jazz2love

Album:  Perseverance Artist:  Melvin Smith Label Name: MISMWO Music Website: melvinsmithsax.com Leader and saxophonist Melvin Smith has honed his chops on both commercial and spiritual recordings and performances.  The jazz improviser in him comes through on his latest offering Perseverance from MISMWO Music.  Produced by Smith, the recording has the liberating spirit of John Coltrane fused with a warm sizzle slanted to instill an after-hours decompression in the listener.  Smith's music fits into one's lifestyle as a way to unwind and soak up the peaceful aesthetics he offers. The calming atmosphere of "Letter to the Ancestors" is bolstered by the buttery texture of Smith's whimsical musings as organist Greg Lewis embellishes the track with teased knots and loose furls etched along the melodic patterns.  “Beatitudes - Interlude,” a Bobby Watson original, has a soothing sonorous that caresses the listener with a pure tenderness.  "One By One," an Art ...

Album:  Saxology Artist:  Wayne Alpern Label:  Henri Elkan Music Website:  www.waynealpern.com Saxology, the latest release from leader and arranger Wayne Alpern, showcases a quartet of saxophones performed by Steve Kenyon, Todd Groves, Dave Noland, and John Winder.  The recording features an array of jazz standards and classic pop novelties reworked with Alpern's acute sensibilities and finesse. The sassy twizzles accenting the saxophones phrasing and their fiery punctuations dotting "Fascinating Rhythm," written by George and Ira Gershwin, shows Alpern's confidence to take control of the reins and make moves along the track that are bold and daring.  Alpern's treatment of the Beatles pop hit "Hide Your Love Away" is envisioned with a torchlight ambience as the softly twirling saxophones evoke a reflective mood. Another pop hit for the Beatles, "When I'm Sixty-Four," is delivered with vaudeville-style pomp and joviality.  Contrastly, Rich...

Album:  These Precious Days Artist:  Mary Foster Conklin Label:  Mock Turtle Music Website:  www.maryfosterconklin.com Combine elements of smooth swinging blues with a spicy cabaret swagger and add Broadway showtunes vibrations, and the result is jazz vocalist Mary Foster Conklin's latest offering These Precious Days .  Conklin's vocals gleam elegantly while the caterwauling strings of Sara Caswell's violin add contrasting textures with a pinwheel of swirling squeals ornamenting the melodies.  Pianist John Di Martino's sense of melody is impeccable, and guitarist Guilherme Monteiro's reflexes for harmony are instinctive.  The rhythm section of Ed Howard on bass, Vince Cherico on drums, and Samuel Torres on percussion play pristinely, keeping the momentum in synchronicity with Conklin's lead. The slinky swagger of Conklin's vocals traversing leisurely across "Some Cats Know," composed by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, has a seductive hold on the lis...

Album:  Opening Artist:  Chris Keefe Label: Zugzwangbebop Records Website:  chriskeefemusic.com The camaraderie demonstrated by pianist Chris Keefe, bassist Harvie S, and drummer Adam Nussbaum on Keefe's latest release Opening displays a genuine esprit de corps that affects the listener instantly.  Launching the recording with "Got a Chick?," Harvie S and Nussbaum work with Keefe's musical statements, inseminating arcs and rhythmic beats that enhance the revelry and interplay. The trio's kinetic interplay makes each track enjoyable.  The refinement and liveliness of "Just in Time" is magnetic, and the sleek pendulum-like swells of "Modern" are aurally comforting.  The shuffling beats of "Along Came Betty" have a hardcore bop luster, and the solemn ambience of "Fall In Love Too Easily" has a tranquilizing effect on the listener, imbued with a straight-ahead jazz shine.  "Chobim" permeates a dreamy bossa nova sway t...

Album:  Once Upon a Summertime Artists:  Sharon Sable and Joe Holt Label:  Self-Released Websites:  SharonSableMusic.com                   JoeHoltNotes.com Vocalist Sharon Sable and pianist Joe Holt fell in love with the music of another time, the classic jazz era, and it shows on their self-released recording Once Upon a Summertime .   The pair perceive classic jazz as an era when musicians performed songs that speak directly to people's hearts.  From material that has filled the lounges of casinos to the corridors of jazz festivals, Sable and Holt's repertoire contains stimulating reinterpretations of classic tunes and rare novelties. The pair's retweaking of Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh's bluesy mid-tempo "You Fascinate Me So" is driven by Sable's smooth vocal strut with Holt's keys punctuating the lifts along the melodic progressions.  Stoking a swinging groov...