jazz2love

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:  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...

Album:  I Am Soul Artist:  Sofia Rubina Website:  https://www.sofiarubina.eu/ https://sofiarubina.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-soul Bridging the lanes of cool jazz, smooth blues, R&B/soul, and sonic pop, I Am Soul from Estonian vocalist Sofia Rubina is a pleasing synthesis.  Her command of the vocal melody is reminiscent of Joss Stone, and her natural fit into the melodic grooves is emblematic of jazz music's treasures like Dianne Reeves and Jane Monheit. The album is a collection of eleven tracks with six songs written or co-written by Rubina and the others are covers of works by L. Spenser Smith and Testament, George Duke, Chick Corea and Neville Potter, Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin.  Rubina collaborates with Evgeny Lebedev, an award-winning pianist and graduate of Berklee College, on the recording.  Also joining Rubina are Anton Revnyuk on bass and Ignat Kravtsov on drums, along with a string quartet featured on several tunes. The bluesy texture of her v...

Album:  Aspenrose: Live at the Opera House Artist:  Herb Silverstein Label: Silver Tunes Website:  www.herbsilversteinjazz.com Pianist and composer Herb Silverstein's online biography reveals that "In the early 1980s, one of Herb’s sons introduced him to a recording of Chick Corea, and this began a long love affair with jazz music."  His bond with stride piano, bebop, and improvised music has motivated him to release his 17th recording Aspenrose:  Live at the Opera House , recorded with Michael Ross on bass and produced by Silversten.  Containing twelve original compositions written by Silverstein, the listener immediately becomes aware of Silverstein's ability to create lyrical phrases that are comforting and therapeutic for the aural senses.  His practice as an Otologist (the branch of medicine concerned with the ear) and as an Otolaryngologist (the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the ears, nose, and thro...

Album:  The Venetian Artist:  Vin Venezia Label:  Innervision Records Website:  www.vincentvenezia.com Guitarist Vin Venezia's latest release, The Venetian , features 13 tracks consisting of vintage jazz standards, contemporary works, and original material by Venezia.  Supporting Venezia are Richie Morales on drums, Harvie S on bass, David Budway on piano, Danny Walsh on tenor saxophone, and special guest Bob Magnuson, who plays tenor sax on Miles Davis's gem "Solar" with a fervor reminiscent of Davis himself. Venezia mesmerizes the audience with his interpretation of Victor Young and Ned Washington's tune "Stella By Starlight," stroking his guitar strings with a tenderness that ignites waves of soothing emanations. Another vintage standard "Alone Together," penned by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, is treated with a funky flare in Harvie S's grooving bass line as Walsh's tenor sax intersperses twirling toots along the rollicking prog...

Album:  Hangin' Out Artists:  Jim Self and John Chiodini Website:  https://www.bassethoundmusic.com Fluid and ambient, the music of tuba player Jim Self partnered with guitarist John Chiodini has a traditional jazz sonorous that flows seamlessly, advancing effortlessly through the sound passages. Their newest release Hangin' Out displays the sensitive playing of Self combined with the elegant strumming and chime-like fibrillations of Chiodini's guitar strings.  Joining the pair is trumpet player and flugelhornist Ron Stout, baritone saxophonist David Angel, tenor saxophonist Tom Peterson, and trombonist Scott Whitfield. The recording comprises of a mixture of straight-ahead jazz standards, samba romps, bossa nova ballads, and classic pop staples. Self and Chiodini each contributed one of their own original compositions with Peterson and Whitfield also contributing original material. The uncommon union of the tuba and guitar opens the jazz panoply to vibrant innovati...

Album:  Jazzy Italian Artist:  Vanessa Racci Label: Zoho Music Website:  https://vanessaracci.com Jazz singer and lyricist Vanessa Racci displays a perkiness relatable to vocalist Allyson Briggs, an iridescent resonance reminiscent of Sarah Brightman, the soulful melodicism characteristic of R&B's Marilyn McCoo, and a vocal elasticity that vibrates with the fiery boldness of vintage pop star Brenda Lee.  Racci's vocals are modelesque while being flexible, easily fitting in with jazz, pop, R&B/soul, and musical theater melodies.  Her sophomore release Jazzy Italian shines the spotlight on contributions that Italian songwriters and performers have contributed to the cabaret jazz landscape with tunes like "Volare," penned by Domenico Modugno, Franco Migliacci, and Dean Martin, and "I’m a Fool To Want You," sung by Italian-American crooner Frank Sinatra, who co-wrote the song with Jack Wolf and Joel Herron.  From tender serenades like "A Sunday Kin...