jazz2love

  New Release:  The Litteral Truth from Paul Litteral Label: Outrageous8 Records Release Date: August 15, 2025 Artist Website: www.plitteral.com Label Website: Outrageous8.com Leader and trumpet player Paul Litteral garnered fame in the rock 'n' roll arena but his latest release The Litteral Truth moves beyond the pop/rock palette, incorporating hues of soul, R&B, funk, reggae, and smooth jazz.  His work embodies a union of warm flavors that simmer, sizzle and soak the listener in frothy undulations.  The reggae accents sewn into the funky grooves of "Ghostown," penned by Jerry Dammers, drench the arrangement in exotic bubbles.  The blend gives the track a psychedelic aura reminiscent of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, as the penetrative tone of James Orbison's timbres brandish a haunting voicing.  The sultry vocals of Angela O'Neill firmly grip and caress the lyrics through "Use Me," written by Bill Withers, as the billowy ripple...

Album:  What Is? Artist:  Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band Label:  Self-Released Artist Website: russanixter.com Arranger-improviser Russ Anixter shares his affinity for big band music gelled with pop/rock, blues funk, R&B, and jazz on his 2025 release What Is?   A self-released collection of Anixter's arrangements that rework an assortment of jazz and pop standards, the music is performed by his 11-piece Hippie Big Band with special guests Steven Bernstein on slide trumpet and Oz Noy on guitar.  The result blends decades of American culture from Anixter's retooling of Tower of Power's "What Is Hip," sounding like a theme song from the 1970's TV program Kojak to the cajun/New Orleans flavored jazz of "Dixie Chicken," penned by Lowell George of Little Feat and Martin Kibbee.  Bassist Steve Count and drummer Scott Neuman play in tandem, providing a firm base for the horns, which move freely and expressively.  At one point in "Dixie Chicken...

Album:  Tribute: The Music of Gregg Hill Artist:  Rick Roe Label: Cold Plunge Records Websites:  gregghilljazz.com roejazz.com Pianist Rick Roe is joined by drummer Nate Winn and bassist Robert Hurst for his 2024 release, Tribute: The Music of Gregg Hill , a heartfelt homage to Lansing-based composer Gregg Hill.  The trio morphs twelve compelling tracks by Hill that explore bop jazz from swinging romps to caressing ballads and improvised lyricism. Starting off with the freestyle rivulets of Roe in “Elden’s Bop,” his frilly whorls and zestful playing is bolstered by the jaunty beats of Nate Winn’s robust drumming.  The track is followed up by the swinging rhythm of “Ducks Night Out,” seeing Robert Hurst’s arco bass propelling the bopping grooves as Roe's improvised doodles on the keys scroll animated notations along the melodic patterns. The trio's zealous approach continues through “Mr. Pea,” a frothy romp that showcases Roe’s lively piano work intertwined with ...

Album:  Orchestral Sessions Artist:  Countermeasure Label:  Self-Released Websites: https://www.countermeasuremusic.com/ https://twitter.com/countermeasure https://www.instagram.com/countermeasuremusic/ https://www.facebook.com/Countermeasureacappella/ https://www.youtube.com/user/CountermeasureMusic https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Fq6MmK05Q8Q34ogCdQtg5?si=7sDyY64WTyqrxAZHwYmgtg The 12-member Toronto-based vocal group Countermeasure is presenting their fourth studio album Orchestral Sessions to the global market.  Led by the group's Artistic Director and vocalist Aaron Jensen, Countermeasure has come to fuse vocal harmonies with jazz, pop, soul, R&B/dance, and choral melodies.  Accompanied by the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra, conducted by Charles Cozens, and a rhythm section comprised of Larnell Lewis on drums, Jeremy Ledbetter on keyboards, and George Koller on bass, the music has a profoundly positive effect on listeners. The recording opens with ...

Album:  The Door is Open: The Music of Gregg Hill Artist:  Randy Napoleon Label:  OA2 Records Label Website:  originarts.com/oa2 Artist Website:  randynapoleon.com A fusion of minds, The Door Is Open:  The Music of Gregg Hill from guitarist and leader Randy Napoleon is his second record with the core band of pianist Rick Roe, bassist Rodney Whitaker, drummer Quincey Davis, and vocalist Aubrey Johnson.  Adding to the mix are Lucas LaFave on bass, Anthony Stanco on trumpet, Walter Blanding on tenor saxophone, and Andrew Kim on trombone. Integrating blues, bebop, and soul, Napoleon's arrangements have an organic fluidity, culminating into animated passages.  Johnson's scatting and vivacious vocalese have tracks like "Spa-Teneity" and "Motel Blues" ensnare the listener, struck by Napoleon's piercing strings and Davis's rippling drumbeats.  The cool jazz vibe of the tracks imbue a contemporary peal. The bluesy tint of Napoleon's guitar chords and...

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:  No More Excuses Artist:  Danette McMahon Label:  Self-Released Website:  https://danettemcmahon.com/bio/ Having received a scholarship to attend Houston Baptist University for music and drama, vocalist Danette McMahon blends the essence of R&B/soul with facets of torchlight jazz, Latin swing, and adult pop on her latest release No More Excuses .  Containing two cover tunes and twelve originals songs written by McMahon, the recording is laden in lyrics with adult themes, finding hope and strength amidst life's trials, losses, and heartbreaks.  She woos her audience into a comfy respite with the starry, dream-like escapes sewn across "Life Goes On" and "Come Dance with Me," as she intimates the lingering sentiment of a sorrowful past while in the next breath embraces love and strength of a positive outlook for the future. The music swings harmoniously like a tender caress that works as a balm on the listener.  Such smooth swing also surfaces ...

Album:  Commitment Artist:  Jae Sinnett’s Zero To 60 Quartet Label: J-Nett Music Website:  jaesinnett.com Commitment is drummer Jae Sinnett's 19th recording as a leader and his 15th recording with his Zero to 60 Quartet.  Performing are Sinnett on drums, Allen Farnham on piano, Steve Wilson on alto and soprano saxophones, and Terry Burrell on acoustic and electric bass forming the quartet.  The recording features Randy Brecker on trumpet and flugelhorn, who makes an indelible mark on several tracks.  Comprised of an assortment of straight-ahead jazz textures, swinging melodies, and improvised dynamics, the recording has three originals by Sinnett, two originals by his bandmate Allen Farnham, and attractive interpretations of five jazz standards. Brecker's trumpet melds harmoniously into the melodic formations of the quartet along "Simone," producing an amorous sonorous that engulfs the listener in winsome aesthetics.  The combination has a heavenly ef...

Album:  If I Knew Then Artist:  Naama Gheber Website:  https://www.naamagheber.com Vocalist Naama Gheber illuminates a cache of swing era standards on her sophomore release If I Knew Then with her alluring timbres and smooth, tranquilizing glide.  Gheber's revamping of classic tunes like Cole Porter's jazz ballad "Dream Dancing," Frank Sinatra, Jack Wolf and Joel Herron's reflective serenade "I'm A Fool To Want You," and the title track written by Dick Jurgens and Eddy Howard, induces a succor effect on listeners.  She demonstrates a poise and elegance in her delivery that produces an intimacy with her audience, which heightens the listening experience. Her interpretation of Cole Porter's 1941 spellbinding melody "Dream Dancing" is adorned in shimmery percussive trimmings that wind around her charismatic vocal stride as she muses about a phantom partner, "So say you love me, dear / And let me make my career Dream dancing, dream d...

Album:  Something Here Inside Artist:  Benji Kaplan Label: Wise Cat Records Website:  https://www.benjikaplan.com/home A blending of soulful flamenco, ambient jazz, balmy meditations, and breezy torchlight musings, guitarist Benji Kaplan performs solo on his latest release Something Here Inside .  Inspired to be a painter by his mother, Kaplan applied his skills using the hues of the rainbow spectrum to the sounds of the music spectrum.  The pastoral textures, twirling patterns, and tranquil moods he projects convey a message to  listeners that he shares without inhibition. Using a swing jazz palette fringed in swathes of Latin accents on "Anything Goes," Kaplan brings a freshness to Cole Porter's track, viewing the classic melody with a contemporary set of eyes.  The gliding strokes of his fingers have a lulling effect on listeners along "Easy To Love" and  rather uniquely, he pervades a soothing, Hawaiian-like caress along "But Not For Me."...

Single:  Old Mother Hubbard Artist:  Naama Gheber Release Date:  April 22, 2022 Websites:  https://www.naamagheber.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/1KObvUW72IGgUzVi9oe60n A veritable newcomer to swing, vocalist Naama Gheber demonstrates a keen instinct for cabaret blues and ragtime jazz.  Her melodic sensibilities are reminiscent of vintage Café Society's staples like Bessie Smith and Connie Haines.  Her forthcoming recording If I Knew Then , due out on November 4, 2022, is led by her single "Old Mother Hubbard" due to be released on April 22, 2022. "Old Mother Hubbard," an old nursery rhyme from the 19th century, was tweaked by Ella Fitzgerald in the 1940's.  Resurfaced rarely since then, Gheber exhumed the tune from the coffers of the past and polished it with her glimmering timbres.  Her adaptation of the melody gives the track a 21st century luster, laden with a natural fluidity and zesty, swinging rhythmic pulse.  Her smooth versing s...

Album:  Songs of Berlin Artist:  Marc Secara and his Berlin Jazz Orchestra Label:  GAM Website:   https://marcsecara.de Founded in 2000 by German singer Marc Secara, the Berlin Jazz Orchestra has been regaling audiences for over twenty years with their blend of popular swing jazz.  Under the artistic direction of American trombone legend Jiggs Whigham, the jazz ensemble has proven to be a genuine crowd pleaser.  Their latest CD Songs of Berlin garners them another triumphant moment in their track record. Singing in both German and English, Secara's charming vocal strut adapt to the individual atmospheres, showcasing a flirtatious samba shimmy along "Haus am See" and modulating to a fluid flutter through "Berlin," displaying an intimacy with the listener of a Tom Jones persuasion.  Secara brings out a romantic leaning in the track, which switches to a vibrant spring along the swinging rompers "Berlin in Licht" and "Mackie Messer," alighting a...

Artist:  Brian Hudson Album:  Ahaya Label:  Lakeside Sound Website:  https://www.brian-hudson.com Cooking up an elevating hybrid with components of funk, rhythm and blues, pop/rock, and jazz roots, Brian Hudson produces an attractive commodity rife with spirit and soul for his 3-track EP Ahaya .  A bandleader, drummer and composer, Hudson maintains a magnetic appeal through the 3 scores, imbued with a contemporary vibe at every level from its core to its morphing layers. Supported by Adam Nitti on bass, Randy Hoexter on keys, Sam Skelton on saxophone, and Anthony Papamichael on guitar, Hudson achieves a smooth jazz sonorous that propels joy from start to finish.  "Luna Sea" opens the recording with a elegant, funky beat shrouded in ruminating saxophone toots and a steady guitar riff.  The lyrical phrasing in Hoexter's keys coasting along "Caladesi" is layered in the extemporaneous versing of Papamichael's guitar riffs, effectively creating a cheerful a...

Album:  White Sails Blue Skies Artist:  Tanya Dennis Label:  PaLoma Records Website: https://tanyadennis.com Starlight and moonbeams are some of the images that singer-songwriter-violinist-guitarist Tanya Dennis' music on her 2021 release White Sails Blue Skies conjures up in the listener's mind.  Brimming with romantic ambiences throughout the recording, Dennis resonates a wise, old soul in her voicing that audiences instantly trust and discern her genuine nature. Having written seven of the ten tracks on the release, Dennis's arrangements are spellbinding. Densely populated in atmospheric ethers, the music puts listeners in a reflective mood as Dennis's vocals caress the dreamy swells of "Desolation Sound" with a soothing touch, transitioning into the island sway of "Indigo," penned by her good friend and Hall of Fame songwriter Kostas, as her creamy vocal texture is spangled in Hendrik Meurkens's buoyant harmonica twirls. Dwelling in the drea...

Album:  Sack Full of Dreams Artist:  Hazel Mitchell-Bell Label:  CD Baby Website:   https://www.hazelmitchellbellmusic.com/music Vocalist Hazel Mitchell-Bell might be new to the jazz palette, releasing her debut recording Stronger Than Ever in 2018 and following up with her sophomore effort Sack Full of Dreams in May 2021, but the bluesy crooning in her phrasing, the supple texture of her register, and the caressing aesthetics of her timbres are all familiar to listeners.  Her blend of jazz, soul, R&B, and bossa nova feel like home, surrounding the listener in comfort and bliss. Bell's memorable rendition of Woodrow Wilson and Buddy Johnson's gem "Save Your Love for Me" basks the listener in sheer bliss inlaid by embers of torch song-inspired soul.  She switches to a Cajun blues swagger in "Do I Move You," penned by Nina Simone.  Bell's command of Simone-imprinted blues demonstrates a dexterity that is laudable.  Supported by a string qu...

Album:  At Blue Note Tokyo Artist:  Steve Gadd Band Label:  BFM Jazz Website:  https://www.drstevegadd.com https://www.bfmjazz.com A prolific and legendary drummer, Steve Gadd got his start playing in a military band when he joined the US Army in the late 1960's.  After serving a 3-year term of duty, he returned to the States to pursue his livelihood as a professional drummer.  He has worked with Chick Corea, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, and numerous other leading recording artists.  He grabbed hold of the reins, leading the Steve Gadd Band whose debut release is their live outing At Blue Note Tokyo , featuring a crossover breed of modern jazz, adult pop, funky bluesy, and easy listening rock. Joining Gadd are Jimmy Johnson on bass guitar, Walt Fowler on trumpet, Kevin Hays on keyboards, and David Spinozza on guitar.  The jazz quintet express an open mind about the fusion of jazz, pop/rock, and blues, forming son...

Album:  Death of Expertise Artist:  Bruce Brown Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.brucebrownmusic.com Vocalist Bruce Brown taps into his prowess as a blues singer, delving into an repertoire heaped in swinging melodies and bossa nova serenades on his latest release Death of Expertise . The 14 song disc features Brown's casual swagger reminiscent of Tony Bennett's easy-going manner, accompanied by an ensemble of Australian and American musicians, whom he has played with for several years.  The effect is a symbiotic relationship between Brown's nuanced vocals and the glistening harmonies that nestle up against his smooth versing. Glen Berger's rippling saxophone solo on "Love Always Wins" injects a burst of excitement into the leisurely flow of the melody as Brown's vocals exalt, "One thing's for sure / love will endure / love always wins / when we open our hearts / we always win."  Thrusting forward, the catchy swinging rhythm towing "T...

Album:  Listen Here Artist:  Roseanna Vitro Label: Skyline Productions  Website:  https://roseannavitrojazz.squarespace.com Cabaret vocalist Roseanna Vitro has re-released her 1984 classic recording Listen Here to be available for streaming and CD formats.  With arrangements by Fred Hersch, Vitro is supported by a stunning ensemble of jazz practitioners that include Kenny Barron on piano, Buster Williams on bass, Ben Riley on drums, Arnett Cobb on saxophone, Duduka da Fonseca on percussion, and Scott Hardy on guitar.  Vitro takes swing music into the 21st century with captivating renditions of tunes from the Great American Songbook. "No More Blues (Chega de Saudade)," written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes, and Jon Hendricks, starts off the recording, setting the listening experience on a swing blues axle.  Progressing forward, the album turns to a bossa nova coloring with  "You Go to My Head" penned by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gilles...

Album:  Mazel Tov Kocktail Artist:  Ira B. Liss Big Band Jazz Machine Label:  Tallman Productions Website:  https://www.bigbandjazzmachine.com https://theirablissbigbandjazzmachine.bandcamp.com Celebrating its 40 anniversary, The Ira B. Liss Big Band Jazz Machine's 6th CD Mazel Tov Kocktail projects warm and upbeat sensations from start to finish.  Conducted and produced by Liss, the release is comprised of original compositions by saxophonist Andrew Neu, arranger Dan Radlauer, pianist Scott Arcangel, trombonist Peter Herbozheimer, and composers/bandleaders Alan Baylock and George Stone.   The recording celebrates the liveliness and bliss that big band orchestrations.  The slate of tunes is a mix of jazz standards from both the 20th and 21st centuries polished to a clarion zest. Vocalist Carly Ines makes "High Wire" and "Love You Madly" pop with an infectious exuberance that the listener can't resist.  Her scatting vocalese gives the tracks ...

Album: The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful Artist: The Jeff Benedict Big Big Band Label: Groovy Panda Records Website: marooncreekmusic.com The Jeff Benedict Big Big Band are ringing in 2021 with their second offering The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful.   Produced by the band's leader Jeff Benedict, the recording is a lively assortment of original compositions by Benedict interspersed with five of his arrangements of American standards.  Benedict builds on the Big Band harmonies of Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk and modernizes the format for present generations.  He creates a contemporary montage relatable to the vigorous churning and robust surges of Rich Willey's Boptism Big Band, the One O'Clock Lab Band, and Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra. The recording opens with one of Benedict's original numbers "Moonscape," a sizzling arrangement featuring the billowing puffs and swerving doodles of trombonist Paul and tenor saxophon...