Pianist Lucian Ban is from the Transylvania region of Romania; baritone saxophonist Alex Harding grew up in Detroit. Their diverse influences converge beautifully on their new album, “Dark Blue,” and they’ll be bringing some of that music and more to Bop Shop Records on October 8.
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Album review: ‘The Cool Club and The Lipker Sisters’
The Cool Club & The Lipker Sisters ‘The Cool Club & The Lipker Sisters’ Self-released coolclubandlipkersisters.com Deep into the new, self-titled album by The Cool Club & The Lipker Sisters, listeners may feel like they’ve time-traveled to the 1940’s. While the three sisters, Marilla, Grace, and Elizabeth, are wailing away on “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” […]
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Album review: ‘Triple Helix’
Anat Cohen Tentet ‘Triple Helix’ Anzic Records anatcohen.com Over the last two decades Israel has been such a strong breeding ground for jazz musicians, it’s become the new New Orleans, the Big Uneasy. Among Israel’s top musical exports is perpetually poll-topping clarinetist Anat Cohen. “Triple Helix,” her new album with her wonderful Tentet, finds her […]
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Album review: ‘Sphereology Volume One’
Andrés Vial ‘Sphereology Volume One’ Chromatic-Audio andresvialmusic.com The opening track of Montreal-based pianist Andrés Vial’s “Sphereology Volume One” may cause jazz listeners to do an aural double take. “Bluehawk” strongly recalls pianist Ahmad Jamal’s recordings of the late-1960’s, but in this case Vial’s piano is matched by Peter Bernstein’s guitar. Like Jamal, Vial and Bernstein […]
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Album review: ‘Behind Closed Doors’
Lauren and the Good Souls ‘Behind Closed Doors’ Self-released reverbnation.con/laurenandthegoodsouls Wow, that Lauren Faggiano can siii-ing. She doesn’t lock herself in a particular register, and wails salty to the cheap seats. And whether she’s singing piano or forte, the lady manages both intensities on Lauren and the Good Souls’ new album “Behind Closed Doors.” The […]
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Album review: ‘Keep talkin’ ‘
Yoko Miwa Trio ‘Keep Talkin’ ‘ Ocean Blue Tear Music yokomiwa.com Over the past two decades, pianist Yoko Miwa has established herself as a top side-musician with Esperanza Spalding, Kevin Mahogany, Arturo Sandoval, and others. Miwa is also the leader with her own trio. The group’s latest album, “Keep Talkin’,” reinforces Miwa’s prowess as a […]
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Album review: ‘Samba Jazz Alley’
Antonio Adolfo ‘Samba Jazz Alley’ AAM Music antonioadolfomusic.com In the liner notes of his new album, pianist-composer Antonio Adolfo introduces us to an alley in Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana district that enchanted him in his teenage years. This “cauldron of jazz” led him to his life’s work — playing with singers like Flora Purim and […]
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Album review: ‘Fat Ol’ Rat’
Folkfaces ‘Fat Ol’ Rat’ Self-released folkfacesmusic.com Somewhere along the Erie Canal, a bit west of here, there lives a quartet of musical ruffians who call themselves Folkfaces. Comprised of guitar, saxophone, washboard, upright bass, and other stringed things, this Buffalo band of eight years has mastered old-time jazz with a progressive twist, and has a […]
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Album review: ‘This Land Abounds with Life’
Fabian Almazan Trio ‘This Land Abounds with Life’ Biophilia Records fabianalmazan.com Cuban native Fabian Almazan crossed the Mexican border with his family at the age of nine in 1993. Over the past two decades, he has become one of the top pianists in jazz. His new two-CD set, “This Land Abounds with Life,” is a […]
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Album review: ‘Ámbar’
Camila Meza & The Nectar Orchestra ‘Ámbar’ Sony Masterworks camilameza.com When Camila Meza moved from her native Chile to New York City a decade ago, she brought with her a wealth of folk tradition and a gorgeous voice. Since then, she has absorbed the best of New York’s musical culture and steadily risen in the […]
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The Cool Club & the Lipker Sisters: reviving old music for new generations
Like the dynamic age range of its players, The Cool Club & the Lipker Sisters are a swing-jazz collective that blend familiar and new into one cohesive sound. The group will play at Three Heads Brewing on Saturday, July 6.
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Album review: ‘Road to the Sun’
Amina Figarova ‘Road to the Sun’ AmFi Records taminafigarova.com On “Road to the Sun,” pianist Amina Figarova explores the possibilities of a little big band, at times combined with a string trio. Born in Azerbaijan, Figarova began as a classical pianist. After studying jazz in Holland, she moved to the United States and studied at […]
