We begin this series by covering the kind of music most music critics cover when making lists: the Great Mainstream.

by S. Victor Aaron After all the whack jazz winners I’ve heard from Engine Studios, I’ve come to expect nothing but excellence whenever I pop in a CD from that label for the first time, and I’ve yet to be disappointed. Label head and producer Steven Walcott signs up creative,Read More

by S. Victor Aaron “Catalyst” is not just the name of the album, it’s also the name of the band sax/flute player King leads, and this is their debut album. This band which features King, Luis Deniz (saxes), David Braid (piano and keyboards), Rich Brown (bass), Joel Haynes (drums), haveRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Even on an ode to a fallen friend (“Portrait Of Leroy Jenkins”) and the chromatic ballad (“My Wish”) they pour on the intensity, but get downright giddy on harder tunes like “Hot Crab Pot,” a song that boils over with as much intensity as the titleRead More

by S. Victor Aaron So often in recent years we’ve heard jazz played in a traditional Jewish style, aka “Klezmer” jazz. Arranger/composer and keyboardist Eugene Marlow puts this idea in reverse: taking traditional Jewish songs and playing them in mainstream, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and even contemporary jazz styles. The second HeritageRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Like Jason Stein, Gutbucket co-founder Ken Thomson is a bass clarinetist — he’s an alto saxophonist, too — and both like to play along the margins of jazz, but Thomson’s conception of music freely spills over into other styles as well. His latest project, Ken ThomsonRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Although she’s made bop-oriented records for over twenty years, Holly Hoffmann is not as well known as she probably should be. A flautist of the first order, she’s the logical heir to Frank Wess’ legacy. Bill Cunliffe is accomplished in the jazz world himself, having wonRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Here’s the setup: a successful real estate tycoon suddenly decides to revisit his original passion, music, and pulls in three of Canada’s most prestigious jazz musicians and a top-notch producer to make his first record, one full of done-to-death standards. And you’re thinking, this is probablyRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Bands led by horn players tend to work well if there’s a lot of rapport between the horn players. That’s not an issue for The Britton Brothers Band, whose trumpet player (John) and saxophonist (Ben) have the same parents. For this debut, these young cats builtRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Fred Fried comes from the George Van Eps school of guitarists, having been taught by the late guitar great himself. That’s readily apparent from his harmonically intricate style that leads with full chordal lines while simultaneously playing the enhancing bass lines. In other words, Fred FriedRead More