A lesser talent than Israeli guitarist-composer Yotam might have gotten lost in this project. You May Also Like: Victor Assis Brasil – Toca Antonio Carlos Jobim (1970, 2017 reissue) Claudio Roditi’s Gorgeous ‘Brazilliance x4’ Deftly Balanced His Many Influences

Pretty much for the last twenty years, there have been two types of Monty Alexander records: one that features exuberant, evocative mainstream New York jazz and one that showcases Alexander’s unique Jamaican-styled jazz. Earlier this year, the Kingston piano great released the straight-up jazz trio live chronicles Uplift, a tremendousRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Kingston, Jamaica’s own Monty Alexander looms as large a figure in Jamaica’s jazz world as Bob Marley does for its homegrown reggae. A virtuosic pianist in the Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson tradition, Alexander often melds Tatum and Peterson with the dancehall, calypso and reggae idiomsRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Piano records are tough to pick, because there’s always the temptation to include records by Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea and Bill Evans: 1) The Michael Wolff Trio; Jumpstart (1995)Before this guy was twenty, he was already good enough to be playing in Julian “Cannonball” Adderley’s band.Read More