April - 2019

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THE JW VIBE

Music That Sticks To My Soul

PRIYA DEEPIKA, Hear in My Heart

Jonathan Widran

Apr 29, 2019

PRIYA DEEPIKA, Hear in My Heart

The subtitle of sound healer, songwriter and vocalist Priya Deepika’s richly soulful and spiritually transcendent debut album Hear in My Heart reveals the deeper, soul transforming intention behind her sultry, inviting and exotic fusion of devotional melodies (that incorporate elements of Indian raga tradition) and EDM. The profound five-piece, 35-minute journey is driven by “Uplifting Mantras and Medicine Melodies in 432hz.” That number is a hugely significant foundational e

LAUREN WHITE, Life in the Modern World

Jonathan Widran

Apr 12, 2019

LAUREN WHITE, Life in the Modern World

One of the most unique details of Lauren White’s creative history is her role as a producer of the Showtime TV hit Homeland. While the show shines a fascinating fictional light on almost everything that’s messed up in our sociopolitical world, the singer’s other professional identity – as one of Los Angeles and New York’s most gifted and versatile vocal jazz performers – reminds us of all that’s joyous and right. No doubt her intuitive sense of emotion, sensually inviting voi

THOM ROTELLA, Storyline

Jonathan Widran

Apr 10, 2019

THOM ROTELLA, Storyline

Considering the dynamic sweep of styles on Thom Rotella’s wildy mood-swinging new album, it’s clear that he made the right choice to set aside his initial instinct to name it after his atmospheric soul-jazz cover of Monk’s “’Round Midnight” and call it Storyline instead. For the versatile guitarist, It’s a way to express the reality that even without words, instrumental artists use melodies, harmonies, grooves and ensemble interaction to weave narratives that tap into what’s

doubleVee, Songs for Birds and Bats

Jonathan Widran

Apr 10, 2019

doubleVee, Songs for Birds and Bats

In music and our culture at large, we’ve had enough alliterative bird and bees metaphors to last multiple lifetimes. So perhaps it was only a matter of time before a visionary, intuitive act – in this case, the dynamic, haunting-jangling synth retro-80s/garage rock influenced husband wife duo doubleVee – came up with a fresh approach and gave us something as thematically magical and transcendent (not to mention, cool and hipster) as Songs for Birds and Bats (the name of their

DUO VIOLAO +1, Historia Do Choro

Jonathan Widran

Apr 10, 2019

DUO VIOLAO +1, Historia Do Choro

You don’t have to fully immerse in knowledge of the vibrant, sensual, polyrhythmic treasures of the Historia Do Choro to appreciate this culturally and historically expansive (1872-present) tribute to this significant, world fusion driven art form by master Brazilian guitarists Rogerio Souza and Edinho Gerber and American percussionist Ami Molinelli, aka Duo Violao +1. Yet their 12 sensually exotic, sometimes subtle, often percussively explosive selections, combined with Prof

CHUCK REDD, Groove City

Jonathan Widran

Apr 10, 2019

CHUCK REDD, Groove City

After decades of brilliant ensemble work with legends like Charlie Byrd, Mel Torme, Dizzy Gillespie and Monty Alexander, vibraphonist and percussionist Chuck Redd, on his latest album, taps into his spirited sense of rhythmic intuition for a colorful, multi-cultural trip to a mythical but grounded realm he dubs Groove City. Grooving in synch with the freewheeling harmonic energy and punchy solo power of pianist John Di Martino, bassist Nicki Parrott, drummer Lewis Nash and te

PAM ASBERRY, The Presence of Wonder

Jonathan Widran

Apr 1, 2019

PAM ASBERRY, The Presence of Wonder

A new age solo pianist of uncommon melodic grace, insight and heartfelt intuitiveness, Pam Asberry made a powerful immediate impact on the genre in 2017, when her first album Seashells in my Pocket earned an Album of the Year nomination by One World Music Radio and she won Best New Artist by Enlightened Piano Radio. She followed up last October with the equally well-received holiday release Thankful Heart, Joyful Mind. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the classically tr

AKIRA TANA & OTONOWA, Ai San San - Love's Radiance

Jonathan Widran

Apr 1, 2019

AKIRA TANA & OTONOWA, Ai San San - Love's Radiance

Sometimes great tragedies give way to the most life affirming expressions of hope. Veteran drum maestro Akira Tana, whose resume dazzles with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt and Hubert Laws, formed his quartet Otonowa in 2012 to tour and raise funds for the communities devastated by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. With many of the affected areas still struggling to recover, the ensemble has toured the region annually since 2014. Otonowa’s third album Ai San San –

AIMEE NOLTE, Looking for the Answers

Jonathan Widran

Apr 1, 2019

AIMEE NOLTE, Looking for the Answers

In an age where great artistry and musicianship goes hand in hand with tech savviness, Aimee Nolte sets a high bar in a multitude of arenas. The veteran jazz singer, pianist and teacher’s multi-facted YouTube page, featuring music and educational videos on topics like harmony, arranging and advanced jazz piano technique, has over 142,000 subscribers. She’s also a brilliant, multi-faceted artist who started recording in 2005 and transcends all previous releases with her latest

TOM CULVER AT DUKE'S PLACE: The Songs of Duke Ellington

Jonathan Widran

Apr 1, 2019

TOM CULVER AT DUKE'S PLACE: The Songs of Duke Ellington

Sometimes a contemporary artist is so spiritually in tune with music from a bygone era that the well-worn notion of a “tribute” album gives way to something more transcendent. On the surface, Tom Culver at Duke’s Place is a sophisticated, swinging and soulful homage to Duke Ellington. It’s a gorgeously produced (by the always hip and aesthetically insightful Mark Winkler) mix of well-known classics and delightful obscurities, gentle ballads and more groove intensive strolls t