Hiro Honshuku’s Racha Fora “Happy Fire — New Kind of Jazz” JazzTokyo rachafora.com The jazz world is rich in albums filled with standards. There are literally thousands of interpretations of tunes like Jerome Kern’s “All The Things You Are” and George Gershwin’s “Summertime.” But it’s a safe bet you’ve never heard them played the way […]
Ron Netsky
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JAZZ | Jane Monheit
When Jane Monheit joins The Penfield District Jazz choir to sing “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” at one of the 48th Annual Penfield Jazz Fund Raiser Concerts, she’ll be in familiar territory. Her latest album, “The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald,” explores the work of the singer known for that song. Since taking second place in the prestigious Thelonious […]
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Album review: ‘In Paris: The Definitive ORTF Recording’
Wes Montgomery “In Paris: The Definitive ORTF Recording” Resonance Records resonancerecords.org Pat Metheny has called him the greatest jazz guitarist ever, and listening to this new (old) Wes Montgomery album, it’s hard to argue. There has long been a recording available of Montgomery’s 1965 gig at the Théâtre des Champs-lysées in Paris, but it was […]
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Album review: ‘Reverso — Suite Ravel’
Ryan Keberle and Frank Woeste “Reverso — Suite Ravel” Phonoart ryankeberle.bandcamp.com “Reverso — Suite Ravel,” the new album by New York City trombonist Ryan Keberle and French pianist Frank Woeste, is a decidedly contemporary take on Maurice Ravel’s musical ideas. The notion of top jazz players drawing inspiration from the music of Ravel is payback […]
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JAZZ | TMT Trio
Pianist Cat Toren won the 2013 JUNO Award for Best Instrumental Album of the Year. Saxophonist Angela Morris leads everything from a pop group to a 17-piece big band. When the two musicians came together in the Brooklyn apartment of versatile drummer Anthony Taddeo, they found the musical chemistry to form the avant-garde TMT Trio. […]
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JAZZ | Nu Band
After decades of presenting some of the most quirky and wonderful concerts in Rochester, there are several CD’s titled “Live at the Bop Shop.” The first album to bear that name was released by Nu Band, an avant-garde group about to make its fourth appearance at the record store. If you are a fan of […]
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JAZZ | Luke Norris Quartet
While a student at the Eastman School of Music, saxophonist Luke Norris was already turning heads. He won second place in Keilwerth’s Saxophone Idol Competition and third prize in the North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Saxophone Competition. In the jazz world, he’s worked with Dave Liebman, Charles Pillow, and Tim Hagans, but he’s also lent […]
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JAZZ | Victor Wooten Trio
His electric bass only has four strings, but Victor Wooten squeezes more out of those strings than any other bassist I’ve ever seen. As he picks, pops, strums, and slaps, the bass seems to become an extension of his body. Wooten may be best known for his long history with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, […]
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Album review: ‘Bluer Than You Think’
Cowboys and Frenchmen “Bluer Than You Think” Outside In Music cowboysandfrenchmen.com After reviewing hundreds of jazz albums, I’m always looking for something refreshing and new. An album by a band incongruously named Cowboys and Frenchmen seemed promising, and “Bluer Than You Think” did not disappoint. The group’s name was inspired by a short film by […]
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Album review: ‘Experiments With Truth’
Richard X Bennett “Experiments With Truth” Ropeadope richardxbennett.com If you recognize the title of Richard X Bennett’s CD, “Experiments With Truth,” as part of the title of Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, you’re on your way to understanding the record’s unusual propulsive music. Bennett is a jazz pianist who spent many years in Mumbai, immersed in Indian […]
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JAZZ | Larry Carlton
There’s smooth jazz and then there’s the music of Larry Carlton, who is just too good to be pigeonholed under that label. That’s Carlton you hear on Joni Mitchell’s “Court And Spark” album. And that’s him playing the great guitar solo on Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne.” And then there are his four Grammy Awards, including […]
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JAZZ | Joe Policastro Trio
The Joe Policastro Trio has all of the ingredients of a typical jazz trio, with Policastro on bass, Dave Miller on guitar, and Mikel Patrick Avery, drums. But this Chicago-based outfit has a sound all its own. Each musician is a phenomenal player capable of reinventing his instrument and expanding its horizons. Even the repertoire is nicely […]
