jazz2love

  New Release:  A Celebration of Maurice Hines, Tappin’ Thru Life from the DIVA Jazz Orchestra Label: DIVA Jazz Release Date: May 15, 2025 Website: https://divajazz.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divajazzorch YouTube: https://youtu.be/IYvmtKvMVHI Capturing the glitz, pomp, and merrymaking of Prohibition Era jazz and the Golden Age of jazz, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, accompanied by a cadre of special guests, sizzle, shuffle, sway, swoon, and strut their way across their new release A Celebration of Maurice Hines, Tappin' Thru Life .  The recording is a tribute to the life and times of Maurice Hines, the award-winning singer, dancer, actor, choreographer, writer, director, and the older brother of iconic actor and dancer Gregory Hines.  Born in 1943, Maurice Hines passed away in 2023, leaving a legacy that holds the harbingers of vintage swing in reverence.  The recording revisits tunes featured in Maurice Hines's award winning show Tappin' Thru Life , a soundt...

Album:  Blues To Be There, A Salute To Duke Ellington Artist:  Planet D Nonet Label:  Eastlawn Records Website:  rjspangler.com/pd9.php Paying homage to the works of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, the Planet D Nonet focuses on the works of these artists in their later years of the 1950's on the Nonet's recording Blues To Be There, A Salute To Duke Ellington .  Led by percussionist RJ Spangler and trumpet player James O'Donnell, the Nonet hones their fluency in swing, hard bop, and blues, with each musician "finding themselves" in Ellington's scores, as Spangler paraphrases in a press release. The Nonet's alterations on the original arrangements show a perceptive slant in their interpretations, spotlighting the elegant nuances of each track.  The squiggly furls of James O'Donnell's trumpet are verbose and voluminous, ruminating smoothly along "Blues To Be There" while tindered by the jaunty toots of clarinet player Christopher Tabaczy...

Album:  Midtown Walk Artist:  Francesco Amenta Label:  Amenta Music International Website:  https://francescoamentajazzlab.weebly.com Saxophonist-composer Francesco Amenta's arrangements are like individual pages from his diary that he puts to music on his latest offering Midtown Walk .  His second endeavor as a leader, Midtown Walk consists of impressions he has gathered and experiences he has encountered while living in the US, which he migrated to in 2017 from his native Italy.  Mostly comprised of original tunes penned by Amenta, his offering additionally has one cover tune of Duke Ellington's iconic "Come Sunday." The lush flourishes he pens on the saxophone fill up the melodic chambers of "Home" as well as direct the course of the score.  The creamy, smooth texture and elegant glide in his playing is reminiscent of saxophonist Andrew Neu.  Joined by pianist Cyrus Chestnut whose lyrical musings along "Bunch of Time" embed shimmery sprigs acr...

Album:  Colors of Brazil Artist:  Kenney Polson Label:  Rosetta Records Website:  www.kenneypolson.com Exotic, playful and romantic, the music of saxophonist-composer-arranger Kenney Polson is entirely uplifting.  His latest release Colors of Brazil brings the merriment of Latin rhythms to audiences.  Working with a fleet of musicians that play as one, Polson makes composing, arranging and performing look easy and effortless. Polson's own contribution "Hipnotizado" seams the sparkling twinkles of Mariea Antoinette's harp tucked into the melodic crevices, adding an ethereal texture to the bubbly toots of the horns performed by Bidinho on trumpet, Paulinho Trompete on trumpet, Marcello Martins on tenor saxophone, and Vittor Santos on trombone.  Drummer Christian Oyens, bassist Nico Assumpção, and percussionist Cidinho Moreira provide a solid support in the rhythm section, boosting the festive mood.  Intensifying the party vibe, Polson's reworking of...