Before emerging as a bandleader in his own right in recent years, exploring traditional compositional forms as well as free improvisations, veteran drummer Jack Mouse established himself as a sideman with literally hundreds of jazz greats. Along the way, he discovered a quote from Spanish cellist Palo Cassals that perfectly captured the complex relationship a musician has to his or her instrument: Intimate Adversary. An expansive, avant-garde tinged soulful jazz ballad of tha

Generally when we think of the music of Chicago, we think jazz, soul and blues – but flutist Carla Campopiano and her densely rhythm driven trio of Angel Colacilli (guitar) and Gustavo Cortinas Fouilloux (drums, percussion) remind us on their sizzling Chicago/Buenos Aires Connections that the city has quite the vibrant tango scene as well. In 17 of the most thrilling minutes of exotic grooves, melodies and improvisations you may ever hear, Campopiano – who moved to The Windy

On his wondrously adventurous new album Brindica (a clever portmanteau of “Brazil, India, Africa”), jazz trumpeter turned world class vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker spearheads a global mission to share the planet’s joyous diversity - and refresh our perspective on our brief time here -through a multitude of jazz and global fusion styles. Joining forces with drummer/co-producer Fernando Martinez, pianist Miguel Marengo, bassist Mauricio Dawid and altoist Carlos Michelini – and in

Maybe The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be, but thanks to the feisty, fiery, quirky and lyrical 14 Jazz Orchestra, tomorrow and the day after look pretty darn bright, funky and madly swinging. Led by producer/arranger Dan Bonsanti, the Miami based contemporary big band powers its way through a hip and happening collection whose overriding theme seems to be wildly varying tempos and jazz standards and obscurities that lend themselves to richly textured, sizzling ensemble actio

Creating one of the most fascinating jazz tribute albums in ages, veteran tenor saxman Jorge Nila – whose expansive resume includes Eddie Palmieri, Jack McDuff, Paul Simon and The B-52’s – pays loving homage, on Tenor Time: Tribute to the Tenor Masters, to nine legends of his instrument whose brilliance inspired his own. Delving into a variety of moods and tempos, the versatile horn man and his swinging, simmering quartet of Dave Stryker (guitar), Mitch Towne (organ) and Dana

It’s wonderfully curious why an artist like Simone Kopmajer, whose discography as a world renowned jazz interpreter, songwriter and purveyor of spirited, swinging originals goes back to 2003, would call her latest album Spotlight on Jazz. As you listen, it hits you – she’s taking us on a multi-faceted, impeccably arranged journey through multiple moods and sub-styles of the art form (from big band to New Orleans, subtle Latin and hipster contemporary), all artfully immersed i

You don’t have to be familiar with bassist, composer, bandleader and top flight educator Gabriel Espinosa’s five decade decade musical journey to get drawn into and fully embrace his high spirited, rhythmically eclectic reflections via Nostalgias De Mi Vida. Dynamically and soulfully blending the vibes of his homeland of Mexico with NYC-flavored trad jazz and samba flavored excursions, Espinosa turns sentiment into enthusiastic, life affirming optimism as he pays homage to hi

Multi-talented trombonist, composer and arranger Mariel Austin is a fresh and fascinating emerging presence whose array of accolades includes receiving the ASCAP Foundation Phoebe Jacobs Prize (part of the 2018 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Awards) and being selected by the New York Youth Symphony to compose a First Music Commission piece for the 2015-16 jazz band. That epic 7-1/2 minute piece, Mirrorshift,” is the compelling, multi-mood swinging middle track of the Austin Rock-Jaz

Any emerging jazz stylist bold enough to apply her multitude of vocal gifts and talent for fresh phrasing to classics by Amy Winehouse and Buddy Guy in addition to Miles, Monk and Mingus immediately deserves our attention. The fact that the incomparable L.A. based Ada Bird Wolfe pulls it off on her debut album Birdie with such panache, sensuality and quirky fun is testament to the value of having a musically open mind and heart. Birdie is an 11 song master class in finding wa

First used in the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More, the term “utopia” refers to an imagined state of things in which everything is perfect. “Perfect” being a relative term, we are always free to create our own impressions of what that would mean. Ideally, it would be a realm free of tribal prejudices, where people of all different colors, cultures, spiritual traditions and, yes, even musical tastes, would come together with a sense of mutual respect. For composer, perfor

Both musical artists and fans have been lamenting the minimization of album art in this digital age, when covers are often reduced to several inch thumbnails that are a far cry from the glorious, sizeable LP covers of a previous generation. Happily, however, no matter how the music is consumed, album art is still an important aspect of the presentation for most. When artists do take the time to create meaningful sleeves, they usually commission visual and graphic artists to s

Sometimes no matter how devoted a lead singer is to his band, he’s gotta step out, jam heavier on some synths, remember the 80s and go wild in his own studio. 17 years and two albums after co-founding the Anchorage, AK indie band Smile Ease, frontman, songwriter and keyboardist Paul Jacks took a break and did just that, resulting in his solo debut album Defractor. From start to finish, it’s a delightfully, synth and electronic beat swirling mindbender of a trip back to the sp