jazz2love

  Label:  Self-Released Release Date:  June 20, 2025 Websites:  www.thebevelededges.com https://www.shellybhushan.com/music/ https://www.anthonylanni.com/music.php https://linktr.ee/thebevelededges Singer-songwriter Shelly Bhushan has a voice that can stop traffic.  Her collaboration with nylon string guitarist-composer Anthony Lanni goes by the moniker The Beveled Edges.  Their debut release I Guess We're Not Alone is a listening experience that leaves a lasting impression on its audience.  The succor-rich strumming of Tex-Mex tones complimented by an alluring sway emanates from Lannie's guitar strokes, embroidered throughout the tracks as Bhushan sweetly serenades the listener with her shimmery timbres and elastic resonance.  A romantic gleam shrouds the tracks in a torchlight mist as Bhushan takes the listener by the hand, guiding one through a proverbial woodland of aural tranquility and  sonic bliss.  Their fusion of soul, blues, s...

  New Release:  Planet D Nonet presents Doctor Professor Leonard King in Tribute to Joe Williams Release Date: April 19, 2025 Label: Eastlawn Records Website: https://rjspangler.com/ The late Big Band vocalist Joe Williams, who sang with the Count Basie Orchestra through the 1950's and later enjoyed being a solo artist, is treated with reverence on Planet D Nonet's latest recording Planet D Nonet Presents Doctor Professor Leonard King in Tribute to Joe Williams .  King's vocals take the listener down memory lane, when jazz combos filled ballrooms with rhapsodic romps, swinging scat, bluesy candlelight vibes, and smoldering bebop.  The scores may stem from the 20th century but King's arrangements are contemporary, sowing meaningful interpretations that lure the listener in from his catchy vocal inflections to Michael Zaporski's percolating keys and the impromptu raptures of the horns.  The interaction is emblematic of the spontaneity audiences recall that made ja...

Album:  Aurora Artist:  Finn Wiest Quintet Label:  Self-Released Websites:  https://finnwiest.com/                   https://finnwiest.bandcamp.com/album/aurora                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RItvtO8hfE Jazz drummer-educator-composer Finn Wiest merges the fluid musings of Chick Corea with the cozy stride of McCoy Tyner and the sleek spontaneity of Billy Cobham on his recording Aurora .  Joined by his quintet, consisting of Julius van Rhee on alto saxophone, Victor Fox on tenor saxophone, Leandro Irarragorri on piano, and Calvin Lennig on bass, together, their collaborations blend the vintage sounds of bebop with improvised twists and straight-ahead jazz threads. The title track, written by Irarragorri, travels at a leisurely pace held by the gentle glint of his keys, as the f...

  New Release:  Heart Music from George Crotty Label:  Self-Released Release Date:  June 6, 2025 Artist Websites:  https://www.georgecrotty.com/trio https://georgecrotty.bandcamp.com/album/heart-music The exotic aesthetics and melodic improvisations of the George Crotty Trio coalesce aspects rooted in multiple cultures from the tingling chimes of India to the Celtic-like tones steep in chamber music and the percussive throbbing of folkloric chants, all of which are found throughout their new recording Heart Music .  Led by Canadian cellist and composer George Crotty, his collaborators John Murchison on bass and Jeremy Smith on percussion move in synchronicity with his tender strokes and brisk rosining of the strings, bowing and lobbing, gliding and cascading across the rhythmic palpitations.  The music is a scintillating elixir for the ears, traversing across a lustrous prism of genres and the music of various cultures.

  New Release:  Alegre Menina from Masha Campagne Label Name: Impetus Records Release Date: May 30, 2025 Artist Website: www.mashacampagnemusic.com San Francisco-based vocalist, songwriter and producer Masha Campagne forges a simpatico that bridges Brazilian jazz, Latin dance and soul.  Her fourth studio album Alegre Menina offers infectious renditions of compositions by Tom Jobim, Duran Dolores, Guinga, Dori Caymmi, Jorge Amada, Aldir Blanc, Caetano Veloso, João Bosco, and Denis Brean, in addition to 2 original numbers written by Campagne.  The smooth texture of her vocals make the lyrics, all in Portuguese, comfy on the palate.  Supported by 13 musicians, Campagne's energy is electrifying.  Passionate, bold and luminous, she invites her audience to enjoy the shimmying rhythms and bubbly atmosphere.  The arrangements are vignettes of Latin culture, portraying the upbeat outlook on life and the positive approach to what lies along the journey.  H...

  New Release:  Prog vs. Fusion:  A War of the Ages from Ed Palermo Big Band Label: Sky Cat Records Street Date: April 18, 2025 Website:  www.palermobigband.com The music of Ed Palermo Big Band sow elements of experimental jazz merged with cinematic sound, theatrical intensity, piercing glam rock thunder, and high octane orchestrations to produce playful genre-bending mash-ups on the band's release Prog vs. Fusion .  Palermo's innovative pollination of musical styles creates a laser light show for the ears with horns layered into multi-tiered soundscapes, electro-pop effects that infuse explosive fireworks streaking across the melodic progressions, and scores that plunge into big band jazz tremors like their revamp of "Long Distance Runaround," written by Jon Anderson of the '70s rock band Yes.  Palermo's breed of jazz rock weaves Chick Corea's melodic motifs with Frank Zappa's prog rock fervor on "Spanish G-Spot Tornado," and stokes whirlwin...

  New Release:  Catalyst from Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet & Elden Kelly Label: Cold Plunge Records Release Date:  May 16, 2025 Website: https://davesharpworldsquartet.com Catalyst is the latest release from the Dave Sharp World Quartet joined by guitarist Elden Kelly.  Together, they fuse Afro-Middle Eastern rhythms combined with traditional Eastern European flavors, Far East textures, Cuban-Brazilian twine, world rock trimmings, and modern jazz-inspired harmonies, as the group partakes in interpreting compositions by Gregg Hill, the executive producer of Cold Plunge Records. The arrangements season Hill's jazz-oriented compositions with eastern hemisphere characteristics, giving them an exotic tint and rhythmic traction in the gypsy-draped twirls.  The group interlaces classic orchestral features with various cultural dance styles, interpreted through the lens of a modern perspective.  Comprised of violinist Henrik Karapetyan, oud player Igor Houwat, ba...

Album:  Dream Artist:  Nancy Newman Label:  Self-Released Website:  https://nancynmusic.com/ Vancouver, British Columbia jazz vocalist and songwriter, Nancy Newman has the effect of a nightingale's call, enshrouding the listener in wispy plumes of tranquility.  Her 2025 release Dream is her third endeavor as a solo artist.  She describes it features “9 jazzy interpretations of classic pop and jazz standards.”  Her commanding vocalese as an intoxicating storyteller sweeps across the listener's ears like a gentle breeze, warm to the touch and tender on the soul. Newman projects an intimacy with her audience in her rendering of "Moonraker," helmed by her fluid vocal sonorous and buttressed by the soft embers of Jennifer Scott's keys and Bill Buckingham's synth, supported by the steady beats of Rene Worst's bass and Buff Allen's percussion.  It is as though Newman knows instinctually how to reach into the depths of a dreamer's reflections.   Fro...

  New Release:  Reflections from Deb Bowman Label:  Mama Bama Records Release Date:  April 11, 2025 Website:  www.debbowman.com Vocalist Deb Bowman dabbles in a myriad of styles including jazz, pop, gospel, Broadway showtunes, and Latin rhythms over the course of her career performing in cabarets and musicals.  Her thoughtful approach to interpreting lyrics shows a sensitivity that brings the words to life.  Channeling her experiences as a live performer into her recording Reflections scents the songs with her essence, giving the tracks depth accented by her chic flair.  Possessing the smooth glide liken to vintage Diana Ross blended with the warmth of CeCe Gable's timbres and the clarion resonance of Jane Monheit, Bowman balances elegance with impetuousness, classic versing with inventive vocal hooks, continually illustrating an appreciation for traditional idioms while experimenting with modern enhancements.  Bowman worked closely with her...

  New Release:  Zito's Jump from James Zito Label:   Self-Released Release Date:  April 18, 2025 Website:  www.jameszitomusic.com From funky booglaloo jazz grooves to creamy bossa nova swells, soul-imbued blues, dancehall smooth jazz, bebop stylizing, and swinging straight-ahead jazz romps, guitarist-composer-leader James Zito embraces traditional jazz principles and melodic motifs, interpreted through a contemporary lens on his debut Zito's Jump .  Inspired by 20th century influencers like guitarists Wes Montgomery, Les Paul, George Benson, and trumpet player Lee Morgan, Zito demonstrates a craftsmanship for sowing harmonic chord patterns complimented by nuanced phrases and interpolated by rousing improvisations.  Zito takes a bow to jazz masters while parallelly imprinting his own signature vibe on the melodies, an assortment of original instrumentals and cover tunes.  Moving off the beaten path is the soothing serenade, "The Nearness of Yo...

New Release:  New America from Nick Biello Label:  La Reserve Records Release Date:  June 20, 2025 Website:  www.nickbiellomusic.com Fusing the cool bop sensations of bassist Alex Tremblay with the syncopated drumming of Peter Kronreif and the springy flourishes of pianist George Colligan on leader-saxophonist Nick Biello's offering New America , the combination puts a modern glint on traditional swing.  The harmonic forms are interspersed with improvised phrasing singed by the swiveling flares of Biello's saxophone and the glimmering crinkles of trumpet player Charlie Porter.  From bossa nova trimmings and piercing improvisations to soaring big band arcs and swirling riffs, the quintet charts an intricate course that wows the listener.  The band travels across elevated jaunts, searing whirls, and surging crescendos, Biello and his team drive a vitality into the scores that is authentic and appealing. https://www.nickbiellomusic.com/

  New Release:  Time Shift from Tim Jago Label:  Bespoke Jazz Release Date:  June 27, 2025 Website:  www.timjagomusic.com Composer-guitarist Tim Jago has a way of portraying the dissonance and harmony he witnesses in nature through his music.  His new release Time Shift is a sonic expression of the sometimes feral, sometimes exotic, sometimes mystical, and sometimes peaceful landscape of his childhood, while living in the outback of Western Australia.  Performing on the album with Jago are:  Mark Small on saxophone, Martin Bejerano on keyboards, Dion Kerr on electric and upright bass, and David Chiverton on drums.  Together, the quintet implement the tools of modulating meter changes through transitioning between dissonant and consonant phrasing, coiling free-style counterpoints to bring nature's atmospheric shifts into imaginary chordal patterns.  His message of finding unity among harmonious, diverse and polarizing factions is discerni...

New Release:  Under A Lavender Sky from Ermelinda Cuellar Label:  Self-Released Release Date:  March 21 2025 Website:  www.ermelindacuellar.com Of Peruvian descent, Texas-based vocalist Ermelinda Cuellar showcases her gift as as jazz crooner on her recording Under A Lavender Sky with arrangements by Horace Alexander Young and accompanied by a 12-piece orchestra.  Singing melodies in Spanish and English, she tailors the tunes to her warm and caressing timbres, moving between a lulling sonorous and a festive vibrancy.  Cuellar shines a starry glisten on classic jazz standards and Latin favorites with startling ease and finesse. https://ermelindacuellar.com/