jazz2love

Album:  What Is? Artist:  Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band Label:  Self-Released Artist Website: russanixter.com Arranger-improviser Russ Anixter shares his affinity for big band music gelled with pop/rock, blues funk, R&B, and jazz on his 2025 release What Is?   A self-released collection of Anixter's arrangements that rework an assortment of jazz and pop standards, the music is performed by his 11-piece Hippie Big Band with special guests Steven Bernstein on slide trumpet and Oz Noy on guitar.  The result blends decades of American culture from Anixter's retooling of Tower of Power's "What Is Hip," sounding like a theme song from the 1970's TV program Kojak to the cajun/New Orleans flavored jazz of "Dixie Chicken," penned by Lowell George of Little Feat and Martin Kibbee.  Bassist Steve Count and drummer Scott Neuman play in tandem, providing a firm base for the horns, which move freely and expressively.  At one point in "Dixie Chicken...

Album:  Soft Light Artist:  Mark Scott III Label Name: Miller Three Publishing Artist Website: https://markscottiii.com Soundcloud Link: https://soundcloud.com/mark-scott-419586889/sets/soft-light Mark Scott III is a jazz guitarist based out of Austin, Texas.   He makes his debut as the leader of a jazz trio with their recording Soft Light from Miller Three Publishing.  Joined by bass player Ben Triesch and drummer Mike Gordon, Scott composed a suite of original compositions dedicated to his loved one that have passed away and to those who are alive, celebrating the joy that life offers.  His music is softly lit, and his melodic prose projects a sentimentality and vulnerability that bonds with listeners. The tracks chronicle pieces of Scott's journey to adulthood, demonstrating a maturity that is laudable.  His thoughts and emotions are channeled into the rustling of his chords.  The listener is a spectator along the ride as Scott intimates a ran...

     Trusting in one's collaborators is a principle that saxophonist-composer-arranger-leader Yuto Mitomi follows by instinct.  Mitomi has enjoyed shaping compositions and improvisations from simply trusting in the collective experience of riffing with his collaborators.  His 2025 release Epicycle harnesses this synergy, blending traditional jazz parlance with modern perspectives. "With Epicycle ," he declares, "I aimed to capture not just the sound but also the atmosphere and human energy—the intangible elements that emerge when musicians create together in the moment." A shining example of Mitomi's songwriting process, capturing human energy that emerges when immersed in a collaborative setting, is his improvised arrangement "Grappling Cats" from Epicycle .  He explains, "This track is actually a free improvisation. I probably just counted in the tempo then started playing without any sheet music." "I don’t remember the exact det...