Cool Jazz - CD Reviews (125)
The Bad Plus and the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, a few years ago, blew the walls down when it came to how modern musical elements could be fused into jazz and still be true to the history and culture of America’s classical music. Traveling down that same road comes E.S.P. The…
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The west coast is still somewhat of an afterthought in the jazz world. Even though the contributions made by west coast based artists have been formidable, the yardstick…
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Before Wynton, Branford and Jason Marsalis, there was their father pianist Ellis Marsalis who in 1985 recorded a cool jazz album with tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris name…
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Mellow, swinging, and thoroughly in the pocket, the Barron/Prouty duo makes some relaxed listening. I’m on the stool at the bar with the red velvet curtains, sipping a n…
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Sought out for his skill for more than 20 years on the New York scene, bassist Bill Moring has definitely paid his dues. Playing with the Hank Roberts group during universi…
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Philadelphia born Marc Copland returns with his twenty-third album, Another Place, when upon repeated listenings, you will be in another place.Using the …
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Live, by the Mike Frost Project, has that early bootleg sound and feel. The disc is a replica of a vinyl record. It comes in a digi-pak case. The presentation i…
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The more I listen to music, the more I realize how much personal taste depends on conditioning and receptiveness. Most conditioning happens before the age of 20, and so,…
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Jazz pianist Lisa Hilton again holds firmly the direction of her legacy; with her new diabolically-seductive 2008 spin, Sunny Day Theory. Sunny Day Theo…
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Swedish born and New York based artist/music producer Anders Holst has self-released his debut album, Romantika. Here he exudes brightness, while deploying intens…
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Yes, she is young. Yes, she has great chops, but when you hear Grace Kelly's tone, you will agree that a fine innovator is poised on the horizon of jazz today.Her…
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Norwegian/American guitarist Jacob Young extends his artistic palate with his second solo venture for ECM Records. Featuring heralded drummer Jon Christensen, the quinte…
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If openness, with lots of room for light filaments and brushes of sound, is the definition of Norwegian jazz, then guitarist Jacob Young’s new CD Sideways is the …
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Los Angeles, California native, vocalist, pianist, and guitarist Raya Yarbrough makes her debut with an eponymously titled disc on Telarc. The reviews of her West Coast …
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For all Jazz lovers out there, here is a guy to pay attention too. His name is Ron Davis.I just went to see his CD release a couple weeks ago live and it was phenomenal. I …
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One of the most delightful advancements in jazz during the 1980s and 90s was the advent of non-thrashing guitar oriented groups. Perhaps the best known within this genre…
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Listening to the title tune on saxophonist Jeff Alkire’s latest release, One Summer in Winters, it’s easy to imagine Jeff sitting on a hillside playing to a her…
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Two pianos - one vision. Tony Pancella and Larry Willis have released a duo album titled Alter Ego and with their flow and beautiful lines, it is hard sometimes t…
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Inspired by an affection for the mid-sized bands led by the likes of Shorty Rogers, Marty Paich, Dave Pell, and the piano-less group led by Gerry Mulligan, Geoff Roach e…
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This is not my usual cup of tea. I try to stay away from anything that skirts with the definitions of smooth jazz or new age. I think of both genres as music for people …
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