Joe Magnarelli – Three On Two (2015)
The way trumpet ace Joe Magnarelli’s band members interact each other so well makes ‘Three On Two’ a gratifying way to experience mainstream jazz.
Other News
Paul McCartney’s overly mechanized Press to Play had one saving grace
Paul McCartney has been on a creative tear of late. But first he had to dispense with the overproduced dud ‘Press to Play,’ released on Aug. 25, 1986.
Armored Saint – Win Hands Down (2015)
If there’s one word to ‘Win Hands Down,’ and Armored Saint in general, it’s consistency. You know what you’re going to get, and you get it every time.
Everything came together for JJ Grey and Mofro on the swampy, soulful Georgia Warhorse
JJ Grey and Mofro started out as a very good band. ‘Georgia Warhorse,’ released on August 24, 2010, catapulted them to greatness.
The Apples in Stereo – The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (2000): Forgotten Series
Sweet and sparkly vocals, supported by swarms of sunny harmonies, make Apples in Stereo songs easy to love.
Chad Bradford, “Friday Morning Rain” (2015): One Track Mind
Chad Bradford’s “Friday Morning Rain” resides in the same rootsy pop orbit of Joe South and B.J. Thomas, striking the heart hard and fast.
Herbcraft – Wot Oz (2015)
Herbcraft’s ‘Wot Oz’ is a saturated-sounding mono four-track recording and, with that self-imposed limitation, it’s pretty intense stuff.
Lizz Wright – Freedom and Surrender (2015)
Lizz Wright’s ‘Freedom and Surrender’ is a stirring and eclectic mix of adult contemporary and jazz stylings which is not to be missed.
Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis shared an uncanny chemistry on Two Men With the Blues
I’m not one to snap up everything Willie Nelson or Wynton Marsalis puts out. But ‘Two Men With the Blues,’ released in the summer of 2008, was special.
McFadden’s Parachute – Sugar 3 (2015)
McFadden’s Parachute uses a lo-fi approach similar to Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices – only with a terrific 1960s garage-rock feel.
