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Jasmine Lovell-Smith’s Towering Poppies – Yellow Red Blue – Paint Box

Jasmine Lovell-Smith’s Towering Poppies – Yellow Red Blue – Paint Box

by | Mar 11, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

A musical trip which comprises flowers to kings to family to mountains. Jasmine Lovell-Smith’s Towering Poppies – Yellow Red Blue [TrackList follows] – Paint Box, 53:18 [11/4/16] ****: (Jasmine Lovell-Smith – soprano sax, producer; Josh Sinton – bass clarinet; Cat Toren – p.; Adam Hopkins – bass; Kate Gentile – drums; Cuarteto la Matraca: Elena Makhnev – v., Raúl Moreno – v., Rolando Vidal – viola, Jesús Gutiérrez – cello (tracks 3, 5, 7)) Soprano saxophonist Jasmine Lovell-Smith continues her musical journey with her 53-minute sophomore album, Yellow Red Blue, the follow-up to her 2012 debut, Fortune Songs. There’s an underlying international shade to the eight tunes (seven originals and a Joni Mitchell song), although it’s not overtly apparent. The material was penned in Wellington, New Zealand (the country where Lovell-Smith was raised and got her Bachelor of Music degree at Massey University), Brooklyn, NY (New York is where she formed her quintet, Towering Poppies), Middletown, CT (she received a Master of Arts in composition from Wesleyan University) and Morelia, Mexico (she lived in Mexico for a brief time). The music also has some light Mexican influences due to the inclusion of Cuarteto la Matraca (a string quartet) on three […]

Joey DeFrancesco (B-3) + The People – Project Freedom – Mack Ave.

Joey DeFrancesco (B-3) + The People – Project Freedom – Mack Ave.

by | Feb 9, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

Joey DeFrancesco + The People – Project Freedom – Mack Avenue MAC 1121, 64:20 [3/10/17] ****1/2: B-3 master shows a lot of heart in debut for new label. (Joey DeFrancesco – organ, keyboards, trumpet; Jason Brown – drums; Troy Roberts – tenor sax, soprano sax; Dan Wilson – guitar) Joey DeFrancesco has always been proud of his Philadelphia roots. As a teenager, this emerging B-3 organist garnered praise from the likes of Hank Mobley and Philly Joe Jones. This led to a gig with Miles Davis that got his career off to a fast start. Recently, he returned to his hometown to receive a star on the Philadelphia Music Walk Of Fame. He joined jazz luminaries including John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone. Like many other Philadelphia musicians, Joey has embraced the “heart and soul” aspects of his instrumental prowess. There is no organist who is regarded by his peers and critics to such a degree. (He has been voted best organist 11 of the last 15 years in Downbeat Magazine.) As a sideman, he has played with Diana Krall, George Benson, Jimmy Cobb, Ray Charles, Bobby Hutchinson, Larry Coryell, David Sanborn, James Moody and Nancy Wilson to name […]

High Risk – Dark Territory – Greenleaf Music

High Risk – Dark Territory – Greenleaf Music

by | Sep 20, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

“Welcome to the future.” High Risk – Dark Territory [TrackList follows] – Greenleaf Music GRE-CD-1049, 40:10 [7/8/16] ****: (Dave Douglas – trumpet, producer; Jonathan Maron – electric and synth bass; Mark Guiliana – acoustic and electric drums; Shigeto – electronics) Trumpeter Dave Douglas knows more than a bit about heading into unknown or new terrain. He makes that clear on Dark Territory, the sophomore release with his quintet dubbed High Risk, which includes Douglas, Jonathan Maron (electric and synth basses), acoustic and electric drummer Mark Guiliana and electronics music expert Shigeto (AKA Zachary Shigeto Saginaw). The 40-minute, seven-track album is an acute creation which blends avant-jazz with electronics and shadowy atmospherics. The title comes from Fred Kaplan’s 2016 book, Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War, which quotes former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and his description of cyber espionage as a “dark territory” with no light, invisible enemies, and catastrophic consequences. The Dark Territory record has been issued as a compact disc, vinyl LP and as a digital download. This review refers to the CD configuration. The sense of imminent danger, of possible threats on the horizon, can be felt on the nearly seven-minute opener, “Celine,” where Douglas’s healthy […]