Reuben Bradley: Resonator 3 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

With debut albums, the temptation is often to throw as much as possible into the mix, to demonstrate the many tricks the artist has in his/her bag. On his first release, Resonator, New Zealand drummer Reuben Bradley does, indeed, draw inspiration from far and wide, describing the album himself as "eclectic...

Klezwoods: Oy Yeah! 3 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

From the opening bass, snare drum and accordion of "Ki Eshmera," the Boston-based Klezwoods deliver a beautifully structured and performed collection of traditional tunes on its debut, Oy Yeah!. The nine-piece band moves from haunting ballads to frenzied dance tunes with ease, adding an intriguing original tune from clarinetist m: Alec Spiegelman for good measure...

Chico Pinheiro: There's A Storm Inside 3 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

There's A Storm Inside reaffirms Brazilian music as still one of the most romantic and vivacious genres in the world. While the rich lineage of enticing vocals and exotic rhythms remains intact, guitarist/vocalist Chico Pinheiro expands the tradition and infuses it with modernistic touches. A consummate artist, his voice is as sultry as m: Vinicius CantuA ria, along with fret board and fingering magic that reaches the mastery of m: Romero Lubambo...

Branden Abushanab: The Dust Improvisations 3 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

Unless you happen to be m: William Parker or m: JoA lle LA(C)andre, the making of a solo bass recording is one (sorry for the pun) plucky career move. That is just what bassist Branden Abushanab has done with these forty-six minutes of The Dust Improvisations. The South Carolina native delivers five performances that focus on texture over timekeeping, and energy instead of rhythm. Like the early recordings of guitarist Loren Mazzacane Connors, these pieces feel as if Abushanab is reinventing the bass as sort of a free improvisation folk instrument. He eschews the groove, opening the ears to the entropy of his energy...

Benny Sharoni: Eternal Elixir 3 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

The Benny Sharoni at work on Eternal Elixir shares two sides of his emerging voice and therefore a true personality that is developing deep within the soul of the tenor saxophonist. One side of the artist is a brash young man, who favors the language of modal music. And he makes good this aspect of the artist by kicking off the proceedings on "Bernstein," his reverential sketch of the legendary American musician and conductor of various equally legendary orchestras of the middle and late 20th Century. The rapid fire changes of m: Donald Byrd's "French Spice" give further notice of Sharoni's intentions. In fact, here the saxophonist conjures up the restless spirit of m: John Coltrane, and even bewitches pianist Joe Barbato into recalling the presence of m: McCoy Tyner...

Soulive: Rubber Soulive 2 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

Soulive has experimented in many directions during the course of its decade- plus career, so it's only natural that the group would eventually go back to the basics, and that's exactly what it's done with Rubber Soulive. Comprised entirely of tunes by m: The Beatles, this project allows the band to get back to its roots in more ways than one (without even covering that particular Lennon/McCartney tune)...

Ethan Mann: It's All About A Groove 2 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

It's All About a Groove is all about three self-effacing musicians having a fine time playing some music that burns with a cold fire, and swinging, sometimes with a fair gusto. Most of all this date is about uncomplicated, yet attractive improvisation, as a group that rarely veers far from the melody, but ventures far enough to create the right kind of buzz. Ethan Mann is a guitarist who has a lot to say in a voice that is uncompromisingly his own. But he prefers brevity to the filigreed approach, and makes statements innovatively, but succinctly. His harmonic conception relies on depth of color rather than myriad shades, and with restrained brush strokes he is able to generate a greater buzz than expected. His single note approach with some bent notes and a whisper of tremolo appears to suit the more heavy hand of m: Chip Crawford on the Hammond B3...

Renzo Murrone: Out Of This World 2 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

Italian-born, London-based Renzo Murrone is a welcome addition to the list of male jazz vocalists, thanks to his beautiful debut, Out Of This World. It's a collection of original songs and covers that mixes styles and genres with great success; Murrone's vocal range is impressive and he has the crucial ability to connect emotionally with the mood of the songs...

Philippe Quint: Paganini arr. Kreisler: La campanella - Le Streghe - La Cenerentola and Tancredi Variations 2 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

A modern parallel to the Romantic period relationship of Nicolo Paganini and Fritz Kreisler might be guitarists m: Jimi Hendrix and m: Stevie Ray Vaughan. The younger men of the pairs arranged and played the music of the older musicians, adding their own shine to the compositions. Everyone in the quartet was a showman in the extreme. But the genesis of such behavior in performers began with Paganini and his buddy Franz Liszt. Paganini was a mercurial enigma, whose violin talent continues to look for a peer 170 years after his death. During his lifetime, Paganini knew his talent and composed toward it, his Opus 1 Caprices being the ultimate solo showpieces that he played with demonic relish in concert...

Tomasz Stanko Quintet: Dark Eyes 2 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

As a trumpeter, Tomasz Stanko clearly owes a debt to m: Miles Davis; yet, after four decades making some of the most arresting small ensemble jazz music in Europe, the Polish veteran perhaps deserves to be considered in the same category as the iconic legend. As a trumpeter, composer and leader, Stanko has few peers, past or present. Dark Eyes introduces Stanko's exciting new band after three wonderful recordings with pianist m: Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slavomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz, and signals another chapter in the evolution of one of jazz's most significant voices...

Monkadelphia: Crepuscule 1 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

At first glance, Monkadelphia might be confused with the Belgian religious monks who brew dark beers. However, these postulants are, instead, a cover band for the jazz high priest of bebop, m: Thelonious Monk. WithCrepuscule, Monkadelphia releases the follow-up to its self-titled debut. As Monk cover sessions tend to go, bands generally opt for the far ends of the spectrum, either replicating Monk's style with exacting technique or reconfiguring his music into something unaccustomed. Monkadelphia opts for a satisfying middle- ground, something Monk-a-philes can appreciate. The all-Monk repertory band plays--and seemingly lives--the music, creating a successful tribute...

Tamir Hendelman: Destinations 1 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

Destinations, pianist Tamir Hendelman's second CD as leader, is a bold and satisfying follow-up to his 2008 debut, Playground Playground (Swing Bros). There are many fine pianists with impressive technique and swing who are convincing in a number of styles, play with real feeling, and contribute a tuneful original or two. What increasingly distinguishes Hendelman is his gift for imaginative arranging. For one thing, he will compose an introduction that makes it difficult to predict what follows, but seems perfectly suited--even organic--once the tune begins, as in the way Hendelman sets up the opener, "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams," and how the trio turns several unexpected corners before leaning into the full, headlong joy of "You Stepped Out of a Dream." Hendelman creates consistently interesting soundscapes and eloquent solos that sound like no one else's. There are flashes of humor too, such as his tongue-in-cheek tweak of the anthemic m: Count Basie sign-off that ends "On the Street Where You Live...

Adrian Iaies Trio: A Child's Smile 1 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

On A Child's Smile, Adrian Iaies sheds the Argentinean persona that occasionally shrouds his music. Here the pianist has become a complete, swaggering, swinging entity, and one who melds his mentors--m: Hank Jones, m: Tommy Flanagan, m: Wynton Kelly, m: Red Garland and principally m: Bill Evans--into an entirely new entity. The result is a brooding artist who looks deep within his wandering soul. His personality is complex and wonderful. He is a musician and a colorist who plays with the multiple shades of light and dark. He is a dancer with a quick-step and a sensuous pirouette, a creator of whirling, wispy clouds and waltzing circles; reverent rumbas and mesmerizing boleros, hidden in the heat of his bebop figures. And he is a sculptor of vorticist structures who creates music in architectural proportions, in harmony with and full of the energy of nature that surrounds him...

Michael Landau / Robben Ford / Jimmy Haslip / Gary Novak: Renegade Creation 1 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

While by no means an absolute, there's a strong case for great jazzers making great rockers: m: Larry Carlton with m: Steely Dan and m: Michael Jackson; drummer {Steve Gadd}} with m: Eric Clapton and m: Paul Simon; and saxophonist m: Michael Brecker with Billy Joel and Blue Oyster Cult. Renegade Creation's four artists may possesses a broader jazz vernacular, but it's all in service of the grit and grease of an unequivocal rock record, from the m: Bo Diddley beat of "What's Up" and slow grind of "Destiny Over Me," to the visceral blues-rock of "The Darkness" and "Who Do You Think You Are...

Dolores Scozzesi: A Special Taste 1 Sep 2010, 2:05 am

Los Angeles-based vocalist Dolores Scozzesi concludes A Special Taste with the time-honored Kosma/Mercer standard, "Autumn Leaves." Her approach is one of simplicity and elegance, opening the piece with Jacques Prevert's French lyrics, an alto m: Edith Piaf crossed with m: Roberta Gambarini and accented with m: Daniela Schachter...

Alex Sipiagin: Generations 31 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

Alex Sipiagin pays it forward with his eighth Criss Cross release, Generations, dedicated to the late m: Woody Shaw, a lesser celebrated but brilliant trumpeter who performed with artists including m: Anthony Braxton, m: Chick Corea, m: Eric Dolphy, m: Andrew Hill. A fiery stylist with perfect pitch and lyricism, Shaw was admired by peers and emulated by up-and-comers as Sipiagin confirms, "Even now, many years later, every time I listen to Woody, I always find something new and inspiring...

Eric Krasno: Reminisce 31 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

There are no surprises on Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno's first solo album, but that's a good thing. Even with the familiar names involved in a project that's resulted in Reminisce, the music is fresh and wholly contemporary. The album was produced by Krasno, and features mostly his own material. Soulive drummer Alan Evans recorded and mixed, while his brother Neal appears on keyboards. Still, there's no apparent loss of objectivity: this is not a retreading of Soulive's music and, while there are obviously some similarities to it--as well as Krasno's other project Lettuce (most obviously in the use of horns as during "Roll Out")--the finished project is more along the lines of vintage jazz-rock fusion, albeit with a decidedly funky feel...

Lee Ritenour: 6 String Theory 31 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

The very gift that makes a session musician great can also be a curse. Oftentimes expected to be chameleon-like, it's that very act of becoming a credible musical shape-shifter that can sometimes lead to a loss of individuality. Lee Ritenour is a consummate and complete guitarist if ever there was one; his varied discography supporting a seemingly insatiable appetite for anything to do with the six-stringed instrument and all its variations. Often (and, in many cases, unfairly) linked too heavily with a genre that he helped formulate in the mid-to-late 1970s through his own "fusion lite" albums like Captain Fingers (Epic, 1977), to call Ritenour a smooth jazz guitarist would be unfairly exclusionary, as 6 String Theory proves in spades...

Elliot Sharp/Carbon: Void Coordinates 31 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

Nearly every album by guitar whiz Elliot Sharp intimates a sound-shaping experience, loaded with surprises and ingenuity. His long-running Carbon band is primarily steeped in hardcore avant-garde rock mania, spiced with sizzling meltdowns and free-jazz style improvisation. On "Fermion," the quartet launches a haunting sonic assault, which at times may seem like anti-pop morphed with metal-lite. Zeena Parkins' resonating electric harp lines project a tuneful yet ominous vibe, as the band delves into a minimalist-hued motif, followed by Sharp's powerful crunch chords and drummer Joseph Trump's peppy backbeats. Moreover, the band surges into a musical netherworld, abetted by Sharp's psyched-out and fuzz-toned melee attack, atop flickering electronics effects and rippling chord progressions...

Eden Brent: Ain't Got No Troubles 31 Aug 2010, 2:05 am

Fun. Plain, simple fun. That's Eden Brent in a nutshell. Whether she's in concert, at a festival or helping out fellow musicians, this vocalist and pianist thrills crowds wherever she plays. Ain't Got No Troubles, like her previous recordings, brings that same level of joy and energy. A longtime protA(C)gA(C) of Abie "Boogaloo" Ames, Brent grew up in the Mississippi Delta, surrounded by musicians. Her late mother Carol, and sisters Jessica and Bronwynne, all wrote and performed music. Eden Brent is a three-time Blues Music Award-winner, earning the 2009 Acoustic Album of the Year for Mississippi Number One (Yellow Dog) and Acoustic Artist of the Year, and 2010 Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year. She also has toured domestically and internationally...