A straight-ahead jazz quartet with instrumentation as atypical as their sensibilities, the Reese Project’s Evening in Vermont is perhaps best summed up in the track “All Wood,” a nifty combination of Miles Davis’ “All Blues” and the Beatles “Norwegian Wood.” That it’s performed on flute (Tom Reese), cello (Laurie HainesRead More

Last year we investigated a strong post-bop excursion by the potent, up-and-coming partnership of tenor saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Behn Gillece. Little Echo (2010) swung like mad and put into sharp focus the tight rapport of Fowser and Gillece You May Also Like: Ken Fowser – ‘Right On Time’Read More

by Mark Saleski Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Sam Cooke, Sarah Vaughan, Bobby Darin, Nancy Wilson, Ray Charles. That’s the short list of artists that Gerald Wilson has been involved with You May Also Like: Cassandra Wilson’s slow-starting Loverly didn’t take her usual risks MattRead More

Trombone Shorty once again incorporates all of the fun but none of the fussy formalism of the New Orleans tradition on ‘For True.’

Saxophonist and composer Jeff Coffin, a three-time Grammy winner, traverses a fine line on Live!, a record that feels both timeless and fresh. The beauty is that he and his Mu’Tet don’t stumble into the pitfalls of either concept. You May Also Like: Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp + Jeff CosgroveRead More

Claudio Roditi is on a roll coming off the critical triumph of Grammy nominated Brazilliance X 4 (2009), and the master trumpet player continues “trumpeting” his Brazilian roots with Bons Amigos. You May Also Like: Claudio Roditi’s Gorgeous ‘Brazilliance x4’ Deftly Balanced His Many Influences Claudio Scolari Project – ‘Cosmology’Read More

by S. Victor Aaron In the wake of 9/11, LA producer Carlos Nino initially put together a collective of about 20 area musicians he named Build An Ark with the intent of spreading a message of peace, love and harmony through music. You May Also Like: Mats Gustafsson – MGRead More

Juanita Fleming uses her stirring life experiences to inform a new gospel-jazz project, I Come To You. Before turning her gift toward God, Fleming’s was a life spent around jazz giants, big-budget soundtracks and the stage. Each of those influences finds a place here, propelling the album into a seriesRead More

Bassist Matt Geraghty found the perfect name for his new contemporary jazz release, since Departure moves so very far outside of the expectations for labels like “contemporary jazz.” You May Also Like: Pre-Fame Bob Dylan Struck a Rebel’s Pose, But Not Woody Guthrie’s Avishai Cohen’s Melodic, Masterful Gently Disturbed WasRead More

Find out how a late-night movie in an Oslo hotel room sparked one of Bill Frisell’s more interesting cover tunes.