By Thomas Cunniffe, Jazz History Online If the name Aubrey Johnson is familiar at all, it is probably because of her many appearances as a backup vocalist. “Unraveled” marks her debut as a leader and it displays her special gifts for transforming material into jazz vehicles and for creating her own original music. Read the … Read More
By: Thomas Cunniffe, Jazzhistoryonline.com SKIP WILKINS QUARTET FEATURING DANIEL WILKINS: “CZECH WISHES” (Newport Line 18-20) Pianist Skip Wilkins splits his time between Pennsylvania and Prague, performing and teaching jazz in both locations. His new album, “Czech Wishes” features a quintet drawn of players from the US and the Czech Republic. Wilkins’ son Daniel plays tenor sax on the … Read More
Thomas Cunniffe, Jazz History Online With a highly acclaimed documentary now playing in theaters, and several noteworthy television retrospectives in broadcast rotation, the world is re-discovering the work of Mister (Fred) Rogers. Since the gentle friend of children passed away in 2003, several recordings have attempted to place Rogers’ original songs into an adult context. I can’t say … Read More
by Thomas Cunniffe, Jazz History Online It’s been a few years since Canadian bassist Brandi Disterheft released an album under her own name, and while she has remained busy with performances and recordings for others, listeners might have forgotten her astounding talent. Her new trio album “Blue Canvas” should restore those lost memories. The disc … Read More
