jazz2love

Album:  I Just Want To Be Horizontal Artist:  Samoa Wilson with the Jim Kweskin Band Label:  Kingswood Records, LLC Website:  www.jimkweskin.com  &  www.samoawilson.com Vocalist Samoa Wilson and guitarist/bandleader Jim Kweskin make something special on I Just Want To Be Horizontal .  Their reimagination of classic jazz gems fuse a myriad of melodic-enriched traits, dabbling in the earthy country folk textures of Tin Pan alley jazz, mixed with the lively trotting of Prohibition Era hot jazz, and adding a glint of Broadway showtunes-style radiance.   Such sparkling qualities relatable to the jazz made famous in classic Hollywood films are revisited and revamped on Wilson and Kweskin's recording.  Inspired by Teddy Wilson's 1930's recordings that featured blues singer Billie Holiday, the music has roots in the jazz of the early 20th century with Samoa's striking vocals bringing the recording into the 21st century, carving out its right...

Album:  Five Play Live from the Firehouse Stage Artist:  Five Play Label:  Diva Jazz Orchestra Ltd. Website:  www.divajazz.com/about/five-play   Exploring the vast palette of straight-ahead jazz from swing, bop, samba, torchlight blues, and burlesque/Vaudeville-style minstrels, Five Play shares their expansive repertoire on their live recording from the Firehouse Stage, a club located in Johnson City, New York.  A quintet comprised of the rhythm section and two horn soloists from the Diva Jazz Orchestra, Five Play amasses a bright and uplifting collection of cover tunes and originals that celebrate the jazz mode of expression. "Just Squeeze Me," a Duke Ellington customized piece, is a fine sample of the quintet's ability to interpret the burlesque dialogue as reedist Jami Dauber and brass player Janelle Reichman strut and stroll across the sensual swells of the melodic progressions generated by pianist Tomoko Ohno, bassist Noriko Ueda, and...