Album Reviews

Some bands, sadly most bands, will peak in their first few albums, but certain groups just keep getting better. We are blessed that New Orleans

In 2007 singer-saxophonist-accordionist Matt Tolentino formed the Singapore Slingers. A type-of community band based in Dallas, in addition to its leader, the Slingers consist of

The Gramophoniacs present themselves in suit clothes, but not in an overtly vintage style, noddingly so only in the choice of cut. They are one

Some recordings grab listeners from the first note. Lucky Day does just that and never lets go. The Brahmin Bellhops, a group of top classic

We’ve covered the Syncopation Society before. They’re a Berlin based collective of traditional jazz and similar artists working to promote each other. They leverage the

George Barnes (1921-77) was a pioneer of the electric guitar. In fact, he claimed to be utilizing a pickup and an amplifier on his guitar

I love a three-piece jazz combo. More so than a big band, if I’m honest, although saying so feels blasphemous: as a swing dancer, surely

Imagine having Rossano Sportiello drop by your house and spontaneously decide to play your recently-tuned piano in your living room for an hour or so.

Since this album is a “retrospective,” drawing from previously recorded and issued material in the thirty year period 1923-1953, Sidney Bechet devotees will undoubtedly already

Clarence Williams was one of the most prolific bandleaders on record during the 1920s and early ’30s. Not counting sessions recorded using pseudonyms, during 1923-31

Long time readers will know that we’ve been following Colin Hancock for almost all of our five years. Back in 2016 we discovered him as

One of the best known of the British traditional jazz musicians is the late Ken Colyer (1928-1988), and interest in his recorded output has not

Although it was a lucky break when drummer Chick Webb (1905-39) hired Ella Fitzgerald to be his band’s vocalist in 1935, it was his ironic

On this recording we hear Humphrey Lyttelton (1921-2008) being just a little retrospective in that he returns to the style of jazz of his early

I have yet to watch Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix, though I am familiar with August Wilson’s play, have tuned into conversations about the

Full many a flower is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air.  ― Thomas Gray, An Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard

Pianist Chris Hopkins, an American who has spent much of his life based in Germany where he leads Echoes Of Swing, meets up with three

It’s not often a traditional jazz band of conventional size—six or seven pieces, usually—lacks a horn in its front line, but such is the case

Although it was compiled 35 years ago and released by the DRG label, the two-CD set Ridin’ In Rhythm is still difficult to top. At

This CD picks up where the same group’s previous one, Jazz Crusade JCCD3079, left off, the first six tracks here being from that same recording

A highly appealing singer who has overcome some major health problems to make a full comeback, Deborah Silver had strong success with her previous album,

When “Louisiana” and “music” are mentioned in the same breath, for many people the conjunction suggests “jazz.” But Louisiana is also known for bluegrass, blues,

Following the release about a year ago of the CD New Orleans Jazz: Remembering Doug Kennedy, a tribute to their late banjo/guitarist, the West London