contemporary jazz
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Valley Voice Debut Recording
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Toronto saxophonist and composer Harrison Argatoff has launched a new quartet, Valley Voice, whose debut album Stars, Engines was recently released on Elastic Recordings. The group – featuring vibraphonist Michael Davidson, bassist Dan Fortin, and drummer Ian Wright – embodies more than just a meeting of accomplished Canadian jazz musicians. At its heart, Valley Voice…
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Bob James – Morning, Noon & Night
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[ Morning, Noon & Night by Bob James was released September 24, 2002. This was the original 2002 press release. ] Sometimes it’s the quiet revolutions that change things the most… Bob James knows this. Along with being a superlative pianist, composer, and arranger, he’s a musical iconoclast. As one of the creators of the…
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Top Contemporary Jazz Albums – September 15, 1990
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ContemporaryJazz.com is looking back at the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums Chart from 35 years ago. Michael Franks’ 1990 release Blue Pacific glowed with his trademark lyrical cleverness – playful turns of phrase and gentle humor wrapped in breezy storytelling. The album’s uncommon trio of producers: Jeff Lorber, Tommy LiPuma, and Walter Becker (yes, the…
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Kombo Brings the Joy with Pretty Solid
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Kombo – the long-running contemporary jazz duo of Hammond B3 player Ron Pedley and guitarist John Pondel – return with Pretty Solid, their second album for Shanachie. The project highlights the pair’s 40-year musical partnership, first sparked at a Barry Manilow rehearsal in 1984 and strengthened through their time together in the funk-jazz band Uncle…
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Kombo – The Big Blast 1999 Debut Recording
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The Big Blast, the debut album by Kombo, is a rare but welcome musical happening: a “family” affair written, rehearsed, and recorded by two close friends. Propelled by Ron Pedley’s Hammond B3 organ along with vintage keyboards such as the Rhodes and Wurlitzer pianos, and Jon Pondel’s distinctive jazz-tinged guitar playing, The Big Blast recalls…