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Thursday, April 29, 2010
Yuko Ito is Reviewed by Luna Kafe'
Grego Applegate Edwards Reviews Yuko Ito
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Yuko Ito Sings Brazilian Bossa-Samba Standards
Today a look at Tokyo born-and-bred vocalist Yuko Ito. She started out in a rock context, recording two albums with the all-girl band Sissy Boy. Yuko then moved to the Big Apple in 1994 and has transformed herself into a jazz vocalist of poise and finesse.
Her new release Mania de Voce (Funny Baby Face) tackles ten standards of the bossa-samba variety, great songs arranged well by Yuko and Itaiguara Brandao. You'll find many, if not most of these songs familiar to you if you have listened at any length to Brazilian jazz.
The band has moments of heat and other moments where the light lilt of bossa is foremost. Either way they give good support to Yuko's vocals. She has a very attractive instrument. Her voice has the punchy rhythmic attack that is so essential to this music. He pitch control is dead-on. Phrasings show subtlety and the sound of her voice is quite attractive.
She is a vocalist that should get attention. This is some very fine music.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Yuko Ito is Reviewed by Girlsingers - Doug Boynton
(Funny Baby Face Records)
Released – March 22, 2010
A ten-pack of Brazilian standards – this one is a refreshing in that Yuko Ito’s style is quite different than the Astrud Gilberto sound that sometimes seems to permeate the genre. There’s nothing ethereal about Ms. Ito’s sound – she takes command from the beginning, I had no doubt but that she owns this disc.
Ms. Ito’s way with the lyric leaves plenty of room for adding a passion that’s sometimes lacking in Brazilian outings.
I’m loving the title track, along with Jobim’s “Corcovado” and “Agua De Beber,” and Baden Powell’s “Berimbau.”
Joined by Itaiguara Brandão on bass and guitar – Oriente Lopez on Fender Rhodes and flute, pianist Cidinho Teixeira, Aaron Heick on alto sax (nice riff on “Agua De Beber”) and Cafe, Davi Vieira and Mauricio Zottarelli on percussion – this is a quality piece of work. It’s been in heavy rotation on my ‘pod for a while, now.
Ms. Ito is a native of Japan – but calls herself a “…born again Brazilian New Yorker.”
You got a problem with that? I don’t.
This disc is highly recommended.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sylvia Bennett is Reviewed by Talking Broadway
SYLVIA BENNETT
SMILE
Out of Sight Music
Reviewed By: Rob Lester
"Smile," "Make Someone Happy," "The Very Thought of You" and "I'll Be Seeing You" are also on Sylvia Bennett's CD, but the approaches are rather different. Sylvia tends to be oh-so-mellow, unruffled, low-key and calm, gliding across the melodies, phrasing evenly. The emphasis on rhythms, like the bossa nova, essayed this time out is a good idea. Acting a song or delving deeply is not her modus operandi. So, the focus and raison d'être is not the words or drama. She—and maybe we—can be content with the broad strokes of setting an overall mood and then enjoying the breeze of Brazil or seductively subtle swing and sway, with a bravo to Richard Bravo, percussionist. Her producer of a quarter of a century, Hal S. Batt, is in charge once again, contributing many tasty guitar accents.
I've reviewed a few Sylvia Bennett albums and there's something about her unpretentious, gentle, kindly, slightly burnished but clean sound that appeals to me, withSmile perhaps finding the best balance and tone yet. And I couldn't help smiling at the bonus track with the title song of Smile being sung in Spanish. It's endearing. "The Look of Love" also gets an alternate version, one labeled a "smooth pop version"—so much here seems so smooth and some bordering on that label of "easy listening," but there's more than that going on. "I'll Be Seeing You" has a dollop of needed wistfulness and longing. "Make Someone Happy" is attractive, somehow gently getting the point across, despite the fact that it makes you want to fox trot or something. Sylvia just sounds so content and the strings so soothingly swirling that you almost think whatever she's singing must be good advice. Her "The Very Thought of You" is a lush, romantic ballad, the phrasing more involved and nuanced than elsewhere. She lingers over words a bit, much to the good. Mike Levine's piano work is understatedly effective, a special pleasure at the beginning of "Fly Me to the Moon" when the spotlight is on singer and pianist.
It's an unassuming and often ingratiating listen that might be right for a lazy afternoon in a hammock with a lemonade. A few tracks are livelier, faster-tempoed, and some switch gears comfortably and satisfying as they go on, but nobody breaks a sweat or breaks out of "polite" mode. But a cheery cha-cha never hurt anyone.
Whether basking in either version of the Bennett/Batt "Smile" or in "The Shadow of Your Smile," or various other cozy cuddles of music on the album, there's much smile-inducing on the CD.
Kristin Porter is reviewed by Cashbox Magazine
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Books Music Reviews Roberto Badoglio
REVIEW: Roberto Badoglio’s “Re-Evaluation Time”
FRICKA, I LOVE ME SOME JAZZ FUSION WITH THAT TRANQUIL KEYBOARD SCHNITT, YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!
The music of bassist Roberto Badoglio will be for those who love the sounds of Weather Report, Return To Forever, and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Re-Evaluation Time (Space Rack) may sound of a time long ago, but it’s very much of the now because the music you love is very much timeless. It still sounds good because it gives you a good feeling, and Badoglio knows all the right spots to hit with his playing. One of my favorite moments of “Scirocco’s Theory” is right within his solo, the bass pans back and forth in the speakers, catching me off guard but somehow fitting at that exact moment. Keyboardist Steve Hunt gets into his Jan Hammer/Joe Zawinul groove and the music as a whole keeps getting higher from that point on.
In tracks like “Inner Urge”, “Dojo”, and “The song of The Wine, The Wind and The Trees”, it feels very much like jazz but there is a unique European dinge, not sure if it’s the folk melodies or the fact that some American musicians have forgotten this style of jazz, to the point of abandoning it. Together, Badoglio, Hunt, drummers Pablo de Biasi and Marty Richards come into the mix as tourists and ambassadors, in other words, they are students and teachers, made very clear in “Perfect Landing”, which almost sounds like Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Can’t Hide Love”, sans horn section. Badoglio’s bass work is a trip to hear, wringing the neck and fingering his way into patterns and time signatures unknown while creating something that sounds full, developed, and at times orchestral, ready made for a sound much better he himself me realize.
That full sound comes courtesy of keyboardist Hunt, who also produced and mastered the album. It sounds like there are at least eight to ten people in the studio but there’s only three. I could see this being used for surf or ocean movies/documentaries, as it has a sense of peace and harmony that is very comforting to me. There are subtle touches throughout, such as accented percussion in the back of the mix, or the combination of piano and keyboards in unison with the bass riffs, that just take this home, and hopefully many will feel the same way.
Books Music Reviews Kristin Porter
REVIEW: Kristin Porter’s “By The Light Of The Moon”
Kristin Porter is a jazz vocalist who starts her 5-song EP, By The Light Of The Moon (self-released) in a manner that sounds like she just came in from the 30’s or 40’s. But with “Teach Me Tonight”, there’s a little soul and funk in her sass, showing that she isn’t strictly a jazz traditionalist, but someone who wants to cater to all styles and eras of jazz. “Light Of The Moon” is one of two originals on the album, and this is a song that would work if she gave it an adventurous remix. As is, it sounds like… well let’s see. Imagine Manhattan Transfer mixed up with John Mayer, Donavon Frankenreiter, with Maria Muldaur. There’s a slight reggae groove to this, I believe it is intentional, I could see someone like Paula Fuga turning this into a new anthem amongst the jam band set. Then Porter returns to something more traditional with “Moody’s Mood For Love”, which sounds like the kind of pop tune that should be dominating the airwaves today, something with a lot more class than what’s going on.
I like Porter’s voice and song choices, I’m curious to hear what she would be able to do with a full length, with the right executive producer and special guests. As it stands, By The Light Of The Moon sounds like the music of someone who has been waiting for a long time to share her gift of music to the world.
Books Music Reviews Frank DiBussolo
REVIEW: Frank DiBussolo’s “Average White Cats”
The description of this CD hits it on the head perfectly: “Latin-flavored guitar jazz in a quintet setting”. Imagine yourself surrounded by Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino at a winery or art gallery. This is the kind of laid back jazz you’ll find on Frank DiBussolo’s Average White Cats (Lost World). The cover photo shows two white cats, but the title is of course a jazzy reference to the musicians who appear on the album, who are mighty fine on their instruments, regardless of skin tone.
My two favorite songs on this CD are the two longest tracks, the 7:10 “Loco Linda” and the 8:23 “Una Samba Pequena”, which allows DiBussolo to do brilliantly on his guitar while the band push each other towards success without ever forgetting DiBussolo is the leader.
The music never goes over the top nor does it hold back, its brilliance is in what is right there coming out of the speakers. DiBussolo and friends are far from just average.
Books Music Reviews Dave LeMieux and House of Soul
REVIEW: Dave LeMieux & House Of Soul’s “Jazz Shaped: Live At The Soiled Dove”
It’s hard to say if it was spirituality that was brought to jazz, or if jazz was brought to spirituality. Either way, the union between the two has been strong throughout jazz’s history, whether it’s the musicians sharing their beliefs, or the music being a means to heal. What Dave LeMieux & House Of Soul do with Jazz Shaped: Live At The Soiled Dove (self-titled) is show the healthy exchange between the two, and even if you are not spiritual or religious, you can still feel a sense of admiration and power in these songs.
The album begins with John Coltrane’s “Acknowledgement”, done like the original, before it goes into a soulful interpretation of Pharoah Sanders‘ “The Creator Has A Master Plan” (from his Karma album). It’s a unique twist to a Sanders classic, the purist in me wants to say “no, no one should mess up this song” but it’s cool to hear what a song like that if performed in a completely unexpected context from the original. Their take on the almost-mandatory jazz song “Giant Steps” is brilliant, and I love what LeMieux and the band were able to do by making this jump and scream.
The rest of the album balances itself between bebop and soul/R&B, all of which are united by a calling for “the one”, and it very much works. Everything can be Jazz Shaped if you allow your mind to do so.
Jazz Chicago Reviews Roberto Badoglio
Roberto Badoglio - "Re-Evaluation Time"(Spice Rack Records)
Young Italian electric bass virtuoso Roberto Badoglio will blow you away with his accelerated shredding on his custom Woodtronics 5-string bass guitar on his debut recording as a leader - Re-evaluation Time. Backed by keyboardist Steve Hunt and drummers Marty Richards and Pablo DeBiasi, Badoglio presents ten jazz/rock/funk fusion originals as well as a cover of Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge." The bassist's licks on opener "Scirocco's Theory" would make a flamenco guitarist proud - and the starts and stops and shifts of the songs will please fusion fans. "Perfect Landing" highlights Badoglio's use of chords on the bass, along with Hunt's piano, organ and synths. Two solo bass compositions add to the already impressive display of technique, while the Henderson track is groovy fun, as is "Bruce Wayne on the Run." Meanwhile, "Whenever it Takes" showcases Hunt on Fender Rhodes, and "Essaouria Marketv" - shows off simply insane bass licks in a Middle-Eastern flamenco vein. However, despite the high level of - at times jaw-dropping musicianship, the nearly constant bass soloing does begin to perhaps be a bit much, and - especially in the second half - seems to outpace the songwriting, but I have faith that this young player will take steps to correct this in the future. A few less notes played at the expense of composition, harmony and arrangements will go a long way in moving this young artist from a great soloist to a true musical artist.
www.robertobadoglio.com
Monday, April 19, 2010
Yuko Ito is Reviewed by Jazz Inside Magazine
Yuko Ito Makes Waves With Mania de Voce
Up one level- Genre: Jazz - Smooth
- Personnel:
Yuko Ito – vocals, Itaiguara Brandao – bass guitar, Oriente Lopez – Fender Rhodes and flute, Cicinho Teixeira – piano, Mauricio Zottarelli – drums, Café – percussion, Davi Vieira – percussion, and Aaron Heick – saxophone
- Tracks:
Berimbau, Corcovado, Ela e Carioca/Smile, Garota de Ipanema, Magamalabares, Mania de Voce, Dindi, Qui Nem Jilo, Flor de Lis, Aqua de Beber
A native of Tokyo, Japan, singer-songwriter Yuko Ito delivers an ambient enriched bossa nova repertoire on her latest recording Mania de Voce from Funny Baby Face Records. Gifted with a voice that moves like sunlight piercing through rain clouds, Ito displays a soothing register reminiscent of Charmaine Clamor with the creamy resonance of Rosa Passos. Ito and her band retool a selection of classic Brazilian jazz tunes written by such luminaries as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Djavan, Luiz Gonzaga, Rita Lee, Carlinhos Brown, and Baden Powell. Her singing allows the songs to transcend the temporal world and fill up with a weightless propulsion that translates into inner bliss. Ito describes her songs as “They just make your heart smile,” an accurate depiction of her album.
Accompanying Ito on the recording are the fluttering rivulets of Aaron Heick’s saxophone on the opening track “Berimbau” looped around the samba strut of percussionists Café and Davi Vieira. Oriente Lopez’s flute plumps up “Corcovado” while moving in harmony with the soft ripples of Cidinho Teixeira’s piano keys as the elegantly brushed strokes of bassist Itaiguara Brandao provides a plush bedding for Lopez’s delicately strewn silhouettes. Ito preserves the dreamy quality of Jobim’s “Garota de Ipanema” and interprets Brown’s “Magamalabares” with a hint of Hawaiian flavored pop. The island beating in “Magamalabares” is enchanting while the twinkling Latin accents sprinkled across the title track are quilted in Lopez’s Brazilian toned keyboards and the milky grooves of Mauricio Zottarelli’s drumming. The candlelit ambience of “Dindi” is filament by the subtle dewdrops of the keyboards, and the conga rhythm of “Qui Nem Jilo” has a jelly-like jiggle with a savvy Brazilian style.
Singing all of the songs in their native Spanish, Ito shows a revelry for the songs original forms while polishing them with a contemporary gleam. The harmonic forms are well-versed and deftly balanced able to support Ito’s vocals and project the luster in her vocals beautifully.
Roberto Badoglio is Reviewed by Jazz Inside Magazine
Roberto Badoglio Delivers Re-Evaluation Time
Reviewed By: Susan Frances
Up one level- Genre: Jazz - Contemporary
- Personnel:
Roberto Badoglio on bass, Steve Hunt on piano and keyboards, Pablo de Biasi on drums and percussion, and Marty Richards on drums
- Tracks:
Scirocco’s Theory, Perfect Landing, Kriby, Inner Urge, Abstract Love, Bruce Wayne On The Run, Whenever It Takes, Dojo, Essaouira Market, The Song Of The Wine The Wind And The Roses, Albatross
With an aptitude for dazzling improvisations and frilly accents, bassist Roberto Badoglio displays a vigorous mind and a manual dexterity that others aspire to achieve in his instrumentals. Badoglio’s latest release Re-Evaluation Time from Spice Rack Records is lounge music made to be shared in both public and private spaces.
The lacy twirls in Badoglio’s phrasing along “Perfect Landing” demonstrates his proclivity for relaxing grooves, and the trellis of twists looped along “Scirocco’s Theory” boast his creative leanings for decorative improvisations. A hint of flamenco twittering embellish “Kriby” and a funky beat in Badoglio’s bass lines hewn a coasting momentum across “Inner Urge” giving the track a R&B shading. Badoglio makes the bass sound like a provocative instrument able to sound as romantic as the guitar in “Abstract Love” and as soaring as the rambling toots of the saxophone in “Whenever It Takes.”
Joined by Steve Hunt on piano and keyboards, Pablo de Biasi on drums and percussion, and Marty Richards on drums, Badoglio shows that the bass can be move than a background instrument. He is able to helm the melodic mobility of the tracks and add frilly trimmings along the chord progressions pressing avant swizzles along “Bruce Wayne On The Run,” hypnotic aerials hovering over “Dojo,” and slinky ruffles dotted across “Albatross.” Badoglio keeps the tracks action-packed by splurging on dynamic movements and articulating each curve and crest along the melodic seams.
With all tracks written and arranged by Roberto Badoglio with the exception of “Whenever It Takes” which was written by Enrico Pasini and arranged by Badoglio, Re-Evaluation Time is a product of Badoglio’s creative talent and his propensity to convert rambling bass lines into a bouquet of fragrant colors. Both racy and melodic sounding , Re-Evaluation Time is excellent material for bass-driven material. Born in Trieste, Italy, Badoglio began playing the piano at 7 years old and changed to the bass at 14. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in jazz studies, and honed his craft by performing live as both a sideman and a member of jazz bands. He treats the bass like it is as versatile as any other instrument in the band, and the bass responds to his ministrations.
Kristine Mills is Reviewed by Jazz Inside Magazine
Kristine Mills Turns Up The Heat With Bossanovafied
Reviewed By: Susan Frances
Kristine Mills shows the graceful lines of a merengue dancer and the shimmery intonations of a blues-soul singer on her latest CD, Bossanovafied. The album is tempered for nightclubs and features the Brazilian-pop stylizing of Paulo Midosi who plays the piano on the record and co-produced it with Mills. Also joining Mills on the recording are Haraldo Cazes on acoustic guitar and bass, Rubinho Moreira on drums, and Jose Carlos Bigorna on flute and tenor and alto saxophones. If you think of “Girl From Ipanema” meets Shakira’s “Underneath Your Clothes” you will see what Mills has done giving vintage Latin music some modern zing.
Mills’ music is like sipping from a glass of bourbon. Her singing goes down smoothly on the windpipe, and once settled, she tingles the senses with a touch that puts the listener into a dreamy state. Though she has the same effect as a potent drink, Kristine Mills is not toxic and her vocals cleanse the system rather than clog it. The lady can sing and shape melodies into ruminating vignettes that take the mind off of your troubles and carried into a world of complete peace.
The rumba swivels of “Burden Of Choice” entice a soft decadence, and the light samba strokes of “Inspiracao” are beautifully glossed in breathy acoustics. The bossa nova/soul complexion of “I Wish” is reminiscent of Corinne Bailey Rae’s pensive voicing, and the delicate flutter of the flute in “That Was Yesterday” opens up to the warm tones of the piano keys. The bluesy vibe of “Sweet Sorrow” wraps the listener in sheets of silky instrumentation, and leaps into the calypso sway of “Fallin’ In Love”. The piano keys produce a calming nightclub ambience in “You Are” that flirts with the blues kindled by the soft flickers of Cazes acoustic guitar.
Kristine Mills’ songs are like poetry set to music. The flow is melodically strewn and has the potency of a desirable elixir. Where else can Mills go after achieving perfection? The winner of the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards for “Best Female Vocalist,” Kristine Mills is the complete package graced with beauty, sensitivity, and a magnetic voice. She makes every song have the effect of an aphrodisiac on the senses.
Kristin Porter is reviewed by Jazz Inside Magazine
Kristin Porter Ruminates By The Light Of The Moon
Reviewed By: Susan Frances
- Personnel:
Kristin Porter - vocals
- Tracks:
It Could Happen To You, Teach Me Tonight, Light Of The Moon, Moody’s Mood From Love, Never Telling Me You Loved Me
Genre: Jazz
If music fans are looking for a singer who has the suave resonance of Dinah Washington and the sensual bowing of Nancy Wilson, they will be pleasantly gratified by Kristin Porter whose self-released debut album By The Light Of The Moon revives nostalgic jazz idioms with a modern glint. The album has a mix of soft swing and bossa nova strands with a Caribbean-reggae lacing entwined harmoniously with Porter’s elastic vocals. She wraps her vocals around the melodies like a chiffon scarf that caresses the body and strokes it lightly with the sensitivity of a gentle lover.
Porter’s rendition of Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen’s perennial minstrel “It Could Happen To You” is an emporium of soft bopping bounces that refresh this classic tune. The bossa nova lighting illuminating Gene DePaul and Sammy Cahn’s number “Teach Me Tonight” has an arousing torchlight glow, and the dancing embers floating across the title track, which was written by Porter, have a classy R&B/soul-bent reminiscent of Gladys Knight. Porter shows a debonair style in her vocals as her singing never loses its poise even along the grassroots reggae grooves of James Moody and Eddie Jefferson’s jumping melody “Moody’s Mood From Love”. Porter turns up the heat with her own track “Never Telling Me You Loved Me” oozing of feminine sweetness in her vocal bends and lounging stretches. The bluesy tones of the piano and saucy saxophone melt into her creamy voicing to form a gorgeous lather in the song.
Kristin Porter’s album is highly recommended for those who seek music with soft aesthetics and a sleek brushing. Her use of soul, swing, bossa nova, reggae, and blues is tailored to her register while giving these musical traits even more depth. Hailing from Springfield, Missouri, Kristin Porter has the makings of someone who is special to the future of modern jazz and soul.
Raul d'Gama Rose reviews Lady K and the Kings of Swing
Lady K and the Kings of Swing featuring Dale Head | Self Produced (2010)
The band plays, on this debut album, sleek and svelte arrangements from the playbooks of arrangers such as
Vocalist Dale Head is featured on several tracks. Head is a fine tenor, who channels Frank Sinatra off and on throughout the performance, but also has a deeply emotional voice of his own. He swoops on lyrics like a great bird in flight, bringing dynamic situations to life. His phrasing is extraordinary and his intonation wonderful. Occasionally, however, Head may get a tad carried away and mimic a little
The fact that music like this has to be self-produced is deplorable. There are few repertory big bands performing today and a band that is able to secure a live date and put out a record deserves considerable credit. The question is where they would go next. With the musical skills on display here, perhaps there is a case for exploring material from the books of musicians who have truly created a path for swing—men such as
Track listing: All Right OK, You Win; My Favorite Things; My Foolish Heart; Come Fly With Me; Luck Be a Lady Tonight; Love Walked Right In; The Bare Necessities; Every Day I Have the Blues; I've Got You Under My Skin; I Can't Stop Loving You; Love for Sale; Pennies from Heaven; Where or When; You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To; Shiny Stockings; Body and Soul; How High the Moon.
Personnel: Mike Young: alto saxophone, clarinet; Fred Glaski: alto saxophone; Art Dougherty: alto saxophone, clarinet; Eric Dannewitz: tenor saxophone, flute; Kaye Leedham: tenor saxophone, flute; Bruce Saxton: baritone saxophone; Ron Wetzel: trombone; Van Hughes: trombone; Alan Andreason: trombone; Andre Hockett: bass trombone; Mack Horton: trumpet, flugelhorn; John DeBoer: trumpet, flugelhorn; Stuart Yasaki: trumpet, flugelhorn; Dan Fava: trumpet; Tim Acosta: trumpet; Ken Brock: trumpet; Julianne George: bass; Mark Rossi: piano; Ken Bergmann: percussion; Dale Head: vocals.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Roberto Badoglio; Reviewed at All About Jazz
Badoglio resides as the lead musical component, sans a six-string guitarist, while trading zesty exchanges with Hunt's radiant Fender Rhodes work and beefy synth lines. The bassist also integrates two solo compositional interludes among the hard-hitting pieces. No doubt, Badolgio possesses a broad arsenal, and transmits a lyrical musical persona amid the hyper-mode, single note licks and complex, jazz guitar-like chord voicings. Consisting of melodic passages and scorching band-generated unison choruses, the session is embellished by an impeccable recording process.
The band's energized and crafty rendition of sax great,
Track listing: Scirocco's Theory; Perfect Landing; Kirby; Inner Urger; Abstract Love; Bruce Wayne On The Run; Whenever It Takes; Dojo; Essaouira Market; The Song Of The Wine, The Wind And The Roses; Albatross.
Personnel: Roberto Badoglio: electric bass guitar; Steve Hunt: piano, keyboards; Pablo de Biasi: drums, percussion; Marty Richards: drums.
Style: Fusion/Progressive Rock
James Zollar is reviewed by Ejazz News
By: Edward BlancoTrumpeter James Delano Zollar releases his long-awaited sophomore effort since his 1998 debut album “Soaring With Bird.” A true Kansas City musician, Zollar's professional career has evolved from studies with the great Woody Shaw to recording as a sideman with Tom Harrel and Sam Rivers, and featured soloist with Jon Faddis and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra as well as a performing with Wynton Marsalis and his Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. These days Zollar resides in New York City and performs with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and as a member of Don Byron's many bands (Don also appears here on clarinet on one piece).
Zollar Systems contains a treasure trove of jazz music touching on elements from swing, funk, to a bit of bop, a touch of bossa and a blend of beautiful soft ballads. In all, an excellent recording that true jazz aficionados will appreciate right from the fiery opener “Chicago Preferred,” to the delicate interpretation of the Hank Jones tune “Angel Face.” There are only a few standards on this disc and they include Hoagy Carmichael's sweet ballad “The Nearness of You,” and the Eddie Harris swinging burner “Spasmodic Movements.” Zollar performs on both trumpet and flugelhorn throughout the album sharing the limelight with saxophonist Stacy Dillard and pianist Rick Germanson.
All is not instrumental though as there are a couple of vocal tunes performed by wife Nabuko Kiryu with “Go-En” voiced in Japanese. The other vocal found here is the finale number “Time to Say Good Bye” performed in a classical style by Sahoko Sato. James Zollar does capture a musical experience that's quite up lifting and engaging in every respect. A journey through Zollar Systems will be a trek well worth taking—enjoyable with every spin.
Kristine Mills is reviewed by Ejazz News
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Friday, April 9, 2010
Dave LeMieux and House of Soul #5 on the RMR National Jazz Radio Chart
| TW | LW | Artist | CD Title | Label | Location | |
| 1 | 1 | MOSE ALLISON | THE WAY OF THE WORLD | ANTI- | CA | |
| 2 | 0 | CATHERINE RUSSELL | INSIDE THIS HEART OF MINE | WORLD VILLAGE | NY | |
| 3 | 5 | NICKI PARROTT AND ROSSANO SPORTIELLO | DO IT AGAIN | ARBORS JAZZ | ITALY | |
| 4 | 36 | DAVE COSTA | WHEN THE LOVE BUG BITES | DCM RECORDS | CA | |
| 5 | 8 | DAVE LEMIEUX & HOUSE OF SOUL | JAZZ SHAPED. RECORDED LIVE AT THE SOILED DOVE | SELF | CO | |
| 6 | 10 | MICHAEL PAGAN | THREE FOR THE AGES | CAPRI | ||
| 7 | 0 | JOHN CUTRONE | FOUR X ROUF | INDIE | CT | |
| 8 | 13 | RONI BEN-HUR | FORTUNA | MOTEMA | NY | |
| 9 | 30 | LIN MCPHILLIPS | MY SHINING HOUR | INDIE | ||
| 10 | 3 | JOHN PIZZARELLI | ROCKIN' IN RHYTHM | TELARC | NY | |
| 11 | 24 | OLIVER JONES & HANK JONES | PLEASED TO MEET YOU | JUSTIN-TIME | PA | |
| 12 | 27 | JULIAN YEO | DEEP PURPLE DREAMS | YEOMO PRODUCTIONS | NY | |
| 13 | 38 | PROJECT TRIO | PROJECT TRIO | INDIE | ITALY | |
| 14 | 20 | THE INTERVENTION BAND | HOMEY | INDIE | ||
| 15 | 2 | MIKE LEDONNE | THE GROOVER | SAVANT | TN | |