Just Jazz Guitar - Frank DiBussolo Review
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Woody Witt is #39 this week on the RMR National Jazz Radio Airplay Chart, Witt has also charted on the Jazzweek National Jazz Radio Chart last week. Woody served as the manager/artistic director of one of the city's only jazz clubs, Cézanne, for 10 years. Witt has presented many name acts including: Randy Brecker, Tim Hagans, Mark Levine, the Moutin Reunion Quartet, Eddie Gomez with Jimmy Cobb, the New York Standards Quartet (Tim Armacost, Dave Berkman, Ugonna Okegwo and Gene Jackson), Jim Rotondi, Billy Hart, Nancy King and countless regional and local acts. He performed and/or recorded with many of the international names including Billy Hart, Jim Rotondi, Nancy King, Mark Levine and Tim Armacost.
First Impression is Witt’s 7th CD as a leader , having been on 25 recording as a sidemand, including six for the Blue Bamboo Music record label.
Glasser has been described by Nat Hentoff in this way; "Having heard Glasser primarily in the context of other bands, I was not prepared for the original quality of his composing and arranging. His writing is, first of all, like his playing in that it is utterly without pretentiousness and self-serving display of virtuosity for its own sake. His work reminds me of something Dizzy Gillespie once told me: "It's taken me years to know what not to play."D. Oscar Groomes , O's Place Jazz Magazine
Kristin Porter - By The Light of The Moon 4/3
O's Notes: This is a brief set of five tunes, three covers and two originals by vocalist Kristin Porter. She has a delicate sweet voice that is enticing. The band is Jody Nardone (p), Derek Phillips (d), Jim Mayer (b), Chris Contros (g), DD Holt (organ), Casey Wood (perc) and Max Abrams (sax). We liked the funky "Light of the Moon", the light bossa nova groove of "Teach Me Tonight" and the reggae arrangement of "Moody's Mood For Love". She wraps the set with "Never Telling Me You Loved Me" shadowed by Abrams in a warm finish that leaves us anxiously awaiting more!
Frank DiBussolo - Average White Cats (Lost World Music LWM 017)
Reviewed by: John M. Peters
Being a life long cat lover the title of this new album by guitarist Frank DiBussolo was bound to catch my eye and then my ears. The opening track Blue Heron has a nice loose latin vibe, as slinky as a moggy strutting along the top of a wall. Track two, Loco Linda, is equally swaggering, with some cool understated playing by all concerned. The title track with its guitar and sax duets and funky organ solos is a joy - the strutting now morphing into some very sophisticated swinging. This album oozes confidence from all the players, and especially from Mr DiBussolo's compositions, of which there are eight, plus a cover of When You're Smiling. The quartet supporting Frank DiBussolo's guitar are Greg Edwards on woodwinds, Chicago Carl Snyder on keyboards, Greg Eicher on double bass, and Sean Kennedy on drums and latin percussion.
This is one of those albums where you imagine that all the musicians were smiling throughout the recording sessions, and where the expression 'cool vibes' actually was true. I really enjoyed Average White Cats, a rather cool jazz punning title in itself, but this album is chock full of melody and good rhythms - ideal for attracting the ears of anyone who doesn't think they like jazz. This is a winner in my view and I have no hesitation ranking this happy album as one of the best of the year [so far]!
For more information about this artist and album and availability visit:
www.lostworldmusic.com
Roberto Badoglio - Re-evaluation Time (Spice-Rack Records SR101-17)
Reviewed by: John M. Peters
Those of you who still mourn the demise of pioneering 70's jazz fusion band Weather Report - rejoice! Bassist Roberto Badoglio's new album Re-evaluation Time should appeal to you. It pretty much picks up the baton of jazz fusion/funk and brings it into the contemporary world.
Lacking any brass or woodwind instrumentation, this new album focuses on the bass of Mr Badoglio and the keyboards of Steve Hunt, ably supported by the occasional drums of Marty Richards. For what at times is a very sparse line-up of musicians the sound is big and quite beefy. I think Mr Badoglio is using one of those fretless basses, so his fingers are all over the place, creating vibrant rhythmic soundscapes for the keyboards to glide over the top of. On top of that the largely self-composed tracks have some decent tunes bursting out from the virtuosic chops on display. Think of a Jaco Pastorious-led Weather Report and you have some idea of how Re-evaluation Time sounds. There are eleven tracks with evocative titles such as Scirocco's Theory, Bruce Wayne On The Run, Essaouira Market, Perfect Landing, The Song Of The Wine, The Wind And The Roses. Jazz fusion went out of fashion in the late 80's, nut here is proof that it still lives on and in the hands of this young bassist still has a future.
For more information about this artist and album and availability visit:
www.robertobadoglio.com
Fred Fried and Core
Ballet Tree ProductionsWith the release of CORE 3.0 Fred Fried debuts his new group, CORE and his new custom 8-string guitar. This is certainly not Fried's first album. He has recorded a number of trio albums with such jazz luminaries such as Michael Moore, Steve LaSpina and Billy Drummond. In fact his 2005 recording When Winter Comes, with LaSpina and Drummond featured a string orchestra arranged by Richard DeRosa and was cited by Jazziz Magazine as one of the best acoustic guitar recordings of the year. He has been lauded by many publications including Downbeat, Jazz Times and Twentieth Century Guitar.
Core 3.0 represents the first recording featuring Fred's new 8-string guitar. "I was inspired," Fred stated, " by the sound of the great (classical guitarist) Paul Galbraith and his 8-string. I had heard other 8-strings but whereas most add two lower bass strings, Galbraith's had a low A below the low E and a high A above the high E. To me this made perfect sense since it would enable me to produce chord voicings on the high end without sacrificing the bass. Steve Connor custom made this beautiful instrument for me and it's been the perfect logical next step of my musical journey."
Originally from New York City and now residing in New England Fred decided that for this new cd he would rather use local players and thereby have a trio that could gig and record and most of all grow. Fred continues," I had done many gigs with (bassist) Michael Lavoie and I knew that I wanted him in the trio. He has the chops and conception to handle anything I throw at him. He always has great ideas and he's fun to work with." (Drummer) Miki Matsuki is rapidly becoming one of the most in demand musicians in the Boston area. "She started playing with my group at Bubala's in Provincetown and everyone, not least of all me, was 'knocked out.' It wasn't long before I knew that I could have a trio that musically could go anywhere. I would predict that both Mike and Miki will soon be attracting national attention."
 Sylvia BennettSmile Out Of Sight - 2010Cole Porter once asked, "What Is This Thing Called Love," and it's a question that many of our greatest artists have grappled with ever since - creating some of America's most enduring and timeless music in the process. Sylvia Bennett is always looking for ways to keep the great standards alive. On her new album Smile, Sylvia and her long-time producer, Hal Batt, knew they had something special brewing when they decided to take love songs from the American songbook and give them a twist. They wanted to do something different so they chose to divert from her other albums featuring horns and make it a little more lush with natural strings giving it a softer side. The Italian born and American raised Bennett is a singer's singer, having sung on TV, in community theater, club dates, conventions and even the inaugurations of presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Walking in the footsteps of her idols such as Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Barry Manilow and Bette Midler, Sylvia has opened for artists as diverse as Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Jackie Mason, Dizzy Gillespie, Barry Gibb and David Brenner. Her big break came in the 1980's, when legendary vibraphonist (and National Arts Award Winner) Lionel Hampton took Sylvia under his wing and made her the first female singer to record with him in thirty years. She recounts, "Lionel validated me as a performer and inspired me to be the best singer I can be. He made me realize that the audience was the most important thing and that all I needed to do was to sing from the heart and be honest." Sylvia worked with Hampton for ten years, touring and recording two albums together. The first, Sentimental Journey, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1987. The second project, There Will Never Be Another You, was a CD/DVD tribute to "Hamp" from Sylvia, and she furthered the honor to her mentor with the show, "The Lady and the Legend," premiering in Miami in 2007. Songs From The Heart featuring the Three Tenors (tenor saxophone legends Boots Randolph, Ed Calle and Kirk Whalum) emerged in the wake of Sylvia's tribute to Hampton. Hal Batt suggested that she record timeless love songs and standards, backed by a small band to convey the desired intimacy. Smile is a collection of wonderful standards, recognizable, but all with a new flair to appeal to a broader audience. The flavors are bossa novas, boleros and a new hybrid merengue. Inspiration came from a history of enjoying the styles of Sergio Mendez and Wes Montgomery. The music is grooving with luscious percussion and masterful guitar. The richness of the beautiful strings touches the heart. Two bonus tracks are included one a Spanish version of Smile and a smooth pop version of Look of Love. |
 Carol Morgan TrioOpening Blue Bamboo - 2010Opening, a new release from the Carol Morgan Trio, is the result of a booking at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola last January. Todd Barkan, of Jazz at Lincoln Center, had asked Carol to bring her group to the venue for a week of After Hours sets with the two stipulations of there being no piano available (Lou Donaldson's group was playing the featured sets, and the Hammond B-3 necessarily filled up the available space on stage for any type of keyboard), and an awareness of Jazz at Lincoln Center's celebration of Blue Note Records 70th anniversary. Poised for performing 'sans keys' from her previous outing, Classic Morgana, Carol sought counsel regarding performing at Jazz at Lincoln Center from her friend, altoist Sharel Cassity. Cassity suggested, "You're booked at Dizzy's. Start at the top of the list and call who ever you've always wanted to play with." Proceeding forward in good faith, Carol made only two calls. Later that day, her dream band came to fruition with enthusiastic confirmation calls from both Harvie S and Rich DeRosa. She explains, "they are both wonderful players and people. Obviously I lavished the opportunity to play with the best musicians available, but I also wanted people who would embrace my ideas and make it relaxed, but challenging fun. Having worked previously with both Harvie and Richie, I knew that their energy and love would make this project feel great." And so it did. The trio focused their repertoire development on unique arrangements of classics from Blue Note's heyday in the 1950's and 60's - including a couple of Lou Donaldson's tunes, as a tribute to their stage mate at the venue. Carol reports, "I was a little nervous about playing Mr. Donaldson's tunes with him being right there. He's someone you can trust to tell it like it is, you know (smiles). I can't even explain my disbelief when after clicking off 'Midnight Creeper' on the third night, I opened my eyes to see Sweet Papa Lou strutting slowly by and grinning. I just stopped mid-solo to lean into the mic and thank him for existing." Following the last set of their debut week at Dizzy's, Carol reports a brief back stage conversation. "Naturally, there were hugs and congratulations, but then Richie says, 'So - what's next?' And Harvie abruptly declared, 'We've got to record this!' So, I knew what needed to happen, and very fortunately, who to call. Chris Cortez, of Blue Bamboo Music, had previously alluded to an interest in working with me on a recording project. I contacted him right away and we started to plan for what would become Opening." |
CD Reviews: Kat Walker' Jazz Skat Gumbo'
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 By Geannine ReidJazz Skat Gumbo is heaping with generous portions of the jazz tradition from the mother city of New Orleans. Vocalist Kat Walker is the extraordinary spice within this spicy gumbo. Kat Walker’s new CD, Jazz Skat Gumbo, is a collection of 14 traditional standards performed with some of the best New Orleans jazz musicians on the jazz scene today. A gumbo could not cook to its perfection without proper ingredients. The first ingredient in the gumbo is, “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” and it is the spicy meat base in this gumbo, and there are plenty of large chunks to sink your teeth into. Kat’s gritty vocals are unique and very inviting and when she adds her unique scatting flavor, Kat’s scatting brings each track to its true vibrancy. Saxophonist Dominick Grillo compliments Kat’s adventurous vocal flavor. Pianist Bart Ramsey marinates the mix with a traditional stride piano style and it’s a befitting overtone throughout the CD. Sample his distinctive flavor “I Got Rhythm,” un “dat good eatin dhere!” Drummer Dennis O’Toole and bassist Spike Perkins add the garnish to this delightful offering. Jazz Skat Gumbo is a satisfying, mouth watering meal of traditional jazz. The N’awlings spice just makes the meal even more satisfying. Kat, the chef in this fun filled fancy, adds a surprise spice to each song that keeps the taste fresh and moving forward on this collection of well-known selections. |
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Lin McPhillips spent 35 years in the Bay Area singing jazz, and she did a stint in the 1970s and ’80s with the jazz fusion group Solar Plexus, where she used synthesizers and electronics to create wordless vocals, becoming in effect a co-soloist with the other band members. McPhillips, who now resides in the Pacific Northwest, took 20 years off from performing so she could raise a family and teach singing, but she’s returned full force with My Shining Hour, a collection of 11 tracks of traditional vocal jazz.
Her version of Russ Freeman’s "The Wind," a song covered by a number of jazz instrumentalists and by singer June Christy, is light, with woodwinds setting the tone. McPhillips grabs the tune, singing it with a winning confidence and a playful feel for the bossa nova rhythm. Her scat singing leads to a nicely developed guitar solo by Scott Sorkin, who arranged well over half the disc and whose solos are consistently impressive.
McPhillips dedicates a medley of Ellington’s "I Don’t Miss You" and "Solitude" to her father, and she sings it accompanied only by a piano for most of the tune. Her vocal control, along with her understated emotion, lets the beauty of the two songs carry her along. McPhillips caresses the melodies of the songs on My Shining Hour and lets the lyrics lead her emotions. She never lets her technique overpower a song’s story. Consequently, I found her straight singing preferable to her scat singing, which is sometimes multi-tracked and otherwise enhanced.
The musicianship throughout My Shining Hour is of the first order, and the recording is outstanding. Woodwinds and keyboards sound natural and resonant, bits of percussion are solidly placed, and McPhillips is strikingly present in the room. I hope this is the beginning of a long return to music for her.
Accompanied by seven musicians, the set is a classy but easygoing one. Things begin with "It Could Happen to You" (the standard by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen) and we can immediately tell that she's got things in control, taking some liberties with the song in ways that feel fresh and free. It's not just change for the sake of being different. "Teach Me Tonight" is good example of how Miss Porter is sly and sultry without putting on attitude and trying to be a seductress or femme fatale or cutesy or blatantly lusty-needy, but she's appealingly coy in a way that doesn't cloy. She has some fun with the playfulness of the Sammy Cahn lyric while toying more with the Gene DePaul melody. And she can swing.
Another plus: she's a songwriter, with two of her examples here showing promise, unusual in approach just like the songstress herself. Her title song is slightly funky as she paints the scene of a woman at her piano while a lover is outside throwing little rocks at her window to get her attention. Delightfully droll! "Never Telling Me You Loved Me," the other original, is more serious yet offhand as she acknowledges that she's "breaking my own heart" while waking up and smelling the coffee of an unrequited love. But it's still a breezy approach. I would like to hear her dig into something more in the future. And I think she might have a bright one.
There's a confidence that is not at all showy but she's in the zone—the comfort zone—and at home in different tempi and can even hold her own in "Moody's Mood for Jazz," the vocal version of James Moody's improvisation on the old song "I'm in the Mood for Love," with bits of the original lyric and flights of fancy and Moody-ness. It's more a one-size-fits-all thing, but tasty in that ambiance, and with sure laidback musicianship that all invites return visits to the CD player.
Before the latest CD had a title, it was being referred to just as the “bossa project.” That could have well been the name.
The vocalist and her longtime producer, Hal Batt, move away from their other albums by incorporating touches of bossa nova and bolero to the numbers. They walk a fine line, adding enough new elements to make the songs fresh while keeping them recognizable.
Smile also moves away from the horns that were part of the singer’s earlier albums, opting instead for a more gentle and lush sound with the help of strings.
People who don’t like Latin music shouldn’t be afraid. The flavors are there but are not overpowering. Even with the changes, there is no mistaken that this is Bennett’s show. Her smooth, assured vocals remain the focus.
While Sinatra infused “Witchcraft” with his typical swagger, Bennett strikes a more mellow tone as her vocals float above the percussion in the shimmery new arrangement.
The CD opens and closes with the Bacharach-David classic “Look of Love.” The opening version sets the tone with its easy Latin vibe. A “smooth pop” version closes the 14-track album.
In between, Bennett delivers “The Very Thought of You,” “Night and Day,” “Fly Me To The Moon,” and other classics. There is both an English and Spanish version of the Charlie Chaplin-penned title track.
There’s plenty to smile about here.
YUKO ITO
Mania De Você
(Funny Baby Face Records)
A native of Tokyo, Japan, Yuko Ito started her early music career when she founded the female rock band "Sissy Boy" in Tokyo and produced two CDs– Marcy's Factory, and Kick Off Boys. In 1994, she relocated to the U.S. to continue her music education, earning a degree from the City College of New York in jazz vocal performance. The young vocalist's latest release documents her evolution, from her previously rebellious rock attitude to her current artistic maturity, derived from the songstress' immersion in the passionately rhythmic world of Brazilian music. Mania De Vocêis a warm collection of Brazilian standards penned by a wide range of illustrious composers, such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Djavan, Luiz Gonzaga, Rita Lee, Carlinhos Brown and Baden Powell. All selections deliver a provocative testament that exudes romance and joy to its listeners. Backed by an all-star band led by Itaiguara Brandão (guitar/bass), Yuko Ito is also accompanied by Oriente López (Fender Rhodes/flute), Cidinho Teixeira (piano), Mauricio Zottarelli (drums), Aaron Heick (saxophone), and percussionists Café and Davi Vieira. Singing from the heart, she weaves a beautiful musical tapestry full of infectious rhythms and uplifting arrangements. Standouts include the selections Berimbau, Dindi and the title track (Mania De Você). —Rudy Mangual
If all this sounds as if it were a monumental Grecian operatic narrative it almost is, except that in the case of Greves' "Face of Love," its story is fused into a molten mix of the Great American Songbook couched in a slow, sullen swing, as it bumps and grinds, and rubs elbows with jazz's animated idiom. Greves' story of love tumbles down in short bursts of intense, almost in-the-moment energy, and feelings that are wrung out of the lyric line of each melody as the vocalist infuses the characters in each song with his own, deep interpretation. Beginning with the Duke Ellington/
Soon, of course, the storm of the relationship develops and the aching vocals capture the spirit of Greves' lonely feelings through masterful renditions of "Everything I Have Is Yours," "It Was Written In The Stars," "Alone Together" and two beautifully handled Billy Strayhorn charts. In the first, "My Flame Burns Blue" Greves sings the lyric interpretation by Elvis Costello of Strayhorn's "Blood Count," recreating the most definitive version of this song and the elementally sad, "
However, it is the sympathetic manner in which vocalist and pianist dance to each other's tunes that makes this artistic relationship a memorable one. In this regard, Hanley and Greves recall the wonderful partnership between
Track listing: Daydream; A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square; Where Have You Been?; You Stepped Out of a Dream/Dearly Beloved; Everything I have Is Yours; I Thought About You/My One & Only Love; Witchcraft/ That Old Magic; It Was Written In The Stars; Alone Together; My Flame Burns Blue; Day In, Day Out; There's a Lull in My Life; Chelsea Bridge; Someone to Light Up My Life; Don't Look Back; By Myself.
Personnel: Ken Greves: vocals; Wells Hanley: piano; Tom Hubbard: bass; Jacob Melchoir: drums.
Having gotten past his album's curious name, it's time to enjoy the music. This is sensuous, swaggering music whose performers wrap their ideas and phrases around hot, liquid guitar lines chasing Lehman's trumpet, which varies from husky to bright to burnished as it flutters skyward. The performers are harmonically opposed to each other like voices dissonant in their very symmetry, or dancers winding and unwinding, twirling in curvilinear filigreed patterns. The true nature of the tenor saxophone is revealed in tumbling, urban metaphors, raw and intoxicated and in stark raving counterpoint to the trumpet. The piano and organ are heard, playing ecclesiastically to a congregation of the funky faithful. Hard-driving bass and subtly shaded percussion creating a visual aura for the music as it turns colors and stellar shades of soulful timbers, alive and revved up instrumentally—or, in the case of "More Than You Know" and "Is This Love?," vocalized by the plaintive voice of bassist Mark D'Agostino.
Best of all, every chart is wonderfully crafted in the classic 32-bar—and in some cases several measures more—soul song. It's Motown revisited, the Motown of Marvin Gaye and The Four Tops, with a touch of the cool West Coast of Roy Ayers and, sometimes,
Led by Christopher who? No, not the banker's brother, but a fine musician who has written every chart on this album and is surely going places. And the oddly named Popjazzic will be remembered as the one that had every fine reason for getting him there.
Track listing: Well Funk Me Up!!!; Midnight Breeze; The Party Grind; More Than You Know; Boogaloo For Dexter; Whatcha Doin'?; Is This Love; Caribbean Coffee; Chasing The Dragon; The Diesel Train.
Personnel: Christopher Lehman: trumpet; James Davis: tenor saxophone; Charles Carrington: piano, organ; Richard Cohen: guitar; Buddy Booker: bass guitar; Brandon Lewis: drums, percussion; Tami Shoji: piano, organ (9, 10); Agi Obato: guitar (9, 10); Norm Lotz: bass guitar (9, 10); Bryant Dupree: drums (9, 10); Frank D'Agostino: vocals, bass guitar (4, 7); Rusty Cloud: piano (4, 7); Paul Lavant: guitar (4, 7); James Clouse: drums (4, 7), saxophone solo (7).
Style: Hot Jazz
| TW | LW | Artist | CD Title | Label | Location | |
| 1 | 3 | MOSE ALLISON | THE WAY OF THE WORLD | ANTI- | CA | |
| 2 | 1 | CATHERINE RUSSELL | INSIDE THIS HEART OF MINE | WORLD VILLAGE | NY | |
| 3 | 4 | EHUD ASHERIE | MODERN LIFE | POSI-TONE | ||
| 4 | 17 | TROMBONE SHORTY | BACKATOWN | VERVE FORECAST | LA | |
| 5 | 6 | DAVE LEMIEUX & HOUSE OF SOUL | JAZZ SHAPED. RECORDED LIVE AT THE SOILED DOVE | SELF | CO | |
| 6 | 7 | NICKI PARROTT AND ROSSANO SPORTIELLO | DO IT AGAIN | ARBORS JAZZ | ITALY | |
| 7 | 13 | MICHAEL PAGAN | THREE FOR THE AGES | CAPRI | ||
| TW | LW | Artist | CD Title | Label | Location | |
| 1 | 3 | MOSE ALLISON | THE WAY OF THE WORLD | ANTI- | CA | |
| 2 | 1 | CATHERINE RUSSELL | INSIDE THIS HEART OF MINE | WORLD VILLAGE | NY | |
| 3 | 4 | EHUD ASHERIE | MODERN LIFE | POSI-TONE | ||
| 4 | 17 | TROMBONE SHORTY | BACKATOWN | VERVE FORECAST | LA | |
| 5 | 6 | DAVE LEMIEUX & HOUSE OF SOUL | JAZZ SHAPED. RECORDED LIVE AT THE SOILED DOVE | SELF | CO | |
| 6 | 7 | NICKI PARROTT AND ROSSANO SPORTIELLO | DO IT AGAIN | ARBORS JAZZ | ITALY | |
| 7 | 13 | MICHAEL PAGAN | THREE FOR THE AGES | CAPRI | ||
| 8 | 2 | JEFF HEALEY | LAST CALL | STONY PLAIN | CANADA | |
| 9 | 0 | TRACY KASH THOMAS | SOUND TRUTH | SELF | MI | |
| 10 | 21 | JACKIE RYAN | BEST OF LOVE SONGS | OPEN ART PRODUCTIONS | ||
| 11 | 14 | THE INTERVENTION BAND | HOMEY | INDIE | ||
| 12 | 19 | STEVE HOBBS | VIBES, STRAIGHT UP | CHALLENGE | FL | |
| 13 | 5 | JOSH RZEPKA | MIDWEST COAST | INDIE | OH | |
| 14 | 25 | JOHN BASILE | NO APOLOGIES | STRING TIME | HI | |
| 15 | 12 | JOHN STEIN | RAISING THE ROOF | WHALING CITY SOUND | MO | |
| 16 | 30 | LIN MCPHILLIPS | MY SHINING HOUR | INDIE | ||
