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Source Material by the Mike Baggetta Quartet
It's not often that one begins an album with a drum solo, but that's the sort of thing that makes one take notice. Guitarist Mike Baggetta is full of surprises on his second release with this quartet,...
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Culmination by Donovan Mixon
Donovan Mixon has seen some of the world in the last two decades, and the influences show in Culmination. After teaching at the Berklee College of Music, the guitarist spent seven years in Italy, then...
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Charles Rendition by Fjordne
Fjordne (given name, Shunichiro Fujimoto) produces music that is adventurous, expansive and a bit other-worldly, yet highly listenable and absorbing. His approach is to feature the piano as the melodic...
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Don’t Bring Me Down, by The Heavyweights Brass Band
One could alternately describe these five young Canadian musicians as a New-Orleans-style brass band, a funk band, an R&B band, or simply an eclectic group who play what pleases them. They're very...
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Chillin Out in Dark Places by Joe Blessett
Joe Blessett makes an interesting case for going into the studio and doing your own thing. His sixth release as a solo artist has him everywhere, laying down music tracks on several instruments,...
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Hocus Focus by the Ed Barrett Trio
Ed Barrett has a presence on YouTube, but there isn't a lot of rousing concert footage or material from his albums. You'll find instead a short interview piece where he talks about why he plays jazz,...
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Alex Brown by Alex Brown
I was concerned when I saw the front of the CD, "Paquito D'Rivera Presents Alex Brown, Pianist." It's nice for a big-name musician to help out the new kid, but does he really need an endorsement? Is he...
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Live at Scullers Jazz Club by the Yoko Miwa Trio
If I lived in Boston, I would have already heard of Yoko Miwa. She is a mainstay of the jazz scene there, and her teaching at the Berklee College of Music places her in the center of musical activity...
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Solo/Duo by Tosh Sheridan
Tosh Sheridan likes to play nylon-string acoustic guitar, and this album displays that in abundance. Now, before you dismiss this as wine bar or bookstore music, give it a listen. You may be surprised...
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Aspects by the Kevin Kizer Quintet
Neil Tesser, who wrote the notes for this release, calls Kizer's music "chamber jazz." Well, okay, that's one element of what the Kevin Kizer Quintet is doing. They have a violin, and there are some...
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