Nasty Habit “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures” Self-released Nastyhabitkills.com Nasty Habit surprises with “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures,” the band’s second release. Its five fantastic songs of classic hard-rock/metal positively rocks, soars, and boogies. The band’s earlier breakneck abandon was cool to hear — and watch — but if it escalated any further, chances are there was […]
CD Review
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CD Review: “How to Train Your Dragon 2” Soundtrack
Composer John Powell’s score to “How to Train Your Dragon 2” musically achieves what we hope from all sequels: incorporating established themes while expanding them with new elements that are just as strong. It’s a delicate line to tread, but it’s one that Powell faces with aplomb. The now-familiar melodies from his Academy Award-nominated score […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Warning In The Sky”
Sabattis “Warning In The Sky” Jargon Records The music industry is a fickle bitch; a rocky road littered with the broken hearts, souls, and limbs of those trying to get to the Promised Land. Once upon a time — 1968 to be precise — in Rochester, a hard-rockin’ psychedelic outfit called Sabattis came to be. […]
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CD Review: Pharez Whitted “For The People”
Jazz albums can sometimes be so cerebral and avant-garde that you find yourself searching the tracks for any semblance of a melody. But the latest project by the excellent Chicago trumpeter Pharez Whitted is just the opposite. The tunes are so wonderfully melodic – downright catchy even – that it might make you wonder if jazz could regain some of its long-lost popularity. The title has it just right; this album is clearly for the people.
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CD Review: Randy Klein’s Two Duos “What’s Next”
Normally, if I were to write that the songs on a particular album have a repetitive quality to them, that would not be a compliment. But repetition is a central positive ingredient in the compositional style of Randy Klein, and his new album, “What’s Next,” is engaging from start to finish. From Bach-like variations, repeated phrases you might hear in serial music, all the way to pop hooks, Klein’s tunes grab you and won’t let go.
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CD REVIEW:Grant Geissman “Bop! Bang! Boom!”
Grant Geissman is having a great time making music and one listen to his new album, “Bop! Bang! Boom!,” is enough to prove that the fun is infectious. Actually, it starts even before you listen. All of the album’s artwork is by the great illustrator Miles Thompson who has perfected (or maybe invented) the “cool, […]
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CD REVIEW: Charles Mingus “The Complete Columbia & RCA Albums Collection”
Charles Mingus occupies a special place in the pantheon of true jazz visionaries. A brilliant composer capable of orchestral majesty, he never strayed far from the vernacular musical vocabulary at the root of jazz. No matter how tight the horns are, the rawness of the African American experience always comes through. The full spectrum of […]
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CD REVIEW: The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band: Between the Ditches
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is nothing short of an enigma. The three piece combines Reverend Peyton himself on finger style slide guitar, his wife Breezy on washboard, and Aaron Persinger on drums, creating a unique blend of fast and furious stomp-blues that is phenomenal live, still standing as one of, if not the […]
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CD REVIEW: Brooklyn Jazz Underground “A Portrait of Brooklyn”
It’s no secret that some of the most vital artists in the contemporary jazz world can be found residing in Brooklyn. That’s why “A Portrait of Brooklyn” is an appropriate title for an excellent new album from Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records. The CD is full of great tracks showcasing the diverse writing and playing styles […]
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CD REVIEW: Manuel Valera “New Cuban Express”
There is a particularly transcendent moment at the beginning of “Upward,” the third track on Manuel Valera’s excellent new album. An urgent Latin beat is established when suddenly a swirl of notes come spiraling up out of nowhere with a wondrous sound, as if to say: Fasten your seat belts, this album is now taking […]
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CD Review: Ryan Truesdell “Centennial: Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans”
When the work of a great artist is released posthumously, there is reason to be wary: Sometimes that incomplete Hemingway novel was tucked away in a drawer for a reason. But when the emerging conductor/arranger Ryan Truesdell discovered a treasure trove of previously unheard arrangements by Gil Evans, there is reason to celebrate. Turns out […]
