest for life.  Their latest recording 9 to 5 takes its title from Dolly Parton's popular hit song, and contains a collection of original creations by the trio alongside reimagined arrangements.  The trio tweak Parton's hit tune, applying a funky sprint in the rhythmic pattern, as the pumping action of Maricle's drum beats and Shook's bass lines are dotted by Warren's sprinkling keys playing the main motifs and branching out into sizzling improvisations.  The trio interweave the idioms of swing, bebop, straight-ahead jazz, blues, and funk, and add Latin flavors like samba, salsa

Album:  Blue Journal Artist:  Ester Wiesnerová Website:  www.esterwiesnerova.com Slovakia-born vocalist Ester Wiesnerová fuses multiple elements in her music, coalescing the flamenco rhythm of the Mediterranean's Andalusia region with the intimacy of American blues and the contemplative mood of coffeehouse folk.  Her debut CD, Blue Journal , contains thought-provoking lyrics shrouded in silky instrumentation, linking a flowing stream of wispy silhouettes and scintillating chimes.  Supported by a band of international musicians from the East and the West, the recording is comprised of 11 introspective tunes, composed, sung and produced by Wiesnerová. She shows a sensitivity of the human heart that audiences can relate to, creating an intimacy that personalizes the listening experience.  Sam Knight's swirling saxophone toots elevate the melodic progressions along "Who Are You Now," as the twinkling chords of Charles Overton's harp produce waves of sparkling shimmers

Album:  Hollywood Christmas Artist:  Richard Williams Label:  Self-Released Website:  https://www.richardmusic.com/   https://www.facebook.com/RichardWillliamsMusic/ Composer and multi-instrumentalist Richard Williams rings in the holiday season with his latest release Hollywood Christmas , a 22-track recording comprised of classic Christmas singalong tunes using a palette of big band, swing jazz and orchestral ambiences.  In the vane of Gene Autry, Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé, and The Carpenters, Williams revisits traditional holiday music and celebrates its perennial luster. Partly driven by his Mormon faith, Williams exercises his arranging chops by putting his own touch-ups on a handful of well-known and beloved Christmas-themed songs.  Williams sets the cheerful tone of the album with the opening number, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” The song features the sauve voicing of Alex Stiles, a young vocalist whose style and vocal quality is reminiscent of Andy Williams. Th