Reviews of Attainable Hi-Fi & Home-Theater Equipment
- Details
- Written by: Rad Bennett
- Category: Regular Reviews
Zoho Records ZM201101
Format: CD
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The O’Farrill Brothers are Adam, who plays trumpet and writes most of the music, and Zack, who plays drums. If their last name is familiar, it’s no doubt due to their father, Arturo, who’s well known as a jazz educator and performer. This is such a good debut disc, however, that the brothers will likely be known in their own right before long. The O’Farrill Brothers’ quintet is completed by Livio Almeida on saxophone, Zaccai Curtis on piano, and Michael Sacks on bass. Though the young men are all in their early 20s and have the energy and enthusiasm to prove it, the group collectively projects a singular maturity. The tight ensemble is a toe-tapping joy to hear, and each player distinguishes himself with virtuoso solo stretches that are most impressive. The O’Farrill group has no set formula for each chart, and that spontaneity makes for a refreshing playlist. A track might start with the whole group, or it may begin with a rhythmic bass ostinato that both anchors and drives the composition, as in Almeida’s “Face It!” The young players certainly show influences, such as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, and Freddie Hubbard, but the O’Farrill Brothers have established their own pulsing style. The sound is warm and clean, though it slights the bass.
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- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Regular Reviews
Gibex Recordings Gibex 006
Format: CD
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Electronica, ambient music, techno, or whatever name it chooses to go by is probably something of an acquired taste. For me, the best of it, such as the Bombay Dub Orchestra or Banco de Gaia, embraces music from other cultures and creates an enticing blend that draws you in. Michael William Gilbert’s I Can See From Here joins that company with an enjoyable disc that, despite its technical savvy, still has a big heart. Ambient music can be somnambulant, but Gilbert is a rocker at heart and the energy level on I Can See From Here remains high. “Amerikan Dream” is anthem enough for any Pink Floyd lover, and the shimmering guitars on “Over the Next Rise” will appeal to young rock fans. The keyboard washes and other electronic trills throughout the disc are typical of this genre, but Gilbert also likes rhythm, so the conga drums, shakers, and other percussion instruments ensure a human element. Peter Kaukonen is the guest guitarist on “Amerikan Dream,” but the rest is Gilbert, who also recorded and mixed the disc. A mastering engineer would have ensured more consistency in the sound, but Gilbert uses space well and most of the tracks will give your stereo a workout.
- Details
- Written by: Rad Bennett
- Category: Regular Reviews
MDG 910 1625-6
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD
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We all like what we like when we like it, but we should always be open to those off-the-beaten-track titles that, given a chance, can provide unexpected pleasure. It’s hard to imagine anything more unusual than a band comprising a dozen saxophone players (one sopranino, two soprano, three alto, three tenor, two baritone, and one bass), but it sounds a lot more familiar than you might think. The scores for three of Antonin Dvořák’s Slavic Dances have the ensemble sounding a bit like a huge, sonorous accordion. The “Lyric Waltz” from the jazzy Shostakovich Jazz Suite No.2 sounds like wistful film music to accompany a pair of lovers strolling by the Seine (or perhaps the Volga!). A suite of Gershwin songs played in a nostalgic “club” style finds the ensemble sounding totally idiomatic, and though “I Got Rhythm,” “The Man I Love,” “Liza,” and “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off” sound pert and frothy, the soulful arrangement of “Summertime” plumbs greater depths. If you’re an audio buff in the know, it’s enough to say that the sound is MDG at its best, with excellent stereo tracks and multichannel ones that impart a greater sense of three-dimensional realism.
- Details
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Regular Reviews
Black Warrior Records BW1005
Format: CD
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Andy Farber and His Orchestra open their new disc, This Could Be the Start of Something Big, with a lively, jumping piece of Ellington-inspired swing. “Bombers” features lock-step ensemble playing from the full band and great solos by Farber (on alto), Harvey Tibbs (trombone), and Kenny Rampton (trumpet). Pianist Kenny Ascher plays a smart, swinging solo on Farber’s “Space Suit,” which also features a warm clarinet outing by Dan Block. Farber has arranged the sections of the band precisely, and engineer Chris Allen at Sears Sound has placed them cleanly and well in the soundstage. Coleman Hawkins owns “Body and Soul,” but Farber’s own feature on his band’s version is a warm tribute and not a mere rehash. The title track was jazz lover Steve Allen’s gift to the music, and guest Jon Hendricks, with whom Farber has appeared, grabs hold of it to show us he still has his chops at age 89. Another Farber tune, “It Is What It Is,” is full-on Basie style, and Ascher has the earlier pianist’s easy touch down pat. Block, on tenor this time, plays a warm, melodic solo that leads to another impressive ensemble demonstration by the band. This Could Be the Start of Something Big is the work of a band that loves big-band jazz, doesn’t treat it like a museum artifact, and swings it hard.
- Details
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Featured Releases
Anzic Records ANZ-3002
Format: CD
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Eli Degibri is an Israeli jazz musician who started playing mandolin at age seven and picked up the saxophone three years later. When he was 16, he received a full scholarship to Berklee School of Music’s Summer Performance Program, and the school granted him another summer of study the following year. After further training at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, Degibri toured with Herbie Hancock’s sextet for two and a half years beginning in 1999, when he was just 20. Since 2002 he’s fronted his own quartet, and he’s also a member of the band led by drummer Al Foster.
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- Written by: Shannon Holliday
- Category: Shannon's Select Sounds
Six years ago, a friend of mine was working as the advertising director at Jazz Times magazine. He put me in contact with the editorial staff at the SoundStage! Network and encouraged me to consider writing music reviews for them. His prompting led me to where I am now, writing about music I love and finding endless satisfaction in exploring. We’ve stayed in touch over the years, and although he’s no longer working for a solely jazz-centric publication, he’s still an excellent musician and a die-hard music aficionado, so I turned to him this month for his thoughts on the best work to be released in the past year in the jazz genre. Ever knowledgeable and convivial, he easily plied me with a stack of recordings from composers that met my requirements and exceeded my expectations. Consider this my short list, if you will, of highlights of the year’s best jazz recordings.
Seventy-two-year-old legendary saxophonist Charles Lloyd returned this year with the soulful, heady Mirror (CD, EMC 2176), his second release with his current quartet, consisting of Jason Moran (piano), Reuben Rogers (double bass), and Eric Harland (drums). This album floats along like a lucid dream, with Lloyd’s plaintive horn crying out with love, sorrow, faith, and finesse. Lloyd has been around long enough to experience much of the lifespan of jazz first-hand, having been an integral part of the early scene for decades, playing with the likes of Cannonball Adderley and leading his own star-studded groups of stellar acclaim and then quietly shifting gears in the ’60s to record with pop phenomenons like the Doors and the Beach Boys. He regrouped in the ’90s for a few short-lived sessions before taking another respite, and he’s now reclaimed his role as an innovator and messenger for the next era. Mirror is a confident recording that speaks of experience and contentment, but also a driving desire to continue exploring the boundaries of this uniquely American art form, as though Lloyd is rediscovering a long-lost first love. Comprising new takes on old gospel favorites, love songs, fresh originals, and covers of Thelonious Monk ("Monk’s Mood," "Ruby My Dear") and the Beach Boys ("Caroline, No"), Mirror makes for quite the reflective retrospective.
- Details
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Featured Releases
Alma Records ACD11912
Format: CD
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It’s hard to think of another jazz organist right now who dominates the instrument the way Joey DeFrancesco does. Larry Goldings is widely respected, but he’s just as well known for being a pianist and arranger as he is for being an organist. I’ve reviewed Pete Levin favorably, but he’s not a household name. But DeFrancesco is as synonymous with jazz organ as Jimmy Smith was, and his discography -- 25 titles as a leader since 1989, as well as countless guest shots -- is a testament to his versatility and his popularity among other musicians.
Read more: Joey DeFrancesco, Robi Botos, Vito Rezza, and Phil Dwyer: "One Take, Volume Four"
- Details
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Regular Reviews
Self released
Format: CD
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Canadian soul and blues singer Treasa Levasseur sure knows how to write a hook. Her second self-released disc, Low Fidelity, contains eight prime examples of her song craft, which she and producer David Gavin Baxter (he also plays guitar on the disc) set to smart, witty arrangements. She also covers two tunes by other writers, "Help Me Over" by Corin Raymond and Sean Cotton and "Talk to Me, Babe" by Bob Snider. All ten tracks show a keen ear for how to arrange and present a song. Levasseur plays to her greatest strength: her strong, slightly raspy voice, which can belt out one moment and caress the next. When she growls out a line, it doesn’t sound forced, and she can let her voice rise to a shout without losing track of the melody. Baxter and Sean Cotton both have a good grasp of Southern soul guitar, and Paul Reddick’s funky harmonica spices things up on "Good Ones Never Share" and the title track. "Rest of the Ride" even shows a sure touch with country music. You’ll be humming almost every tune in the car after just one play, but Low Fidelity holds up to repeated listens, in part because the recording reveals subtle details over time.
- Details
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Regular Reviews
HowsaboutNOW? Records
Format: CD
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Spin is a Philadelphia-based band that bills itself as "rock / power pop / alternative." Believe is the band’s first full-length disc, and it’s a very commercial bid for attention. The guitars are loud, the synths sound vintage, and the songs follow heavily trod paths. But that doesn’t mean Believe doesn’t occasionally click. The loopy synth lines on "Hurt by You" and the title track are charming and fun, and the songs often hit their marks. "Over and Over" is an effective anthem-like rocker with good, chunky guitar lines; "Wake Up Girl" takes you back to the MTV '80s; and "After All" and "Ava" hint at the unique songwriters the band could be if they really tried. The harmony vocals, buried in the mix, are a strong point, but the overdriven guitars too often overpower them. The band’s loud/soft dynamic is reminiscent of another Pennsylvania band, Live, but Spin shows the potential to be a group of better songwriters with more staying power. The band members handled all the recording chores, and next time they might clean things up a bit by hiring an outside engineer and putting more space around the backup vocals. Spin has been getting some good press on the East Coast, and another couple of discs may justify that buzz.
- Details
- Written by: Rad Bennett
- Category: Regular Reviews
Eagle Rock EVBRD33369
Format: Blu-ray
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This concert was part of the Sound Stage series, and it makes for a diverse and different holiday release. The playlist might fool you into thinking that a good portion of the event is given over to traditional holiday songs, but that’s not so. The songs might be traditional as far as titles go, but the music has been energetically reinvented. Not too surprisingly, considering McDonald’s presence, the selection of holiday songs is bookended by sets of tracks made popular by the Doobie Brothers. The concert gets rolling with "It Keeps You Runnin’," followed by "I Keep Forgettin’," and "Sweet Freedom." After these R&B/rock chestnuts, the holiday portion begins with "Every Time Christmas Comes Around." Along the way we’re given an R&B version of "Come, O Come Emanuel," a spirited Dixieland version of "I’ll Be Home for Christmas," and a foot-tapping "Cajun Christmas." After a medley of "White Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland," the concert closes with resounding versions of more Doobie Brothers anthems -- "Minute by Minute," "What a Fool Believes," and "Takin’ It to the Streets."
Throughout the concert, McDonald exhibits exceptional energy and expertise that strikes fire in the other musicians. The event was expertly filmed, and the transfer to Blu-ray is just short of exemplary. The disc offers three choices for sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM 2.0. But forget the last two -- it’s the DTS tracks that have the most presence.
- Berlin Voices: "About Christmas"
- Mike Mainieri / Marnix Busstra Quartet: "Trinary Motion / Live in Europe"
- Latin Flavor
- Marcos Amorim Trio: "Portraits"
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: “Classic Albums: Damn the Torpedoes”
- David Bixler & Arturo O’Farrill: “The Auction Project”
- Miles Davis: “Someday My Prince Will Come”
- Frank Sinatra: “Sinatra at the Sands”
- John Mellencamp: "No Better Than This"
- Sons and Brothers
- Otis Taylor: "Clovis People, Vol 3"
- Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere: "Midnight Flyer"
- New Latin Quarter Presents: "The Jazz and Blues Collection, Volume 1"
- The Grip Weeds: "Strange Change Machine"
- Lawrence Lebo: "Don’t Call Her Larry, Volume 3: American Roots"
- The Rolling Stones: "Exile on Main Street: Deluxe Edition"
- The Nomad's Song
- Ray Charles: "Genius + Soul = Jazz (Expanded Edition)"
- Sebastian Sternal Trio: "Paris"
- Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim: "Sinatra/Jobim: The Complete Reprise Recordings"
- William Orbit: "My Oracle Lives Uptown"
- Catherine Russell: "Inside This Heart of Mine"
- Dusty Springfield, Small Faces, Herman’s Hermits, Gerry and the Pacemakers: "British Invasion"
- Freedy Johnston: "Rain on the City"
- "The Hot Spot" (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- David Olney: "Dutchman’s Curve"
- Jason and the Scorchers: "Halcyon Times"
- The Music Will Find You
- Lin McPhillips: "My Shining Hour"
