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Showing posts from December, 2022

Album Review: Some Days from Addilyn Erica

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Album:  Some Days Artist:  Addilyn Erica Website:  https://addilynerica.com In the vane of such ingénues, in their time, as Enya, Kate Bush, Charlotte Church, LeAnn Rimes, Regina Spektor, and Andrea Corr, 15-year-old Iowa singer-songwriter Addilyn Erica is a magnetic vocalist who is inspiring a burgeoning generation of music listeners.  Her vocal palette bridges orchestral folk with symphonic pop and jazz rhapsody on her upcoming EP release Some Days .  The 5-track recording highlights the eloquent nuances of her timbres and the uplifting lilt in her vocal inflections.  There is a spiritual touch in her delivery, imbued with an elegant penmanship that lifts the listener's soul. There are subtle, incremental differences among the tracks, as the listener travels along a continuous journey.  The keys plodding a steady, fluid stream of notes silhouetting Erica's vocals as her voice soars, taking the listener with her.  She holds the reins with a natural ease, leading the melodic pr

Album Review: Red Beats from Steve Fidyk and the Live Wire Broad Band

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Album:  Red Beats Artist:  Steve Fidyk and the Live Wire Broad Band Label:  Blue Canteen Music Website:  www.bluecanteenmusic.com and www.jazzprofiles.blogspot.com Applying the standard of five saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets, and four rhythm players augmented by guitar and organ to the instrumentation featured on Steve Fidyk and the Live Wire Broad Band's latest endeavor Red Beats , the recording bears a burst of creative thinking that expands on the syntex of big band constructs.  Produced by Fidyk, the compilation consists of 9 original compositions by Fidyk as well, arranged for big band by 6 different arrangers from the DC and Philly region, namely the band's bassist Regan Brough, saxophonist Joseph Henson, trumpet player Andrew Carson, guitarist Michael Kramer, saxophonist Mark Allen, and saxophonist Jack Saint Clair. Well-versed in holding dynamic conversations spurred on by rhythm changes, chirpy interfacing and counter statements, the musicians excel in their

Album Review: Lemon Twist from Linda Carone

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Album:  Lemon Twist Artist:  Linda Carone Website:  www.lindacarone.com A connoisseur of the jazz parlance, vocalist Linda Carone presents her sophomore release Lemon Twist , combining swing and Latin jazz textures with the sixth sense of a bossa nova sophisticate.  From blues-enriched ballads to festive Latin-imbued romps, Carone takes listeners across ambient vistas and through sublime moods.  The listening experience is truly inviting. The breezy toots of the saxophones form a soft froth of smoke rings, encircling the wistful stride of Jeremy Ledbetter's piano keys ruminating lightly across "Free and Easy," cradled in Carone's sultry vocalese.  She fills listeners in balmy sensations. luring them into the tranquilizing ambience.  "Having It All" transitions into a cat-like strut in George Koller's bass grooves, accentuating Carone's rhythmic vocal purring.   The swinging rhythm of the title track elevates the recording with a flirtatious glint in

ANGELA O’NEILL & OUTRAGEOUS 8 BIG BAND BRUNCH: HOME FORE THE HOLIDAYS

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  ANGELA O’NEILL & OUTRAGEOUS 8 BIG BAND BRUNCH: HOME FORE THE HOLIDAYS 5 HD CAM LIVE STREAM Sunday, December 11, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. EST Tickets:  $15.00 Purchase here:  https://www.stellartickets.com/o/vitellos-llc/events/angela-oneill-and-outrageous-8-big-band-brunch-home-fore-the-holidays--2/occurrences/f4b8b568-422e-414e-8205-c7614f0bed49  Artists website:  https://www.angelamaeoneill.com Purchase tickets to the live stream or VOD here: https://www.stellartickets.com/o/vitellos-llc/events/angela-oneill-and-outrageous-8-big-band-brunch-home-fore-the-holidays--2/occurrences/f4b8b568-422e-414e-8205-c7614f0bed49

Album Review: Urbanessence from Tito Carillo

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Album:  Urbanessence Artist: Tito Carrillo Label: Origin Records Website:  www.titocarrillo.com Urbanessence is the second solo album from trumpeter/composer Tito Carrillo, fusing elements of pop, blues, funk, soul, and Latin swing, all the cultural flavors Carrillo has been exposed to and performed.  Comprised of nine original scores composed by Tito and one original by Phillip Kocheril, the recording is a pleasing ride through multi-shaded landscapes and multi-shaped arrangements. Accompanying Carrillo are Troy Roberts on tenor and soprano saxophones, Ben Lewis on piano, Clark Sommers on bass, Jay Sawyer on drums and cymbals, and Victor Gonzalez, Jr. on congas.  The slow burn of "Fire and Ice" showcases a dynamic drum solo that wilts away into the gentle musings of Carrillo's trumpet and Roberts' sax, entangling and moving in tandem.  Following along the slow burn theme is "Bliss Point," projecting a reflective mood tinseled in the willowy toots of Carril

Album Review: No Mentions, No Worries from Jonathan Mills

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Album:  No Mentions, No Worries Artist:  Jonathan Mills Label Name: Self-Released Website:  www.jonathanmillsdrums.com No Mentions, No Worries is leader, composer and drummer Jonathan Mills’s debut full-length album intermingling a traditional straight-ahead jazz fare with contemporary stylizing, designed as a collection of thoughtful journeys that describe a harmonious world.  The lulling riffs of "For Hadley’s Folks” put listeners at ease with Luke Weathington's alto sax providing a stream of luxuriating sonic clusters.  The fibrillating saxophone toots leisurely paddling along “When My Mind’s Quiet” stokes a fireside warmth that lets the listener melt into its palliative fumes, coalescing the vibes of swing, bebop and bossa nova. “Solecism” is latticed in breezy saxophone swirls, eliciting a relaxing atmosphere as Patrick Arthur's guitar strings disseminate a soothing aroma through the homespun broth.  Wafting of bebop impulses permeating from Tyrone Jackson's impr

Album Review: The Dryad from IFIHADAHIFI (If I Had A Hi-Fi)

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Album: The Dryad Artist: IFIHADAHIFI Label: Naked Muse Website:  nakedmuse.net It's no secret that Melbourne, Australia’s long bursts of lockdowns, the world’s longest as it turned out, had incarcerated and frustrated a great many people. Composer and keyboardist Gideon Frankel used the solitary time to peruse the stockpile of experiences he accumulated in his memory, and concentrate on crafting introspective and imaginative creations.  His refreshing hybrid of styles found on The Dryad , the new release from his ensemble If I Had A Hi-Fi, a palindrome, seamlessly fuses influences steep in jazz, Latin, world, folk, classical, reggae, and blues, producing a sonic atmosphere built from multiple cultural perspectives and characteristics.  Evocative, penetrative, enchanting, and so uplifting that listeners feel like they are floating above the melodies, Frankel heightens the sensory channels.   The feathery flutters of flutist Jamichael Frazier paint every track in stimulating hues enh

Album Review: BLOOZ from Grant Geissman

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Album:  BLOOZ Artist:  Grant Geissman Label: Futurism and Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings Website:  www.grantgeissman.com BLOOZ , a slang term for blues is the title of guitarist/composer Grant Geissman's sunshine-soaked release.  With all compositions written by Geissman, he explores a panoply of bluesy shades from the Caribbean/rhumba-infused grooves of "Side Hustle" to the club rock fusion of "Carlos En Siete," highlighting the jangly ringlets of David Garfield's piano keys and the percussive beats of Tiki Pasillas on congas, timbales, and shakere.  The integrating motifs create a festive street fair/Mardi Gras-like atmosphere. The breezy ripples of Geissman's guitar chords ruminating across "Time Enough at Last" offer a lolling escape for listeners as Garfield's sprinting keys accelerate the rhythmic pulse.  Spicing up the melodic trimmings with a funky R&B thrust propelled by Tom Scott's glaring saxophone spurts along "Fat Back&q

Album Review: Stories From Solitude from the Domi Edson Trio

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Album:  Stories From Solitude Artist:  Domi Edson Trio Label Name: Self-Released Website: www.domiedson.com A musician and leader well beyond her years, bassist Domi Edson shows melodic sensibilities comparable to the best swing and bebop players around the world.  Her interplay with her trio, comprised of pianist Spencer Zweifel and drummer Bobby Wiens, on her latest release Stories from Solitude , displays a simpatico repartee where the players mingle freely as each participates in the conversation while keeping a swing-inspired continuity.  Made up of several original compositions penned by Edson alongside a few jazz standards, the recording is multi-faceted. The harmonious consistency fashioned from Zweifel's trotting keys and Edson's percolating beats, with Wiens' drum palpitations seamed along Edson's original work "Domi’s New Blues," has a rich bebop luster.  The trickling keys scampering briskly across "In Waltzed Minnie" have a playful cante