reviews
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Review: David Sanborn – Closer
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When I first saw that the new release from David Sanborn, Closer, identically follows the formula from his last release, I was going to write that he’s applying the if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it approach. Closer has the same players, producer, and the same ratio of known, not-so-known, and original Sanborn compositions. I…
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Review: Jason Miles – Miles To Miles
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Jason Miles has put together an awesome contemporary jazz recording to help start 2005 in a kick-ass fashion. His Miles To Miles recording is “in the spirit of Miles Davis.” It’s not an album of covers of Miles’ tunes (except for “Flamenco Sketches”). The songs are influenced by Miles’ life or sound. For example, he…
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Review: End of the World Party (Just In Case) by Medeski, Martin and Wood
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I’ve been listening to modern jazz for years. Naturally I knew of Medeski, Martin and Wood. They’ve received good press but I’d never heard anything that I enjoyed. However, I never gave up on finding what MMW fans were talking about. My patience has paid off with their new release, the memorably titled End of…
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Review: Dianne Reeves – Christmas Time Is Here
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I’ve always thought jazz is the best genre for Christmas music. The intimacy of the jazz trio especially can make for some of the most enjoyable music of the holiday season. Multi-Grammy winning vocalist Dianne Reeves proves this on her first seasonal recording Christmas Time Is Here. With the exception of a small number of…
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Review: Spirit of the Season from Hiroshima
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Even though Hiroshima had songs on a couple of Windham Hill holiday compilations, Spirit of the Season is the first full holiday release from the band. After listening to this 11-song collection, I’m ready for the sequel. This is an excellent holiday recording and makes me wonder why they haven’t done it before. June Kuramoto’s…