jazz2love

Album Name: Play Space Artist: Omer Lesham Label: Ubuntu Music Artist Website: omerleshem.net Originally from Herzliya, Israel and now based in Brooklyn, New York for the past decade, saxophonist and composer Omer Leshem has honed a compositional style that is influenced by a wide range of concepts, including classical European harmonies, Middle Eastern grooves, Mediterranean lyricism, and contemporary free jazz. His third release Play Space is composed of nine original scores featuring his quintet with Leshem playing tenor saxophone, Moshe Elmakias on piano, Nadav Remez on guitar, Elam Friedlander on bass, and Ben Silashi on drums.  All members are Israelis currently residing in New York City, channeling their shared ethnic roots and affinity for improvised jazz. Leshem pays homage to the British psychoanalyst Donald Winnicot on the recording, who devoted his career to studying child play.  Interpreted as the concept that a child’s imagination liberates the mind from establi...

Album:  Spheres Artist:  Scott Emmerman Label: Self-Released Website:  scottemmerman.bandcamp.com Power guitar rock seems to be a theme of days gone by but guitarist, composer, and arranger Scott Emmerman revives the custom, infusing trimmings of funky dances grooves gilded in ambient jazz hues and ribbed in soft R&B-encrusted knolls crooning along his latest release Spheres .  A refined outgrowth of power rock, Emmerman's music has an adult contemporary sheen and world class luster. Recorded in the spring of 2023, the recording features Emmerman's long-time friend, collaborator and drummer Marty Zevin.  Eight compositions out of the ten-track CD are originals written by Emmerman.   One of the other two tracks is a profusion of psychedelics, produced by lofty synth effects that create a prismatic glaze across "Judgement Day," a collaboration with Emmerman and Zevin.  The last track is a cover. as Emmerman navigates the hit song for the R&B...

Album:  Talking Hands Artists:  Greg Hatza and Enayet Hossain Label:  AIMREC Website:  https://www.aimrec.com Talking Hands , from keyboardist Greg Hatza and tabla player Enayet Hossain, mixes the Asian textures of the tabla with the glittery radiance of the electronic keys.  The duo's rapport is magnetic with the pulsating beats of the tabla embellished by the resonating effects and sinuous curves of the electronic keys. The recording launches with the title track, merging tribal beats with the rhapsodic banter of the keys, sprinting and flexing across the breadth of the track.  There is a conversational easiness to the chord movements that move further in "Crazy Calcutta Streets," harnessed in a percolating cadence, buoying the glittering effects of the keys, working as a sonic stimulant for the aural senses. The strolling rhythm of "Sweet Shop" is layered in warm aesthetics that switches to gyrating shimmies across "Dark Matter," peppered in glintin...

Album:  Blue Journal Artist:  Ester Wiesnerová Website:  www.esterwiesnerova.com Slovakia-born vocalist Ester Wiesnerová fuses multiple elements in her music, coalescing the flamenco rhythm of the Mediterranean's Andalusia region with the intimacy of American blues and the contemplative mood of coffeehouse folk.  Her debut CD, Blue Journal , contains thought-provoking lyrics shrouded in silky instrumentation, linking a flowing stream of wispy silhouettes and scintillating chimes.  Supported by a band of international musicians from the East and the West, the recording is comprised of 11 introspective tunes, composed, sung and produced by Wiesnerová. She shows a sensitivity of the human heart that audiences can relate to, creating an intimacy that personalizes the listening experience.  Sam Knight's swirling saxophone toots elevate the melodic progressions along "Who Are You Now," as the twinkling chords of Charles Overton's harp produce waves of sparkling s...

Album:  Secular Rituals Artist:  Wayne Alpern Label: Henri Elkan Music Website:  www.waynealpern.com If celestial bodies could sing, people would imagine they'd sound like Wayne Alpern's soundscapes from his latest release Secular Rituals . Notes float like wandering silhouettes, both delicate and symphonic sounding, emerging and withdrawing spontaneously, each working harmoniously and separately. Written, composed, arranged, and performed by Alpern, the recording characterizes a series of illustrations, using notes that usually form dialogues and conversations are building pictures that change and evolve organically. Audiences may detect a myriad of influences in Alpern's music such as a reggae-skew in the flittering whistles along "Brave Art," joined by the Gaelic accents of a bagpipe's echo.  The jaunty pulse of the keyboards helming "Sista Re" wield a rhythm and blues ilk, and the percussive beating threading through "Triangularity" inf...

Album:  Within Us Artist:  Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge Label:  Summit Records Website:  https://www.chuckowen.com Composer-bandleader Chuck Owen builds vibrant landscapes with his 19-piece orchestra The Jazz Surge.  Their latest recording Within Us is a compilation of nostalgic swing and big band energy merging with modern practices and creative phrasing.  Owen's compositions and arrangements are steep in traditional jazz parlences while exercising a playful character that integrates influences of contemporary and classic American folk/roots music, blues-infused rhapsodies, and ambient torchlight. The melodic paradigms of the opener "Chelsea Shuffle" are modelesque while maintaining a spontaneous playfulness.  Vibraphonist Warren Wolf adds dimension to the spiraling woodwinds and brass instruments.  The mood turns solemn in "Trail of the Ancients" displaying a Celtic lilt in Sara Caswell's violin.  The track coalesces folksy textures with ...

Album:  Solo Artist:  Ricardo Silveira Label:  Moondo Music Website:  https://en.ricardosilveira.com                   https://musicabrasileira.org/artists/ricardo-silveira Solo , the latest CD from guitarist-composer Ricardo Silveira offers a compilation of reflective musings which are the grist for the atmospheric soundscapes.  His performance is sparse, making audiences intensely aware of each note, each lift, each inflection, and each curve made along the tracks.  The listener isn't a spectator but actually walks with Silveira through the music, experiencing the rolling knolls and melodic expressions articulated by Silveira. Silveira includes six of his original tunes, all of which he recorded on previous albums but re-imagined for his solo guitar effort.  Filling out the recording is a selection of songs written by notable Brazilian composers like Marcos Valle and...

Album: Geminus Artist: Kane Mathis Label Name: Nyaato Website: www.kanemathis.com/music Reveling in the ancient art of making music from the string instruments of West Africa's kora and Turkey's oud, guitarist Kane Mathis embraces these instruments breed of folk-toned dances and ballads on his latest recording Geminus .  Composing new works for both instruments, Mathis widens the field of experimental jazz with provocative sequences and enchanting passages from the strings of the kora and oud.  His recording equally opens audiences minds about what they consider to be jazz, folk, soul, adult pop, and world music, each of which Mathis's music shows traits of that audiences can discern. Jangly figures embroidered by Mathis's strings are splayed across "Kaira," purveying the image of a Turkish dance while John Hadfield's percussion and Sam Minale's bass loop around the glittery sequences.  The entanglement stirs the senses, inciting enjoyment.  Other trac...

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...

Album: A Walk In The Woods Artist: Terrence Wintersmith Label: Addictive 2 Music Website:  https://terrencewintersmith.com Exotic and sensual, Terrence Wintersmith's compositions on his latest CD A Walk in the Woods are expressive and beautifully crafted.  With all songs written and produced by Wintersmith, the recording wafts of harmonious interludes and relaxing swells.  There are eighteen musicians featured on this debut collection of original jazz compositions by Wintersmith. Included are guest performances by legendary jazz drummer Chester Thompson, Brazilian guitarist Marcel Camargo, and Dave Matthews Band saxophone player, Jeff Coffin.  Marcel Camargo's storytelling-like guitar strings trot along "I'm Always Dreaming,'" whispering sweetly in the listener's ear while perched on the gentle kneading of Eivind Opsvik's bass and Brian Griffin's subdued rhythmic beats.  The sensual curves of Jeff Coffin's saxophone infuse junctures of soar...

Album Review:  Gravity from Simon Sammut and Omar Vazquez Album:  Gravity Artist:  Simon Sammut and Omar Vazquez Label:  Self-released Website:  http://simonsammut.com World music and New Age encompass a wide breadth of music but there is likely no doubt in anyone's mind that the music of electric and acoustic bassists Simon Sammut and Omar Vazquez fall into these two open-ended categories.  Their latest creation Gravity consists of compositions that dwell on roomy atmospherics and eclectic soundscapes.  Capricious and airy, listeners detect more soundwaves than chord patterns or intervals of notes.  Like a breeze casting a sail, the particles emitted from the instruments glide like intangible emanations, producing vibrations that float across the air, massaging the listener's aural senses. The soft flutter of the flute moving across "Equinoccio" is layered in heavy bass tones and  meandering keys, which segue to a funky poppish rhythm th...

Album:  Jazz It Up Artists:  Bob Arthurs and Steve Lamattina Label:  Blue Griffin Recording, Inc. Website:  www.bobarthursmusic.com Jazz It Up , the latest CD from the collaboration of trumpet player Bob Arthurs and guitarist Steve LaMattina is a vessel for Ukranian folk songs, interpreted using European blues and American jazz conjugations.  The endeavor proves to be a mellow outing sewing together moments of quiet contemplation and episodic anecdotes. The seeds of appreciation for traditional Ukranian melodies are planted, displaying their vitality and intrinsic ability to speak to global societies.  Fundamental sounding, the tunes resonate with people of diverse cultures.  For instance, "Walking Around the Garden" permeates a bluesy French persuasive, reminiscent of the culture's nightclub atmosphere with smooth vocals and a sparsely layered melody containing a slow-simmering guitar strum and the occasional flare of the trumpet.  The bluesy...