Putamayo Kids Presents
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John Pizzarelli
Rockin in Rhythm
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Michael J. Thomas
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City Beat:
City Beat is an instrumental R&B-pop collection that chronicles Thomas' Joyful discovery, eager exploration and adventurous wanderings in sprawling metropolises such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles a...
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Ray Charles
Genius Hits the ...
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Hiromi
Place To Be
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Jamie Cullem
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The Pursuit:
Acclaimed by critics as Jamie Cullum's strongest album to date, 'The Pursuit' finds the Essex-born crossover jazz pianist in eclectic mood. This follow-up to 2005's 'Catching Tales' was recorded at his home studio as well as...
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Allen Toussaint
Live @ Scullers Jazz Club
Boston - August 20, 2009 Matt Robinson
"Hello, Second Setters!" ... Cordial and audience aware, songwriter / arranger / producer / snappy dresser Allen Toussaint took the later night Boston audience through a whirlwind tour of songs he wrote/arranged/produced and even a few he didn't but "wished I had."
Starting off with the patriotically fraternal ballad "We Are America," Toussaint accelerated through "Yes We Can Can" to see if his enrapt audience could keep up (and they did!). more >>
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Kat Walker
Jazz Skat Gumbo
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Gretchen Parlato
In A Dream
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John Secada
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Expressions:
Expressions: The Jazz Album is a heartfelt collection of new songs, classic standards and Secada hits - all with a twist and Jon's own jazz-flavored arrangements. Songs include the evergreen favor...
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Marcus Johnson
Poetically Justi...
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Wayne Wallace
¡Bien Bien!
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Mose Allison
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Way of the World:
From the cerebral reconstruction of the Blues classic "My Babe" called "My Brain" to the bouncy anti-apology "I Know You Didn't Mean It," the brilliant no Blues rocker "I'm Alright," and the...
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Jane Monheit
@ George Weins Jazz Fest
Newport, RI - August 8, 2009 Matt Robinson
"Pretty much everything I do is a great standard, isn't it?" With a confident self-summary like that, Jane Monheit left little for we reviewers to say. By staying silent, however, we were able to better appreciate the building subtelties of her set.
Though the vocal angles of the starting songs like a vibratoed "Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" and a horn-helped meander through Jobim's "So Tinha de Ser Com Voce" were a bit sharp at times, causing Monheit's early attempts at scat to fall into the cracks, by the time she mixed tempos for "Myself Alone," not even the off-tempo backup "beep" of a backstage diesel truck could distract the enraptured audience too much. more >>
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Anne Drummond
Like Water
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John Stein
Raising The Roof
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Le Kat
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Boudoir Rouge:
Opening with an inviting trip back in time to a Paris café, "Best I Ever Had" is a vocally ethereal song of amorous desire paced by lilting guitar progressions. Penned by Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, "I Need A Man" is a...
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Chet Baker
Essential Standa...
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Putamayo Presents
Jazz Around The ...
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Christian Scott
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Yesterday You Said Tomorrow:
Yesterday You Said Tomorrow references a saying that Scott's grandfather would use to emphasize the importance of recognizing the work at hand and making the most of the available time to complete it. Aided by ...
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Slimpocket
Live @ McGanns
Boston - August 7, 2009 Matt Robinson
"Let me tell you a story." ... So began the two-fisted lyrical attack at the front of Boston-area- based "4 R" band Slimpocket. Mxing Rock, Reggae, Rap and R&B, the talented sextet offered a wide range of sounds and styles that occasionally mashed but most of mixed quite nicely.
Combining drug references with heartfelt explorations of love and loss, from the chimey Rick James-ian "One" and the Derringer-meets-DMC mix of "Dollars" to the melodic rap-topped metal of "Listen," the repetitive dance hall dance cal of "Gimme What You Got" and the romantic "Reflection," the band pulled a lot of influences out of their (slim) pocket while keeping the groove deep in it. more >>
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The Roy Hargrove Quintet
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Lin Rountee
Sumthin' Good
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Walter Beasley
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Free Your Mind:
We live in challenging times. Every day, the headlines warn us of - pick one - an unsettling economic upheaval, a precarious balance of world power, a life-threatening dose of nature's fury, a contentious season of political...
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Spyro Gyra
Down The Wire
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Tim Collins
Fade
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Paul Jackson, Jr.
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Lay It Back:
Lay It Back is Paul Jackson Jr.'s 7th solo CD and first for the new Independent label Branch Records. The players include Patrice Rushen on piano, Bobby Lyle, Ale...
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Anita Baker
Live @ Spirit Mountain
July 17, 2009 Carmen Miller
She's still got it! Anita Baker showed up in full form at the Spirit Mountain Casino showplace and put on the show that we came to see. She was maybe a couple of years older and a couple of pounds heavier (who isn't?) but still performing with the same vivacity, energy and passion that she brought to the stage 10 years ago.
The band was fabulous. Lead by her musical director Ray Chew and held down by former Roy Ayers drummer Ricky Lawson, the band played the songs beautifully, rolling and riding along right in stride with Anita as she soared and swooped her way through most of the songs the audience came for. more >>
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Luba Mason
Krazy Love
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Gary Burton, Steve Swallow, Pat Me...
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Cynthia Scott
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Dream for One Bright World:
Sweet, soulful, sassy and soothing are but a few ways to describe Cynthia Scott's latest release titled DREAM FOR ONE BRIGHT WORLD. The celebrated vocalist whose vocal artistry encompasses "the swing of jazz, the soul ...
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Babatunde Lea
Umbo Weti: A Tri...
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The James Moody and Hank Jones Qua...
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Cassandra Wilson
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Loverly:
LOVERLY is Cassandra Wilson's exceptional new CD on Blue Note. She dusts off 11 great standards and captures the relaxed nature of the recording sessions via her sultry, smoky vocals and the in-the-pocket playing of he...
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SMV
Live @ House of Blues
Boston - June 11, 2009 Matt Robinson
"This is history!" said bass master Stanley Clarke.
And so it was- For where else could one experience a live performance by three of the greatest living bass players (accompanined by scores of air bassists) together on stage in every combiation of acoustic and electric, jazz and funk imaginable?
But here it was- This was SMV!
In addition to strummer Stanley (who is the "S" of the trio's title), there was also snap-master Marcus Miller (Miles davis, Luther Vandross, etc.) and junior partner Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones). more >>
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Lisa Hilton
Sunny Day Theory
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Kyle Eastwood
Metropolitan
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Kim Pensyl
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When Katie Smiles:
Blessed with a bountiful life of jazz, music, love, family and education, pianist Kim Pensyl united his passions in a celebration of intimately inspired melodies and robust rhythm tracks on his fourteenth album, When...
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Eldar
Virtue
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Simon C.F. Yu
Exotic Species
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Anna Maria Flechero
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Within the Fourteenth Hour:
This CD features well-known pop and jazz standards and one original by Anna Maria. Even though this CD touches on the well-known, Anna Maria masterfully articulates each storyline with unique delivery and original...
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