Frank Vardaros Jazz Orchestra - My Standards - New Vintage Music Media
Steeped in the rich tradition of a jazz orchestra, and guided by the legacies of Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Count Basie, and many others. Internationally renowned trumpeter Vardaros simulates the brilliance of this music and rivals his contemporaries while providing the modern reincarnation of the great jazz orchestras. My Standards showcases the orchestra on a journey through big band jazz.
Terry Gibbs Dream Band - From 1959 - Vol.7: The Lost Tapes - WCS
Most of us might consider relaxing while getting ready for our one-hundredth birthday, but Terry Gibbs has recently put together a remarkable new live CD by his six-time Grammy-nominated big band. “Vol. 7: The Lost Tapes, 1959” by the Terry Gibbs Dream Band, is a remarkable recording by an exciting band at the peak of its performance. These recently discovered tracks, recorded by legendary engineer Wally Heider in March and November of 1959, are from the same weeks with the same band as the previously available music, but these songs have never been available. Considered one of the best and most exciting big bands ever, the Terry Gibbs Dream Band was made up of stellar Los Angeles players and driven by the energetic and inventive solos of Terry and the force of drummer Mel Lewis. The songs consist of jazz standards and several big band classics, as well as some new numbers. This band had the unusual characteristic of original charts by an amazing array of the best contemporary arrangers, including Al Cohn, Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Holman, Marty Paich, and Med Flory.
Matt Panayides (pa-NEYE-dis) - With Eyes Closed - Pacific Coast Jazz
Matt Panayides is a guitarist who has long had his own style. His harmonically adventurous playing, at times a bit reminiscent of Jim Hall and Pat Martino, is filled with fresh and personal chord voicings. While his previous recording, Field Theory, put the focus on electronics, With Eyes Closed has more of an acoustic sound. This is not only Panayides’ first trio album, but his first to concentrate on jazz standards. Joined by bassist Steve LaSpina and drummer Anthony Pinciotti, Panayides digs into eight songs by six jazz composers (including two apiece by Cedar Walton and Wayne Shorter) plus reinvented versions of three standards. The emphasis is on close interplay between the three musicians with LaSpina and Pinciotti getting a generous amount of solo space and contributing inventive accompaniment behind the guitarist. The veteran songs are transformed into explorative post-bop while retaining the essence of their melodies. Throughout With Eyes Closed, Matt Panayides puts his stamp on jazz standards, showing just how innovative and fresh his playing has become.
Celestial Latitude feat. Frank Gambale - The Haas Company vol 2 - PR&T
Fusion not only lives but thrives on the second classic recording from the Haas Company. Guitarist Frank Gambale teams up with drummer Steve Haas, keyboardist Pete Drungle, and the Haas Company to perform passionate and inventive original music. All Music Composed, Arranged and Produced By Steve Haas–Pete Drungle. Frank Gambale joins Celestial Latitude for a set of stirring music. Gambale, who became famous for his work with Chick Corea’s Elektric Band and his own solo albums, is the lead voice, sharing the solo space with keyboardist Drungle and flying over dense and exhilarating ensembles. Gambale and Drungle are joined by Kirwan Brown, Al MacDowell, or Percy Jones on bass, the forceful drumming of Steve Haas, and occasionally Pete Gallio or Jay Rodriguez on saxophones and rhythm guitarist Samuel Hällkvist. The nine performances on The Haas Company, Vol. 2 mix together the power of rock with adventurous jazz improvisations, raging solos with complex yet catchy rhythm patterns. This is no-holds-barred music that features plenty of colorful interplay between Gambale’s guitar and Drungle’s keyboards while the rhythm section contributes relentless grooves and polyrhythms.
Javon Jackson - Javon and Nikki Go to The Movies - Solid Jackson Records
Internationally acclaimed tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson and world-renowned poet laureate and writer Nikki Giovanni collaborate for a second recording together. This time Nikki selects standards from the Great American Songbook, many of them originally composed for Hollywood classics. But the repertoire this time out draws from a broader range of sources, including three Jackson originals and one from the pen of one of his heroes, Sonny Rollins. The title ends up referring at least as much to the friendship and mutual respect shared by Giovanni and Jackson as it does to the music they’ve chosen to create together.
Cathy Segal-Garcia - Social Anthem vol 2 - Dash Hoffman Music
“I worked on two new recordings over several years (2019 – 2023), with two amazing bands, doing new jazz versions of some of my favorite pop songs from the 60s through the 90s. I’m a child of the 70s, and that generation had a whole lot of love and hope for mankind. We also were touched by horrors that were happening around the world and wanted so much to heal it all. These artists and songs were important for us and spoke to these things. These last few years have rocked our worlds. Between politics, health, racism and unmasking heretofore unimaginable happenings on our planet…I feel very strongly that sentiments in these songs address the state of the world now. I want to share with you what’s in my heart.”
Ginetta's Vendetta - Fun Size - Kickin' Wiccan Music
Triple-Threat female powerhouse Ginetta M. plays Pocket Trumpet, sings, composes and leads her internationally acclaimed band: Ginetta’s Vendetta© around the world as a recognized UNESCO Jazz Ambassador. She is continually spreading the Gospel of Jazz, what she calls: “America’s Greatest Export”, through festivals, tours, gigs, workshops, podcasts and more. This Alumna of North Texas State University is unstoppable and consistently redefining musical and professional boundaries. On her 6th CD as a bandleader: “Fun Size”, she features a stellar line up of NYC’s best musicians which includes Jon Davis on Piano, Danny Walsh on Tenor & Soprano Sax, Marcello Pellitteri on Drums, Belden Bullock on Bass and Ginetta M. on Pocket Trumpet & Vocals. She is also the arranger on all the tunes, as well as composer on two of the selections!
Shelly Berg Trio – Alegria - Artist Share
Shelly Berg’s new recording Alegría [pronounced “Ah-lay-GRI-ah”] is aptly titled with the Spanish word for happiness. It is described as “buoyant joy” by JazzViews. Berg is a multi-Grammy-nominated arranger and orchestrator who has recorded with Arturo Sandoval, Gloria Estefan, and Dee Dee Bridgewater, and his arrangements on this new project as leader are similarly stellar. The album opens with “Home with You” showcasing Berg’s highly creative Cuban-born trio collaborators Carlitos Del Puerto (bass) and Dafnis Prieto (drums). Featuring jazz trio-playing at its finest, their incredible interplay is also beautifully displayed on “Marina Sunset,” and the title track “Alegría.” Berg’s delicate original “At Last” elicits gorgeous solos by Berg and Del Puerto. Special guest tenor saxophonist Melvin Butler is featured on the bluesy “Meatballs and Apple Pie” as well as the blazing “Red Rocks, Tall Cactus,” inspired by a spellbinding visit to the Grand Canyon. “The Joy” celebrates fond memories of childhood, followed by the effervescent “Bliss” that ends with an extraordinary cymbal solo by Prieto. The trio’s touching “When Next We Meet” is followed by a unique arrangement of Lennon & McCartney’s “I’ll Follow the Sun,” and the album closes with “Somewhere” by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
Hyeseon Hong (pronounced hay-son · hong) – Things Will Pass – Pacific Grove Jazz
As one of the first Korean jazz composers to transplant herself from Seoul to the New York city jazz scene, Hyeseon Hong emerged with her large ensemble performing in now defunct clubs in the East Village. These early experiments in Korean jazz fusion eventually led to the creation of her big band, which has since performed all over NYC from Birdland to the Jazz Gallery. Following the release of her first recording EE YA GI, Things Will Pass highlights the next step in Hong’s compositional evolution. With her deeper dive into the American songbook and theater work, she has also refined her approach to harmonic and rhythmic Korean/western fusion. Her personal reflection and resilience after a major loss, are the main themes of Things Will Pass. Helping Hong craft those evocative sound pictures are some of New York City’s finest musicians who comprise the Jazz Orchestra. They include: tenor saxophonists Perry and Quintin Nachoff; alto, baritone and soprano saxophonists Alejandro Aviles, Andrew Hadro and Ben Kono; David Smith on trumpet and flugelhorn; trombonist Mike Fahie; guitarist Matt Panayides, pianist Broc Hempel and vocalist Aubrey Johnson.
Misha Tsiganov - Painter of Dreams - Criss Cross
On Misha Tsiganov’s fifth album, Painter of Dreams, he features two highly reworked standards along with six recent melody-forward compositions, to which Tsiganov applies his signature blend of radical reharmonization, mixed meters, shifting tempos, and changing keys. Otherwise, this ambitious recital documents several “firsts.” For one thing, Tsiganov expands beyond the saxophone-trumpet- piano-bass-drums format, scoring five of the eight selections for either three or four horns. For another, he broadens his tonal palette beyond the almost entirely acoustic soundscape of his prior Criss Cross oeuvre, liberally weaving the Rhodes and Minimoog into the flow, as well as the preternaturally flexible voice of Hiske Oosterwijk, who also contributes two lyrics. Also, for the first time as a leader, Tsiganov augments the luminous trumpeter-flugelhornist (and 13-time Criss Cross leader) Alex Sipiagin on the front line with alto sax titan Miguel Zenón, who plays for the entirety of the proceedings, and – on three pieces – the transcendent Chris Potter on tenor and soprano saxophones.