By Travis Rodgers Jr, The Jazz Owl Sissy Castrogiovanni is it incredibly talented singer, songwriter, and producer. Her new album Terra is her second album as leader and is sung in its entirety in Sissy’s Sicilian dialect. The album is a crossroads of her various influences from Sicily and the Mediterranean, the rhythms of Africa, … Read More
By Carol Martin, All Jazz Radio Listen to some hearty jazzy funk and blues, if you’re down with the COVID lock, and find joy in spotifying or youtubing a few of these artists, local and worldwide. All Jazz Radio receives loads of albums sent for broadcasting, so here are a few briefly reviewed for your … Read More
By Becca Pulliam Now clarinetist Oran Etkin is helping ease the travel ban with his Open Arms Project, two years and a half dozen trips in the making. Oran is a jazz player who loves traditional music, and his creative strategy is to tour first, then release something new. So he chooses a musical setting, … Read More
By Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine After flashing glimpses of their Latin Jazz prowess over the course of their previous six recordings, the 17 years running Spanish Harlem Orchestra (SHO) goes full boat on The Latin Jazz Project, remarkably their first full-length Latin jazz release, especially considering that almost any measure they are today’s top salsa … Read More
By Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine The first impression of listening to the jazz-world ensemble AJOYO is how infectious their music is. It stirs you from the opening title track “War Chant.” They are a multi-cultural quintet that infuses some of the tracks with special guests. This is their second album and they are led by … Read More
By Travis Rodgers Jr, The Jazz Owl Do not let it be said that Jazz has nothing to offer in this present time. The glory days of Jazz are not over, far from it, and if you need proof of it, all you need to do is listen to AJOYO’s new album War Chant. This … Read More
By Jeff Tamarkin, JazzTimes Aside from its unusual approach to capitalization, the title isn’t an attempt to be clever; this album is the first recording released by pianist Andy Milne since being diagnosed with, and recovering from, prostate cancer in 2017. The experience, and in particular the homeopathic healing process he underwent, gave Milne—who leads … Read More
By Dee Dee McNeil, Musicalmemoirs’s Blog This album is a follow-up to the Charles Pillow critically acclaimed 2018 release. Pillow came up with the concept for this new project titled, “Chamber Jazz” to blend elements of classical music with jazz. Read the full review here.
By Travis Rodgers Jr, The Jazz Owl Lauren Henderson continues to thrill, comfort, and amaze with every album she has released. Whether YouTube live performances, EPs, or full-length albums, Lauren never disappoints. Her 2020 CD The Songbook Session (Brontosaurus Records) is no different. Read the full review here.
By Phil Freeman, SteroGum It’s easy to get comfortable with your idea of what jazz is, when it’s happening right in front of you. But when there are no gigs, you’re left with the recordings. And when you spend too much time rooting around in your record collection, you start to notice that there’s a … Read More
