By: George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly Chiara Izzi sings to the accompaniment of Kevin Hays/key-p, Rob Jost/b-frh, Greg Joseph/dr, Rogerio Boccato/perc, Chris Potter/ts-ss, Gregoire Maret/harm, Nir Felder/g and Omer Avital/oud on this eclectic mix of folk, bohemia and jazz. She does wonders with a personal read of Pat Metheny’s “James” teamed with Maret, and seamlessly … Read More
By: Selwyn Harris, JazzWise Pianist Hays duets with the young Italian singer Chiara Izzi on a repertoire of standards and originals that’s on the more acceptable side of pop-jazz, with a band that includes a few guest spots, the most stellar being Chris Potter. Jando Music
Howard Dukes, SoulTracks “I Can’t Breathe,” the absolutely stunning lead single from Vivian Sessom’s upcoming album Life II, references the final words said by Eric Garner in 2014 when he was placed in a fatal choke hold while being arrested by police for illegally selling cigarettes. However, the mixture of blues and gospel does not tell the … Read More
Click on image to enlarge: Stuart Nicholson, Jazzwise Recorded live in the Nashville venue 3rd & Lindsley, the legacy of Miles Davis still provides musicians old enough to know better with the kind of inspiration that lifts this recording from ‘Good’ to ‘Very Good’. Liebman was, of course, on the original Davis recording of On … Read More
By George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly If you’ve never heard any albums by Hard Bop’s progenitor Art Blakey, this two disc live session with drummer/leader Ralph Peterson is an excellent place to begin. He gives a tribute to the famed drummer’s sound and songbook with alumni including Bill Pierce/ts, Bobby Watson/as, Brian Lynch/tp, Geoffrey Keezer/p … Read More
Scott Bernstein, JamBase Trombonist/vocalist Natalie Cressman and guitarist/vocalist Ian Faquini played a gorgeous set of music focused on material from the recently released studio album Setting Rays Of Summer at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall on Monday night. Cressman and Faquini showed off their versatility and masterful musicianship throughout the performance. Natalie and Faquini played music in various Brazilian styles … Read More
By: Jerome Wilson, All About Jazz At a time when women are gaining more prominence in every field, it’s no surprise there are more and more all-female jazz groups popping up. This particular octet, led by pianist Ellen Rowe, takes that a step farther with a CD that delves into women’s history. They have recorded … Read More
Michael Ullman, The Arts Fuse Once again, drummer Ralph Peterson pays fine homage to Art Blakey’s tradition of joyous, hard-edged bashing jazz. Ralph Peterson & The Messenger Legacy/ Legacy Alive: Volume 6 at the Side Door (Onyx). “The Messenger” of this disc’s title is, of course, a reference to Art Blakey’s famous hard bop band … Read More
George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly Sivan Arbel composes everything here and is backed by Shai Portugaly/p, Pera Krstajic/b, Yogev Gabay/dr, Shai Wetzer/perc, Ron Warburg/tp, Jack Sheehan/as and Ori Jacobson/ts for these 7 compositions. Her voice is flexible, and is heartfelt when teamed with Portugaly on “Water Song” while getting bluesy for “Omri.” The horns go from … Read More
Richard B. Kamins, Step Tempest The drummer, educator, and mentor Ralph Peterson literally burst into the public ears in 1985 as a member of O.T.B. (Out of the Blue), a group of young musicians that Blue Records Records created to showcase younger talent. He worked with so many musicians through his career including Tom Harrell, Terence … Read More
