jazz2love

Album:  Cohesion Artist:  David Larsen Label: Larsen Jazz Website: larsenjazz.com In the spirit of jazz artists who endeavor to fill the room with music, saxophonist, composer and bandleader David Larsen accomplishes this task on his latest release Cohesion .  Joining Larsen are Darryl Yokley on tenor saxophone, Zaccai Curtis on piano, Alex Apollo on bass, and Wayne Smith, Jr. on drums.  The outfit's synchronicity is pristine and their rapport is elevating for the listener.  From smooth jazz to hard bop, the quintet creates a lively experience for their audience. Curtis's keys burst with a sonic pop across "Movement," as the lofty flares of Yokley's and Larsen's saxophones color in the landscape with large, buoyant strokes.   The musicians engage in a comfortable conversation along "Wishing Well," fusing spiraling saxophones with the animated musings of Curtis's keys and a supportive rhythm section that engulfs the listener in a lively story.   T...

Album:  Being Artist:  Chris Rottmayer Label:  Shifting Paradigm Website:  chrisrottmayer.com Being , the fourth release from pianist and leader Chris Rottmayer, is a compilation of original music, written by Rottmayer as part of a study of jazz pianist Mulgrew Miller and his recordings with the Woody Shaw Quintet.  With that in mind, the music has a statuesque hard bop parlance reminiscent of McCoy Tyner and an intimate jazz club flare reflective of Art Tatum. Five compositions are reflections of the city of Paris, France, such as “Pigalle," which is driven by a slow strutting bass line played by Rufus Reid as Rottmayer's keys drizzle gently across the smooth melodic soundscape.  The tune leaves the listener with an impression of the famous former red-light district of Pigalle, renown for its dancehalls and venues of entertainment, as being relaxing and peaceful.   “Châtelet,” another impression of Paris, projects the bustling activity around the Pari...

Album:  Celebration Artist:  Josh Levinson Big Band Label:  Wise Cat Records Website:  https://www.joshlevinsonseptet.com/news Trumpeter-composer Josh Levinson releases his fifth recording, appropriately named Celebration .  A multi-layered blending of big band, swing, hard bop, blues, hot jazz, and meringue, the tunes are deeply rooted in jazz traditions with a contemporary flare.  A veritable crowd pleaser, Levinson presents a dozen of his original works, entwining aesthetically pleasing motifs and fiery licks, parlayed into a harmonious whirlwind that keeps the audience's mood uplifted. At the core of the compositions are the horns, performed by Josh Levinson on trumpet, Mike Troy, Itay Goldberg, Greg Lapine, Matt Knoegel, and Bryan Cowan on saxophones, Roger Garcia, Mark McGowan, and Ben Seacrist on additional trumpets, Tim Shneier, Matt McDonald, Glenn Mills, and John Alexander on trombones .  The collective produces tiers of elevating spirals ac...

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:  The View From The Top Artist:  Gemma Farrell Quintet Label:  Self-Released Website:  http://gemmafarrellmusic.com Gemma Farrell Quintet's second endeavor, The View From The Top , is a modern jazz-leaning recording filled with easy listening scores that complement people's lifestyles.  Based in Australia, saxophonist Gemma Farrell leads her quintet through original works composed by her, showcasing a penchant for hard bop hydraulics, straight-ahead jazz motifs, and improvised spins.  Supported by Sam Hadlow on trombone, Dan Garner on guitar, Kate Pass on bass, and Ryan Daunt on drums, the Gemma Farrell Quintet create a pleasant listening experience. The harmonious communication formed by Farrell and her crew on "Every Year" is reminiscent of luminary voices familiar to audiences like David Brubeck and Thelonious Monk.  The meandering tweets of Farrell's sax infuse bends and curves which keep the track advancing, acting as a thickening agent that...

Album:  Guitar & Me Artist:  Aleksi Glick Website:  https://www.aleksiglick.com/ Guitar and Me , the debut release from jazz guitarist Aleksi Glick features six original compositions written by him and seven covers.   Glick recorded  the solo arrangements for guitar while in isolation at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  A mixture of hard bop, blues, improvised jazz, and adult contemporary, the arrangements roll along like a cool breeze ruminating across the aural senses.  His fretwork is nimble and graceful, stringing together a series of soothing and sizzling chord patterns reminiscent of the dexterity and expressive versing of Gene Bertoncini. Launching the recording with the hard bop grooves propelling "With Ease," Glick's deft performance radiates a modern jazz glint that modulates a bluesy whisper across the title track.  His graceful maneuvers induce a dreamy state that wraps the listener in emulsifying verses.  The misty ...

Album:  Distant Voices Artist:  David Janeway Label:  Distant Voices Label/Steeplechase Lookout Website:  www.davidjaneway.com Pianist-bandleader David Janeway presents his third recording, Distant Voices , with a jazz trio.  Released by the Steeplechase music label, the recording features Cameron Brown on bass and Billy Hart on drums.  Included on the recording are 13 selections, four of which are tributes written by Janeway for Ahmad Jamal, Larry Willis, Cedar Walton, and Herbie Hancock.   The remaining 9 tracks are retweaked by the trio covering works by Woody Shaw, Gus Amheim, Hank Jones, Walter Bishop Jr., Arthur Altman, Gary Peacock, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, and Mercer Ellington.  Offshoots of bebop like hard bop and post bop are found on the recording, as well as traits of swing and Latin-imbued trimmings, making for a complimenting bouquet of jazz. Shuffling beats recur throughout the release, making for compositions that are o...

Album:  Body and Soul Artist:  Alexander McCabe Label: WAMCO Website:  www.amccabemusic.com Body and Soul is Alexander McCabe’s 6th album as a leader.  His credits additionally include pianist, saxophonist and composer.  Joining McCabe are his frequent collaborators, Paul Odeh on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, and Craig Wuepper on drums.  The 6-track CD includes four originals penned by McCabe and his re-worked arrangements of Johnny Green's "Body and Soul" and John Coltrane's "Countdown."  Oftentimes, the music takes listeners back to 1960's jazz rooms where lofts and supper clubs were filled with the sounds of traipsing keys and strolling horns cradled in a chassis of steady beats pumping from the bass and drums.  Such easy listening bodywork structures McCabe's daydreamy musings along "Elena," named after his niece, and his softly bobbing "If I See Her."  It's the type of music that makes audiences fall in love with jazz. T...

Album:  Transitions Artist:  Yaron Gershovsky Label:  Dorron Music Website:  http://www.yaronmusic.com A compilation of original music and cover tunes, Transitions , the latest CD from pianist/keyboardist, arranger, composer, and producer Yaron Gershovsky, delves into a wide range of jazz-imbued styles from hard bop to samba, swing, easy listening, and stride piano.  His arrangements are upbeat and well-tailored for the jazz connoisseur palate. Opening with the revving grooves of "Northern Light," Gershovsky's jaunty keys bask in the hard bop flurries amassed by Boris Kozlov on upright bass and Cliff Almond on drums.  Switching to a smooth jazz climate in the title track, Gershovsky's sleek key strokes are scaffold by the floating sensations of David Mann's alto flute as the coasting beats of drummer Clint de Ganon and electric bassist Will Lee prop lolling swells along the melodic progressions. The ambient emanations traverse blissfully across the track ex...

Album:  Restless Artist:  Jackson Potter Label:  Wise Cat Records Website:  https://jacksonpottermusic.com Restless , the debut release from guitarist-composer Jackson Potter features six of his original tracks and two covers, Horace Silver's "Peace" and Steve Swallow's "Falling Grace." Accompanied by Gibb Mandish on drums, Patrick Leavy on bass, Leo Folsom on piano, David Mason on alto saxophone, Joey Curreri on trumpet, and Carter Key on tenor trombone, Potter steers listeners through a catacomb of passages that all focus on creating an engaging listening experience. The album starts off with Potter's original number “Bird Flu,” a hardcore post-bop stomper loosely inspired by the playing of Charlie "Bird" Parker. Whether the listener is acquainted with Parker's works or not there is a familiarity in the rhythmic patterns and tone of the instrumentation that vibrates at the caliber of iconic bop players like Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, and Ge...

Album:  Love Is a Song Anyone Can Sing Artist:   Jack Kilby and the Front Line Label:  Crab Shack Music Website:  www.jackkilbymusic.com The music of Love Is a Song Anyone Can Sing , the latest release from drummer Jack Kilby and his band the Front Line, speaks in a language that commingles the many facets of jazz. The selection of classic pop novelties, favorite popular theme songs, and hard bop standards are re-imagined with a contemporary twist, infusing them with a voice that gives these songs a human quality. From the whistling toots of Antonio Hart's saxophone personalizing "Life in a Glasshouse" to the glittering passages of Mark G. Meadows' keys in "Colors of the Wind," the tracks are stylized, brimming with inspiring nuances and sleek rhapsodies as the latter is cratered by the elegant spins of Braxton Cook's flute. The refined voicing of Christie Dashiell lingers with an amorous tint, strolling casually along "Pure Imagination," ...