Dan ARAN: New York Family – Whistling Puffer Fish
An abundance of piano trio excellence topped by dazzling flute playing on a session which balances Latin, Middle Eastern and mainstream jazz idioms.
Category: Pop/Rock/World CD Reviews
Stax ’68: A Memphis Story – Stax/Craft
1968…a monumental year for the country, and even more so for Stax Records…
J. Peter Schwalm – How We Fall – RareNoise
Electronic music representing one man’s clash with cancer.
Andy Biskin and 16 Tons – Songs from the Alan Lomax Collection – Andorfin
Transplanting the legacy of Alan Lomax into the jazz lexicon.
John Williams at the Movies – Dallas Winds – Reference Recordings
If you are a wind band fanatic, this is what you have been waiting for!
Liza With A “Z” – Original Television Soundtrack Recording – Columbia Records/Speakers Corner
Legendary actress/singer makes television history!
Solomon Burke – King Solomon – Atlantic Records/Pure Pleasure
Underrated soul singer gets a well-deserved new look in a vinyl upgrade.
Blue Maqams – Anouar Brahem – ECM
Brahem’s long awaited reunion with Dave Holland, plus new collaborations with Jack DeJohnette and Django Bates.
SONAR with David Torn – Vortex – RareNoise
Groove, repetition and bold sparseness: it’s SONAR. SONAR with David Torn – Vortex – RareNoise RNR087, 56:12 [3/30/18] ****: (Stephan Thelen – guitar; Bernhard Wagner – guitar; Christian Kuntner – electric bass; Manuel Pasquinelli – drums; David Torn – electric guitar, live looping, manipulation, mixer, producer) Sometimes collaborations are planned. Other times they are fortuitously […]
Gene Clark – Gene Clark Sings for You – Omnivore Records
Early unreleased Gene Clark session for your consideration… Gene Clark – Gene Clark Sings for You – Omnivore Records OVCD 280 – 1967 – 53:12 ***½: (Gene Clark – guitar and vocals; Alex del Zoppo – electric piano; other other musicians are unknown) For many fans of the early Byrds catalog, Gene Clark was the […]
The Rose Garden – A Trip Through the Garden/ The Rose Garden Collection – Omnivore Records
A brief time in the limelight, revisited… The Rose Garden – A Trip Through the Garden/ The Rose Garden Collection – Omnivore Records OVCD 281 – 1968 – 78:24 ***1/2: (Diana De Rose – vocals and acoustic guitar; John Noreen – lead guitar (Rickenbacker 12 string electric), vocals; James Groshong – vocals and guitar; William […]
Harry Nilsson – Aerial Ballet – Speakers Corner (2017)
Fifty years later, this pop album is still important! Harry Nilsson – Aerial Ballet – RCA Victor LSP-3956 (1968)/Speakers Corner (2017) 180-gram vinyl, 25:15 ****1/2: (Harry Nilsson – vocals; Plas Johnson – woodwinds; Dennis Budimir – guitar; Al Casey – guitar; Michael Melvin – piano, organ, harpsichord; Larry Knechtel – piano, bass; Jim Gordon – […]
Ry Cooder – Paradise And Lunch – Warner Brothers/Reprise/Speakers Corner
A classic 1974 roots album gets a well-deserved analog update! Ry Cooder – Paradise And Lunch – Warner Brothers/Reprise MS 2179/Speakers Corner (2016) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 36:51 *****: Ry Cooder’s Paradise And Lunch was released in 1974 to critical acclaim. Backed by a stellar ensemble of jazz (with no less than Earl Hines one one […]
Dennis Coffey – One Night at Morey’s: 1968 – Omnivore Records
Master of the groove… Dennis Coffey – One Night at Morey’s: 1968 – Omnivore Records OVCD 284 – 60:31 (Dennis Coffey – electric guitar; Lyman Woodard – organ; Melvin Davis – drums) Fans of funky guitar, in the know, are well aware of the legacy of guitar ace, Dennis Coffey. From the 1950s well into […]
Hart, Scone and Albin – Leading the British Invasion – Zoho Roots
Soul-jazz and more inspired by a newer British Invasion. Hart, Scone and Albin – Leading the British Invasion [TrackList follows] – Zoho Roots ZM201801, 63:20 [1/5/18] ****1/2: (John Hart – guitar; Adam Scone – Hammond organ; Rudy Albin Petschauer – drums) Hammond organist Adam Scone, drummer Rudy Albin Petschauer (who shortens his professional name to […]
Santana – Amigos – Columbia Records (1976)/Speakers Corners (2013)
Carlos Santana’s 1976 comeback album gets a terrific sonic upgrade. Santana – Amigos – Columbia Records PC 33576 (1976)/Speakers Corners (2013) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 41:14 *****: Mexican born guitarist Carlos Santana moved to San Francisco as a young child. He was already a trained musician, first in violin and then guitar. There is an array […]
Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers – RCA LSP-4238 (1969)/Speakers Corners(2017)
A superior vinyl re-mastering of an iconic, political 1960’s rock band! Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers – RCA LSP-4238 (1969)/Speakers Corners(2017) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 44:19 ****1/2: The San Francisco Sound enjoyed a huge impact on popular music. Bands like The Grateful Dead, Big Brother And The Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Mother Earth, The Steve Miller […]
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends – To Bonnie From Delaney – Atco
An album by under-appreciated rock icons gets an analog upgrade! Delaney & Bonnie & Friends – To Bonnie From Delaney – Atco SD-33-341 (1970)/Speakers Corners (2018) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 42:18 ****1/2: (Delaney Bramlett – guitar, vocals; Bonnie Bramlett – vocals; complete list of performers below) In the annals of rock history, there has never been […]
Benny ANDERSSON, Piano – DG
Refreshing, relaxing, and simply beautiful. Benny ANDERSSON, Piano – DG 479 8143, 76:47 [Distr. by Universal] *****: Anyone who remembers or who is a fan of the pop rock group ABBA from the late 1970s will no doubt have heard, seen, or know who Benny Andersson is. The phenomenal success of the Swedish “fab four” […]
Club d’Elf – Live at Club Helsinki – Face Pelt
Club d’Elf – Live at Club Helsinki [TrackList follows] – Face Pelt 5003 (2-CDs) 62:47, 63:52 [1/10/17] ****: A jazz, Middle Eastern, jam band exhibition. (John Medeski – Hammond B3 organ, electric piano, clavinet, mellotron, melodica; Duke Levine – guitar; Mister Rourke – DJ; Mike Rivard – sintir, bass kalimba, bass; Brahim Fribgane – oud, […]
Lewis Porter-Phil Scarff Group – Three Minutes to Four – Whaling City Sound
Lewis Porter-Phil Scarff Group – Three Minutes to Four [TrackList follows] – Whaling City Sound WCS 100 (distr. by Naxos), 73:19 [8/25/17] ****: Not your typical world jazz release. (Lewis Porter – piano; Phil Scarff – tenor, soprano and sopranino saxophones, tamboura; John Funkhouser – bass; Bertram Lehmann – drums) The best jazz takes listeners […]
The Film Scores and Original Orchestral Music of George Martin – Berlin Music Ensemble conducted by Craig Leon – Atlas Realisations
The Film Scores and Original Orchestral Music of George Martin – Berlin Music Ensemble conducted by Craig Leon – Atlas Realisations CD ARCD008 (11/10/17) *** 1/2 Familiar and never heard music by the iconic George Martin This is a most welcome and overdue disc of the music of George Martin. This recording collects —for the […]