October - 2021

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RODNEY JORDAN & CHRISTIAN FABIAN, Conversations

Jonathan Widran

Oct 19, 2021

RODNEY JORDAN & CHRISTIAN FABIAN, Conversations

Generally when two veteran jazz masters like Rodney Jordan and Christian Fabian collaborate on a project as unique, prodigious and purposeful as the dual upright bass driven Conversations, the promo materials highlight the grand, expansive histories they bring to the moment. For Jordan, that’s playing with the crème of the crop in Atlanta and being part of the Marcus Roberts Trio since 2009. For the Swedish born Fabian, it’s playing over the years with the likes of Gary Burto

Jonathan Widran

Oct 19, 2021

GERRY EASTMAN TRIO, Trust Me

From his time with the Count Basie Orchestra in the 80s through his work with jazz and R&B icons Sarah Vaughan, Etta Jones and The Isley Brothers and on to numerous albums leading dynamic ensembles, legendary guitarist Gerry Eastman has amassed a resume full of fanciful expressive twists and turns. Yet his deeper legacy has long been cemented by his founding of and serving as president and artistic director for Brooklyn’s Williamsburg Music Center – which since 1981 has been

Jonathan Widran

Oct 19, 2021

L.A. COWBOY, The Big Pitch

For all the griping indie artists do about the economics and logistics of the consumer friendly streaming era, there’s no denying the leveling of the playing field – and the magic that fans of unique, eclectic music can experience now that those artists aren’t limited by major label gatekeepers whose priorities aren’t grounded in great art. Multi-talented jazz-swing leaning singer/songwriter J. Frederic Millea, who began his colorful musical journey by writing his first song

Jonathan Widran

Oct 19, 2021

MAURICIO J. RODRIGUEZ, Luz

In their high praise write up on Mauricio J. Rodriguez’s long awaited, sonically intricate yet stylistically expansive debut Luz, Bass Magazine goes so far as to say that the veteran multi-bassist (Six Strings E Bass, Fretless E Bass, Double Bass) “reinvents” Latin jazz. He is certainly exploratory and joyfully diverse, creating a spirited adventure that rolls from the smoky and elegant opener “Casualty” (featuring saxophonist Jorge Pinelo) through the exuberant, densely perc

MANNY KELLOUGH and FRIENDS, Speaking of Jazz (East to West Coast)

Jonathan Widran

Oct 19, 2021

MANNY KELLOUGH and FRIENDS, Speaking of Jazz (East to West Coast)

Renowned drummer for late greats from the worlds of pop/R&B (Billy Preston, Ray Charles, Barry White) and jazz (Carmen McRae, Freddie Hubbard) before leading his own rousing ensemble over the last two decades, Manny Kellough could have created a versatile, powerhouse recording anytime over the years. Waiting till the time was right to release his highly anticipated debut Speaking of Jazz (East to West Coast) allowed him the advantage of having friends on both coasts to invite

JONATHAN BUTLER & FRIENDS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION @ Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz

Jonathan Widran

Oct 16, 2021

JONATHAN BUTLER & FRIENDS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION @ Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz

Though Jonathan Butler’s all-star 60th Birthday celebration was decidedly landlocked at Herb Alpert’s swanky Vibrato Grill Jazz up off Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles, the vibrant, high-spirited and eminently grooving evening had all the spontaneous markings of one of the great recent perennial traditions in contemporary jazz – The Smooth Jazz Cruise. The South African born guitarist has been a charismatic presence on those excursions for years, headlining shows, participatin

Jonathan Widran

Oct 16, 2021

PRETTY EMBERS, Under

There’s no actual song titled “Under” on Under, the sonically sparkling, edgy yet soothingly soulful full length debut album by Birmingham originated, Nashville based indie rockers Pretty Embers – so we’ll have to conjecture a bit on what that means. The first thought that comes to mind as you listen to this sometimes painful, often comforting, emotionally wrenching at realistic and always heart-provoking ultimate breakup/reflection collection is, yep, being quickly seduced a

Jonathan Widran

Oct 16, 2021

PARKER LONGBOUGH, Off Front Street

As his latest quirky, freewheeling opus Off Front Street envelops our intrigued, piqued to the max ears, it’s clear that Parker Longbough may not have the most rangy vocals, but he’s a master at weaving offbeat narratives that artfully snag our attention and keep us on the edge of our proverbial seats. The prolific singer/songwriter uses his 90’s rock influenced swirl of fuzzy and jangling guitars and synth wizardry to ruminate over a suspected dog doping incident (“Off Front

HANK (!), Guilty Pleasures (Are The Best Ones)

Jonathan Widran

Oct 14, 2021

HANK (!), Guilty Pleasures (Are The Best Ones)

There are multiple possibilities we can read into exclamation point in singer/songwriter Hank Close’s clever branding moniker Hank (!). The veteran singer-songwriter’s official bio mentions that he paved the way for his furious, blistering soulful blast in our face (most of the time, anyway) debut album Guilty Pleasures (Are The Best Ones) with lengthy stints these past years in a prog rock band (Absent Boundaries) and folk rock duo (Hank & Brendan). But damn if they have a p

Jonathan Widran

Oct 13, 2021

FREDA PAYNE LIVE AT CATALINA JAZZ CLUB

Freda Payne’s two high-spirited, sultry and swinging October weekend nights at the Catalina Jazz Club came at a sweet spot in her legendary career – right on schedule between hitting the Top 20 on JazzWeek in August with her dynamic new jazz EP Let There Be Love featuring duets with Kenny Lattimore, Johnny Mathis, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling, and the November 2 release of “Band of Gold: A Memoir,” her highly anticipated autobiography penned with Mark Bego. Just before

Jonathan Widran

Oct 8, 2021

ANNALYSE & RYAN, "Singing With Angels"

For the spiritual minded listener, a key verse from Scripture may come to mind while listening to “Singing for Angels,” popular Americana husband and wife duo Annalyse and Ryan’s tender, lilting and lyrical waltz-like tribute to country/folk legend John Prine, who was one of the earliest of the famous among us to succumb to COVID-19 in April 2020. With poetic simplicity in the verses and their trademark gorgeous harmonies in the chorus, they capture the spirit of Isaiah 61:3:

Jonathan Widran

Oct 5, 2021

MICHAEL PELOSO, Life's Little Accidents

As a fan of classic pop/rock, you’ve gotta love an emerging, multi-faceted songwriter producer like Michael Peloso, who not only credits Tom Waits as the composer of his favorite song of all time (“I Hope I Don’t Fall in Love With You”) but has the infectious adult contemporary pop driven courage to say that the song that changed his life as a kid was REO Speedwagon’s “Keep on Loving You.” Legends like Waits and Kevin Cronin – along with anyone else passionate about the art o

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