Critically Acclaimed flutist Andrea Brachfeld Announces her Debut Release for Origin Records, Brazilian Whispers, out on January 17th. “… Her marvelous tone and technique are astonishing… She is definitely among those who deserves recognition not only among her peers, but the public in general.” – Hubert Laws “One of the most important voices … Read More
By delarue, New York Music Daily Brandee Younger has already made a lot of waves as a rarity in the jazz world, a concert harpist. Even with amplification, it’s hard to hear that instrument’s pointillistic (most would probably say celestial) tones over drums, piano or blazing brass. That undoubtedly explains why, beyond Dorothy Ashby and … Read More
Charles Waring, Record Collector Louis Armstrong was a trailblazing jazz innovator and is still regarded as the idiom’s greatest, most influential trumpeter of all time. Despite its rather unprepossessing title, Louis Armstrong Live in Europe (4 Stars, Dot Time) is a significant release that has been sanctioned by Armstrong’s estate and is sourced from the … Read More
by Willard Jenkins, Open Sky The joyous alto and saxophone and flute sound of T.K. Blue (aka Talib Kibwe) has been part of my consciousness for many moons. Before we even met his sound was a subliminal presence. The first time I actually encountered his passionate horns was an 80s era duo performance with Randy Weston at Sweet … Read More
by Jim Hynes, Making A Scene Just as this recording form the Skip and Dan Wilkins Quartet is essentially an homage to the Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap, PA, my review is a kind of homage that same venue, relatively local for this writer. Yes, it’s a rather unlikely spot to find a … Read More
By Shaun Brady, The Philadelphia Inquirer Ralph Peterson has been thinking a lot about legacy. That’s somewhat inevitable in jazz, where tradition and history always loom large. Last month marked the centennial anniversary of the birth of Peterson’s mentor, the iconic drummer Art Blakey. The music composed under Blakey’s guidance by such legends as Wayne … Read More
by Sebastien Helary, Nextbop At the very end of August, Grammy award winning trumpeter Brian Lynch announced the impromptu release of his latest creation, The Omni-American Book Club, a big band album inspired by over 18 works of literature, including volumes by W.E.B. DuBois, Ralph Ellison, Isabel Wilkerson, Ta-Nehisi Coates, David Levering Lewis, Eric Hobsbawm, Nell … Read More
by Ron Hart, Rock & Roll Globe Soul Awakening, the fourth leader LP from Hempstead, NY harpist Brandee Younger, is a revelation in creative jazz and arguably the best album the genre had to offer in 2019. Working with producer/bassist Dezron Douglas, the pair balance soulful and spiritual with perfect physics in collaboration with a core … Read More
by Troy Dostert, All About Jazz Four stars! Always attuned to unusual choices that keep his listeners guessing, guitarist Eric Hofbauer knows no bounds when it comes to his repertoire. One is as likely to hear a Cyndi Lauper or Nirvana cover as something by Thelonious Monk or Charlie Parker. And his stylistic approach on the guitar is similarly idiosyncratic, … Read More
By Rita Charleston, The Philadephia Tribune “Whatever you want to call it, it’s Black music,” says renowned drummer Ralph Peterson describing his feelings about jazz. “But it belongs to the world now, and all people of all races and creeds and colors play it. Nevertheless it remains an African-American music form.” And he should know. … Read More
