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Continue reading →: John Menegon: Sound Embrace
VALLEY JAZZ RECORDS (RECORDED JANUARY 2023) For his sixth recording as a leader, bassist John Menegon assembled a group of musicians who share a geographic connection. They all are from or currently reside in Montreal, where this recording was made. That is quite different from his earlier recordings which mixed…
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Continue reading →: Day Dream Trio: Duke & Strays Live
CORNER STORE JAZZ 0140-0141 (RECORDED IN DECEMBER 2023) You might ask yourself where the melody is when the Day Dream Trio begins “Lush Life” with a bowed bass solo or when “Come Sunday” kicks off with a drum solo. But wait, because those familiar tunes will sneak up on you…
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Continue reading →: Joe Fonda: Eyes on the Horizon
LONG SONG RECORDS 163/2024 (RECORDED DECEMBER 2023) Joe Fonda has made many musical connections during his 40-plus years as a well-respected bassist, bandleader and composer. Eyes on the Horizon celebrates one of the most meaningful connections. Conceived as a gift from a former student to his master teacher, Eyes on…
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Continue reading →: Jacob Chung: The Sage
CELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED NOVEMBER 15, 2024) The Cellar Music label does it again with a retro hardbop session! This time they pair members of the newest crop of young lions with a few former young lions to create a recording that is clearly reminiscent of the music of the original…
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Continue reading →: Matt Slocum: Lion’s Dance
SUNNYSIDE RECORDS (RELEASED NOVEMBER 1, 2024) The cover of Matt Slocum’s Lion’s Dance depicts three mighty lions following each other in a circular pattern. That’s an apt graphic depiction of what you will hear on this recording. The three mighty lions are Slocum on drums, Walter Smith III on tenor…
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Continue reading →: Caleb Wheeler Curtis: The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery/ Raise Four – Monk the Minimalist
IMANI RECORDS 0029 (RECORD JANUARY & APRIL 2024) “Interesting.” That’s the word I typically heard from professors about my term papers. I would ask them what they meant by “interesting,” and they would respond — “It’s not good and it’s not bad, it’s simply interesting.” That’s how I feel about…
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Continue reading →: Ilya Osachuk: The Answer
Who’s the up-and-coming bassist making a name for himself at Smalls, Blues Alley and other clubs in North America? Who’s the up-and-coming bassist capable of playing strong melodic lines as well as compelling harmonic/rhythmic lines? And who’s the up-and-coming bassist writing new ballads, bebop tunes and jazz waltzes? The answer…
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Continue reading →: Carn Davidson: Reverence
SELF RELEASED (NOVEMBER 1, 2024) The Carn Davidson 9 can best be described as a chameleon band. Whether they’re playing up-tempo swingers, gospel-inspired tunes, Latin American music or intricate modern jazz arrangements, they have a knack for adapting to these diverse musical environments. They demonstrate their ability to adapt on…
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Continue reading →: Goncalo Marques/Demian Cabaud Quartet: Wabi-Sabi
PORTA JAZZ (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2024) Wabi-sabi is a traditional Japanese aesthetic worldview based on four principles.One of those principles states that through acceptance, one finds freedom. So, it’s not surprising that freedom is an essential element of Wabi-Sabi, a recording that advances the “free jazz” of Ornette Coleman’s classic 1959…
















