by John Chacona, Let’s Call This In his latest ‘Roll Call,’ John Chacona reviews new records from LLP clients Oscar Hernández, Mathis Picard, Deanna Witkowski and Bill O’Connell. Read the reviews here.
By John Chacona, Let’s Call this Conguero and trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez was so upset at the depiction of his home borough in the 1981 film “Fort Apache, The Bronx” that he named his influential and volcanic Latin jazz ensemble the Fort Apache Band. Bassist Carlos Henriquez doesn’t share Gonzalez’s taste for provocation, but he’s just … Read More
By John Chacona, Let’s Call This Quarantine inspired wanderlust might be fine for some, but not for Allan Harris whose Kate’s Soulfood (Love Productions Records) is a valentine to his beloved Harlem. It’s also a love letter to an era when crack New York studio bands lent a smooth professionalism to sessions for singers of … Read More
By John Chacona, Let’s Call This With its resonant acoustic, elegantly spare arrangements and ballad-heavy programming, Kristiana Roemer‘s “House of Mirrors” has all the earmarks of a ECM release. Read more here.
By John Chacona, Let’s Call This On “Urban(e),” an impressive new Greenleaf Music release, trombonist Mike Fahie steers a middle course. He’s not trolling the longhairs, but neither is he prostrating to them. Read this review here.
By John Chacona, Let’s Call This I get a lot of music for my consideration, more than 325 new releases so far this year. Almost all of them are notable for something, and I’d like to give them their due. So every week, I’ll do quick hits on the releases of the preceding seven days. … Read More
By John Chacona, Let’s Call This I get a lot of music for my consideration, more than 300 new releases so far this year. Almost all of them are notable for something, and I’d like to give them their due. So every week, I’ll do quick hits on the releases of the preceding seven days. … Read More
By John Chacona, Let’s Call This I’ve missed some exceptional releases, and will hopefully loop back to give them the consideration they deserve, maybe in feature reviews that will post midweek, but at the moment, the best way to jump back in is to resume this Friday roundup of the week’s releases. Read this reviews … Read More
By John Chacona, Lets Call This You have to give vocalist Lauren Henderson a lot of credit for generosity. For large portions of her short, nine-song, 43-minute CD “The Songbook Sessions,” she’s veritably upstaged by her band. On the other hand, you don’t hire drummer Allan Mednard, bassist Eric Wheeler and pianist Sullivan Fortner if … Read More
