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Creative Music and other forms of Avant Garde

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Timothy Norton: The Wrenning Years

East Coast bassist Timothy Norton displays his creative writing skills of this album with a team of Bokani Dyer/p, Jerome Jennings/dr, Michael Camacho/cong, Andrew Renfroe/g, Nathaniel Williford/tp, Bill McHenry/ts and Siya Charles/tb. He’s adept at forming moods, ranging from a gentle and sublime haze with Dyer on “You and I Could Really Exist Together” to...

Adonis Rose: Live at JazzAscona

Drummer and leader Adonis Rose taps into the Gregg Hill songbook for a 2025 gig at Switzerland’s JazzAscona club. Rose brings together a team of Rex Gregory/as-arr, Ashlin Parker/tp, Miles Berry/ts, Seth Finch/p, Max Moran/b and guest Phillip Manuel/voc for a wide ranging and crowd pleasing outing. Phillip Manuel is a ringer here, with a...

The Flying Horse Big Band: Swinging With The Flying Horse Big Band!

Directed by Jeff Rupert, the four reed, eight brass and three rhythm’d Flying Horse Big Band gallop through a collection of fresh reads of standards, a couple originals and even a ringer or two. Rupert’s own “Swingin’ and Singin’” (arranged by tenor man Harry Allen) features a Basie-esque sax section hat is as strong as...

RJ Spangler’s Bop Insurgents: Ain’t Doin Too Bad

Playing congas and shakers, RJ Spangler bops deep grooves with his Blue Note-tinged team of Bill Heid/p-B3, Russ Miller/as-ts-fl, Ralph Tope/g, Kurt Krahnke/b and Jeff Shoup/dr through a mix of covers. Spangler supplies the percolating foundation throughout, simmering under Heid’s humming Hammond and Miller’s sweet alto on a soulful take of Hank Crawford’s “Hard Times”,...

****RINGER OF THE WEEK****THIS IS JAZZ VOCALS…Ella Fitzgerald: Live at Falkoner Theatre, Copenhagen 6th February 1966

Once in awhile, you remember why you first liked jazz. This is one of those records. Back in the late 1960s, Ella Fitzgerald toured around with Duke Ellington’s orchestra, the result being a one lp in 1967, and later a 7cd collection from concerts at the Cote D’Zur. If it were possible, I would have...

ReviewsRinger of the Week

Dan Siegel: Resolution

Pianist and composer Dan Siegel is a throwback to the Old School of jazzers, playing melodic and accessible uptown sounds that hit the ears just right. He’s teamed with the veteran Brian Bromberg/b and Jay Belierose/dr-per in trio format, and supplemented at times by some soothing horns and guitarists Matt Hormbeck-Allen Hinds-Dean Parks. The horns...

Satko Fujii Orchestra Kobe: After The Storm

Legendary Composer and pianist Satoko Fujii brings forth her ideas in orchestral form on this latest album. The four part suite “After The Storm” is most cogent and bopping on the concluding “$” while the horns squeak and squawk on a gurgling “3”. The hues are dark with Keishiro Saito’s bass on the wild ride...

TWO SIDES OF MIGUEL ZENON: , Miguel Zenon: Miguel Zenon & Luis Perdomo: El Arte Del Bolero, Expressions,-Concerto for Alto Sax and Orchestra

After showing how his working band can perform through his last album, a live one, alto saxist Miguel Zenon shows two more sides of his creative skills on a pair of new releases. Miguel Zenon duos up with longtime piano partner Luis Perdomo on a rich and intimated collection of romantic boleros. The two tap...

THE ORIGINAL CROONER…Bing Crosby: Kraft Music Hall Time Vol 3

Before Bing Crosby, there was no jazz singing, as he and Louis Armstrong essentially invented it. Armstrong was the pulse, and Crosby was the tone, as his mellifluous voice could calm a tornado. Culled from his famed Music Hall radio broadcast from the 30s and 40s, Bing is his insouciant self, sounding avuncularly relaxed o...

BLUES ROCKING…Katie Knipp: Live at Theater 5150, Brad “Guitar” Wilson: Boundless

There's good rockin' tonight... Playing guitar, harmonica and piano, singer Katie Knapp growls out a set at Theater 5150 with Pancho Tomasell/b, Steve Utstein/key, Neil Campisano/dr and Quinn Hedges/g on this mix of originals and covers. She’s dramatic and urgent of a read of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” and Spartan stark on the traditional “John...

Gretchen Parlato: The Wise Ones

I’m consistently amazed that vocalist Gretchen Parlato never disappoints; all of her albums are unique, clever and strong. This latest with Gerald Clayton/p, Mark Guiliana/dr, Alan Hampton/b and Robert Glasper/key with a handful of guests makes for a new and more soul/CTI-flavored sound, and it works well. Teamed with Hampton, the Parlato hints at folksy...

Mark Guiliana: Beat Music 2.0

Drummer Mark Guiliana teams with Nicholas Semrad/key, Stu Brooks-Tim Lefebvre/b, Gretchen Parlato/voc to create an album that essentially sounds like sounds from your local pinball or video game. You get Nintendo funk on “B.ANG”, pong pulses on “P.LAY”, a bass line and PAC MAN effects on “M.OVE” and “J.OHN”. How do I win an extra...