By Dee Dee McNeil
May 1, 2026
CYGER & BUTTERWORTH – “PLAID PANTS” – Outrageous8 Records
Ron Cyger, saxophones/flute/composer; Brent Butterworth, double bass/guitar/ukulele/ percussion/composer; Dimitris Terpizis & Leo Oliveira, drums; Larry Salzman, bongos.
Ron Cyger has been busy on the Los Angeles jazz scene for years and Brent Butterworth has also performed with several L.A. music groups and in the Seattle area. Their album, “Plaid Pants” documents a true compositional partnership, combining two distinct writing voices, each contributing four original tunes. This is a unique duo production.
The two friends and talented musicians invite three percussionists to join them. The first tune composed by Ron Cyger is titled “Pequeña Diabla” that translates to “Little Devil” and on this Latin arrangement, Brent Butterworth is playing percussion and also adding bass, rhythm guitar and ukulele. Cyger’s smooth saxophone delivers the beautiful melody and the party begins.
Their next tune is based in the blues with a shuffle-feel pushing the melody forward. This tune is also penned by Cyger, but has a totally different direction than the first track. Butterworth takes a long bass solo, and this time Dimitris Terzplis adds drum licks to the arrangement. His rhythmic perspective is there, but the main thrust of this tune is presented by the duo headliners themselves.
An original song called “Clunky” was composed by Butterworth. It has a totally different approach than the first two songs. This time Cyger picks up his flute and reminds me just a little bit of the Herbie Mann days in jazz. The sensitivity between these two multi-instrumentalists is obvious. They merge together on this project, a tight consolidation of emotional and musical connection. This album defines them not only as jazz musicians but as collaborators presenting a compositional unit. Their ensemble interplay and sound design is always spotlighting the duo aspect of this music.
Their title tune, “Plaid Pants” reminds me of New Orleans, spicy gumbo and a parade of jazz musicians locked into a celebratory arrangement. This song production features tempo and mood changes, written into an interesting arrangement.
On ”Bye Bye Blue Whale” written by Butterworth who shows off his guitar skills and also accompanies himself on bass. I wonder, in person, how this duo would present their unique sound? Do they pre-record certain instrumentation? About midway through the tune Cyger enters on his soulful saxophone and explores the melody.
Their album ends with a moderate tempo shuffle tune called “LP” and features Larry Salzman on bongos. The melody is infectious and just might have you whistling along.
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JOE HENDERSON – “CONSONANCE” – Resonance Records
Joe Henderson, tenor saxophone/composer; Joanne Brackeen, piano; Steve Rodby, bass; Danny Spencer, drums.
In February of 1978, at Joe Segal’s famed Jazz Showcase in Chicago, saxophone titan, Joe Henderson and his quartet packed the place. Five decades later, this music remains relevant and inspirational. It is still exciting, alive and fierce.
Joe hired Joanne Brackeen as his pianist of choice. She is always a dream to hear and I listen to her in amazement. Joanne Brackeen was a maverick in the jazz world, where few women were gifted enough to accompany someone like Joe Henderson.
“Sometimes he would take a twenty or twenty-five minute solo. To make sure I got equal time, he would leave the stage and walk outside,” Joanne Brackeen recalled the respect and admiration Joe Henderson showed for her talent. “We never talked about the music. What you heard is the way we talked.”
“A lot of club owners would never hire music like ours. I think it was fantastic that Joe Segal had the nerve to hire us,” Joanne Brackeen affirmed.
Joe Segal’s son, Wayne, continues to keep his beloved Jazz Showcase alive and well.
Brackeen was born in California and greatly influenced by Charlie Parker during her early days in Los Angeles. She attended Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. She cut her teeth playing with Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins, Teddy Edwards, and Bobby Hutcherson. In 1965, she moved to New York City.
Joanne Brackeen (Born Joanne Grogan, July 26, 1938)
Also, I am in awe of the speed and excitement Joanne Brackeen puts into every solo. She goes on and on, powerful as a spaceship taking off from Cape Canaveral. She speeds into space without a parachute and takes us with her. How can she play that fast and with such accuracy, I wonder? This album will stop you in your tracks and nail you in place!
Inside this double CD set, there is a wonderful 28-page booklet that tells you private stories of these marvelous musicians, who were at the height of their careers. The first song, “Mr. PC, says it all. It’s a John Coltrane composition and it swings so hard, I could hardly catch my breath. Steve Rodby’s bass is flying right along side of Joe Henderson’s saxophone. I usually refer to a “walking” bass, but in this case, Rodby is definitely flying top speed, prodded by Danny Spencer on drums. Wow! You have just got to hear the speed and dexterity of this music to truly appreciate my description.
This is the music I have loved from teenaged years and beyond. The energy and creativity is spontaneous and unregulated. The moments, like the music, are improvised and fly free. Joe Henderson is playing “live” and he’s doing it his way. There are no studio producers telling him his solo is too long or too short. There is no club owner monitoring his spontaneity. He is a bird flying above the norm, giving praise to Coltrane and all the other inspired musicians who encouraged him to just be himself.
The first disc ends with Charlie Parker’s composition, “Relaxin’ at Camarillo.” This album shows that Joe Henderson had the rare ability to be of his time without being trapped by time. His artistic value is reflected in every song, every arrangement, every second of this recording. I am spellbound!!!
Joanne Brakeen shared that Joe Henderson had a photographic memory. In the accompanying CD booklet she wrote, “Once, when the band went to Europe, I had bought some little Berlitz books for learning different languages. Every time Joe saw me with one of those books, he’d grab it out my hand. But the time we’d finished the tour, he’d learned basic conversation in these various languages”.
“Joe would go right up to the promoters we had to deal with for tour business and talk to them all in the appropriate language and with perfect pronunciation. On one of our tours, I counted 17 different languages. Each promoter was astounded at hearing Joe speak their language with them with no accent,” Brackeen recalled, still in awe of Joe Henderson’s abilities.
The California born and bred pianist recalled, “Joe was also a pianist. He knew exactly what he wanted to hear. … When we were in Istanbul, some musicians told us where a local jazz club was. One afternoon, we decided to check it out and upon arriving there, we found Joe Henderson seated at the piano playing wi6th local musicians,” Joanne Brackeen recalled.
On this album, his band is as innovative and timeless as the music they play. This double-set album continues to remind the world of Joe Henderson’s energy, excellence and jazz musicality.
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FAYE CAROL – “FOREVER DYNAMIC” – Getdown Records
Faye Carol, vocals; Joe Warner, piano/musical director; Tarus Mateen, upright bass; Dennis Chambers & Dante Roberson, drums.
Faye Carol has been beloved in the San Francisco Bay Area for decades. Her liner notes display highly respected names in the music business singing her praises. Folks like Ledisi, Patti Cathcart of Tuck & Patti, bassist Buster Williams, drummer, Billy Hart and the legendary Benny Green. These artists all speak highly of this vocalist and trend-setter. Within a 20-song collection, captured on a double cd release package, Faye Carol showcases her unique interpretation of fusion, funk, jazz, blues and gospel-infused classics.
This dynamic vocalist arrived in the Bay Area from Mississippi in her early teens. She recorded her debut release in 1967 when 45rpm records were still spinning on turn tables. It was an R&B record called “Good Man” that was steeped in the blues.
Faye Carol’s repertoire on this album is a conglomeration of songs from jazz to soul, from pop to blues. However, she avoids labels like ‘jazz singer’ or ‘blues singer,’ insisting that music is in the ear of the beholder.
“These songs have been with me for so long, I just wanted to record them so people could hear them. Joe (Warner) and I share the same musical mind, so capturing this material felt natural,” Faye Carol wrote in her press package, referring to her pianist and musical director.
She and her ‘hot’ band open with a reinvented “Hello Young Lovers” that begins with a funky, soulful arrangement, then transforms to ‘swings.’ I love her rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” as a low-down blues. When Faye Carol sings that pop tune, it becomes a soulful declaration, spurred on by the bluesy piano of pianist and ‘MD,’ Joe Warner.
Over years, Faye Carol has become an esteemed matriarch on the San Francisco Bay Area jazz and blues scene. As a young woman, she sang in the youth choir at Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church. She also toured with the gospel aggregation, The Angelaires. As a competent pianist, at one point in her career she accompanied Martha Young (the niece of jazz icon, Lester Young) and was also mentored by her future husband, musician and educator Jim Gamble.
After Faye Carol won a talent contest at the Oakland Auditorium, she was swept up by Johnny Talbot & De Thangs who, at that time, were Oakland, California’s funk pioneers. In 1968, she won the Top Star Award for Best Singer. Her repertoire was always diverse. She could easily switch from gospel, to R&B, and then to jazz. Locally, she was hired to open for acts like the late, great Otis Redding, for soul man, James Brown, and for Motown stars, Martha and the Vandellas.
Ms. Carol was also an activist during the revolutionary sixties and seventies. She sang at political rallies for Angela Davis and for the Black Panther Party. She took over the San Francisco jazz and cabaret scene. In recognition of her musical talents, Faye Carol has won four Cabaret Gold Awards, the 2014 Bay Area Jazz Hero Award, and was honored with a star on the Oakland Blues Walk of Fame.
With a passion to ‘give back,’ in the 1990s, she founded Music in the Community (MITC) at Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theatre. It remains alive and active to this day. Ms. Carole is also founder and Executive Director of “School of the Getdown” that continues to celebrate Black art traditions through performance and education. I always say, working with young people keeps you young.
With a career that spans over six decades, her recent album release celebrates an ability to move forward with ‘the times.’ She may no longer have that powerhouse vocal control that was celebrated years ago, but she can still groove, still bebop. On “Forever Dynamic” Faye Carol adds her gospel and blues roots to the project with fearless, timeless talent and she offers listeners a style that is uniquely her own.
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ANTHONY BRANKER & OTHER WAYS OF KNOWING – “MANIFESTATIONS OF A DIASPORIC GROOVE & SPIRIT” – Origin Records
Anthony Branker, composer/musical director; Simona Premazzi, piano; Pete McCann, electric & acoustic guitars; John Hébert, double bass; Rudy Royston, drums; Steve Wilson, alto & soprano saxophones/flute; Aimee Allen, vocals.
Composer and musical director, Dr. Anthony Branker, writes in his liner notes: “Music is a reflection of culture and can be central to our understanding of otherness as it relates to social, racial and ethnic identity.”
Branker’s music is meant to tell historic stories. His opening song, “The Children of Lyles Station” was composed as a reflection of the tragic events that unfolded in 1927, when ten African American children from the Lyles Consolidated School in southern Indiana were misled. They were told, along with their parents, that they would receive treatment for Ringworm. Instead, they were subjected to high doses of radiation without parental consent. These unsuspecting children, used as guinea pigs, were horribly damaged, disfigured and scarred. All of this, so scientists could see what would happen to young, healthy humans who received exposure to radiation. This was similar to the revolting Tuskegee Syphilis Study; another sneaky test used on African American men to see what the effects would be of letting syphilis eat away at your body without treatment. Branker did not want “The Children of Lyles Station” to be forgotten.
“Song for Marielle Franco” pays tribute to the Brazilian politician, sociologist, feminist and human rights advocate who was assassinated in March of 2018. This time, Branker employs the warm vocal tones of Aimee Allen and the saxophone of Steve Wilson to deliver his song.
His composition, “Stolen Sisters” is dedicated to indigenous women of color who have been murdered or reported missing in our society and beyond. Aimee Allen sings these lyrics:
“Time cannot erase your faces. No matter how hard it tries, you are always just before our eyes, in our hearts, on our minds forever … never forgotten.”
Anthony Branker’s newly formed ensemble, “Other Ways of Knowing” becomes a powerful, new chapter in his ongoing exploration of using music as a cultural and social narrative. His deep personal storytelling combines musical beauty with intellectual, historic depth. The stories behind this music are as shocking as the compositions themselves and are described in depth, inside the liner notes.
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STELLA HEATH – “FOR BILLIE” – Matterhorn Records
Stella Heath, vocals; Neil Fontano, piano/arranger/tambourine; Daniel Fabricant, bass/ arranger; Victor Wong, guitar; Riley Baker, drums/trombone; Robert Elfman, clarinet/tenor sax/flute; arranger; Johnny Bones, soprano, alto & tenor saxophones; Clint Baker, trumpet/ trombone.
The past few years, Stella Heath had been working on a historical tribute show to celebrate Billie Holiday in collaboration with her pianist, arranger, Neil Fontano. That project developed into this recording.
“My objective, from the beginning, was never to imitate Billie, but to honor her. It is important to me to stay true to myself and how I sing,” explains Stella Heath.
This vocalist is a Sonoma County native. Heath grew up living in Petaluma, a Northern California community renowned for its agricultural scene and well-preserved Victorian architecture. She opens this album with a swing number “Now Baby, or Never” and a production that recalls the music of the 1940s.
Heath follows with a two-step groove on “If You Were Mine,” a moderate tempo ballad. Victor Wong takes a warm guitar solo, sharing bars with Neil Fontano’s piano, then they focus the spotlight on the saxophonist. Heath’s session features the crème de la crème of the Bay area swing scene. On “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” the clarinet is king. A solo by Riley Baker sounds like a tap dancer moving across the skins of his drums.
Stella Heath is a stylist. Sometimes I hear shades of Esther Phillips in her tone and vibrato. Heath has her own sound and sings with purpose and sincerity.
On “Crazy He Calls Me” the song becomes a perfect vehicle for her to show off her vocal prowess. Her attention to melody and selling the song lyrics is consistent. On a tune called “You Let Me Down” Clint Baker carefully and creatively adds his trumpet to the arrangement, tastily filling in between Heath’s melodic delivery, then taking an impressive, improvised solo.
One song written for Holiday by Vilray Blair Bolles titled “These Tears” is up tempo and shuffles along beneath Heath’s poignant delivery. Heath attended Interlochen Arts Academy and Syracuse University, graduating with degrees in acting and cultural geography. In 2009, she relocated to New York City, where she found her path back to jazz. She began performing around town and developed thematic shows including tributes to Ella Fitzgerald, Edith Piaf and early Nat King Cole. In 2022, Stella Heath took a position back in California, bringing jazz education to low-income schools around Sonoma County.
“I whole-heartedly believe that jazz, a uniquely American art form, should be held up and celebrated in our society and should be a vital educational component in our school system here, in the United States,” Heath says in her press package.
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TOMAS JANZON – “JAZZ DIARY” – Changes Music
Tomas Janzon, guitars/composer; Nedra Wheeler, bass; Tony Austin & Church McPherson, drums.
Born in Stockholm, Tomas Janzon studied classical and jazz traditions before relocating to Los Angeles, California. He enrolled in the Musicians Institute, where he was named Outstanding Player of the Year. Following personal study with Joe Diorio, he gained his master’s degree with honors in classical guitar from the USC Thornton School of Music. His debut recording featured the late, great Billy Higgins on drums and Nedra Wheeler on bass. His camaraderie with Nedra continues on this album.
Janzon’s trio opens with “Spirit Secret.” I find the piece quite melodic, but I’m missing the groove. The guitar sounds like a waltz, but the drums are not playing anything near a waltz. Written in February of 2025, this song was a short entry in Janzon’s diary and became the starting point for this album. “May Six” comes next. It too has melodic integrity.
“Early Sunday” grew from another daily entry in his diary. It features a solo by bassist Nedra Wheeler and this song has a memorable ‘hook’ and quickly becomes one of my favorites on this album.
According to Tomas Janzon, Wheeler is the center of this record and in part, this album is a dedication to her. Their connection goes back to his years in Los Angeles, working around Leimert Park and the World Stage with musicians like Billy Higgins and Sherman Ferguson.
His tune “She’s Listening” was inspired by walking into a room where his wife was sitting, she listening to the quiet, to the moment, to nature. On tunes 8 through 11, a new drummer comes onboard and the groove is distinct. Once Chuck McPherson holds the drumsticks in hand, the groove is dominant and accentuates Janzon’s original music. This is what I was looking for all the time. “Muddy Shoes” becomes another favorite tune, rooted in the blues and propelled by McPherson’s drum licks. This one should get lots of airplay. The groove created by Wheeler and McPherson gives Tomas Janzon the freedom and rhythm section security to stretch out on his guitar solo to explore his creative improvisation and imagination. This could be a single pulled from his album.
I think if an arranger had written scores for some of Janzon’s songs, it would have enhanced this production. After all, Janzon’s “Jazz Diary” developed from scribbled ideas in a notebook. They reflect how the act of composing is quite inseparable from his playing. This album exemplifies the guitarist’s talents on his instrument and his love of composing music. He incorporates his Swedish heritage into the tune, “To summer” drawn from his memory of a Sweed folksong. It is the only piece not drawn from his diary.
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STEVEN HUSTED AND FRIENDS – “TWO NIGHTS LIVE” – Independent Label
Steven Husted, double bass/composer; Israel Yanez, drums; Milo Hehmsoth, piano; Matt Berger, guitar; Grant Teeple, saxophone.
Before moving to the East Coast, Husted packed up at fifteen years old and moved to San Francisco. That’s where his deep commitment to jazz took shape. By the time he turned twenty-one, he had established himself as a top bassist in the Bay Area. He taught for six years at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, while playing gigs with legends like Kenny Burrell, Billy Higgins and Vince Wallace.
Steven Husted’s band opens with the familiar jazz standard by Hank Mobley, “This I Dig of You.” The quintet comes out swinging hard. It’s a great way to begin this album, showing off the skills of each member of Husted’s ensemble during showcased solos.
They continue with Clifford Brown’s popular tune, “Sandu.” Grant Teeple delightfully presents the melody on his tenor saxophone, stepping into the slow swing groove with all the power and excellence necessary to deliver this favorite jazz standard. Then comes Milo Hehmsoth on piano. He offers his own improvised solo. Beneath Milo’s creativity, Steven Husted walks his bass and locks into the rhythm with Israel Yanez, steady on the drums. Then comes Husted’s solo on the double bass, surprising me by playing a great deal of it in the upper register of his instrument. It’s an innovative solo excursion, followed by the trap drums, trading fours with the other band members, and displaying Yanez’s talents on his instrument.
After relocating and living more than a decade in New York City, Husted has returned to his roots in Connecticut. Today, he resides in Newington, where he is respected for his depth of musical talent, his dedication to the jazz tradition, and his local gigs as a bandleader.
On this album, he includes several original compositions including “Existential Changes,” a slow shuffle tune called “Bop Top,” and a song he titles “Against the Grain.” The last song features Matt Berger on guitar playing the melody line unison with Husted’s bass at the tune’s introduction. Each of those three tunes are deliciously different, establishing their own grooves, but always swinging. On “Against the Grain” the guitarist and drummer share a musical conversation, at first trading fours, then two bars each. They show off their individual talents, while lending their formidable talents to introduce us to Steven Husted’s original song.
This album was just plain fun to listen to, entertaining me not only with their individual talents, but also there is nothing I like more than music that ‘swings!’ Steven Husted and his group of jazz musicians are masters at presenting Straight ahead jazz with swinging tempos that encourage finger snaps and head-bopping. Eight out of eleven songs feature Husted’s original music. They are inspired compositions, with some of the pieces sounding like jazz standards.
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ROY HARGROVE – “BERN” – Time Traveler Recordings
Roy Hargrove, trumpet/flugelhorn/composer; Larry Willis, piano; Gerald Cannon, bass; Willie Jones III, drums; Sherman Irby, alto saxophone.
When Roy Hargrove burst onto the New York jazz scene, he made an assertive impression on his fellow musicians and the jazz community as a whole. He was a young lion with a big, beautiful roar.
Meet Roy Hargrove! This previously unreleased material, played by a 30-year-old trumpet master just ten years into his blossoming career, was recorded during an appearance at the International Jazz Festival in Bern, Switzerland on May 4, 2000.
The tune “Stranded” opens this performance with a big bang! This is Straight Ahead jazz at its very best. Energy spits from my CD player like electrical sparks. This music sets my listening room aflame. Willie Jones III pushes the group with power sticks and shows off his drum skills during a crazy, exciting solo. Sherman Irby’s alto saxophone steps up after Roy Hargroves exceptional trumpet solo and blows my mind. The audience applause says it all! Larry Willis is amazing at the piano, with his solo spontaneous and combustible. Gerald Cannon’s bass holds the excitement together, sticking like glue to the Jones rhythms and the Hargrove energy.
During his brief, but illustrious career, Roy Hargrove embraced many genres, reigning supreme in each dynamic adventure from post-bop recordings as a leader, to his pioneering Latin Jazz/Afro Cuban ensembles. He approached his venture into neo-soul and hip-hop with the same bright energy, recording with fellow Texan, poet, vocalist and songwriter, Erykah Badu, as well as working with the very popular R&B and hip-hop artist, D’Angelo on his recording “Voodoo.”
In the late 1960s, Hargrove recorded with D’Angelo some rather Avant-garde funk music that tickled the edge of hip-hop and was infused with jazz licks. Hargrove always was a jazz musician first and foremost.
Hargrove’s original composition “Depth” is melodic and once again, swings steady like a pendulum. That strong, no-nonsense bass line that Gerald Cannon walks beneath the excitement is purposeful. A third of the way into the song, they switch up the mood and change the tempo, following Irby’s saxophone solo. When Hargrove steps back onto center stage, they are back to the ‘swing’ and the excitement he always insists upon.
“We played basically six nights a week for a year,” recalls Irby.
This is an album full of imagination and genius. The quintet members are comfortable with each other. You can feel that camaraderie. The tenderness that I hear on “Never Let Me Go” takes my breath away as Hargrove puts every drop of emotion into his presentation. You can be assured, be it a ballad, a swing number, or a straight-ahead, up-tempo arrangement, the trumpeter will give us one-hundred percent. I also loved the Willis piano solo, soaked in the blues one moment, then tinkling the upper register keys the next in a flurry of emotion. When Cannon sings the melody on his double bass, it’s pure, unadulterated magic.
“To this day, it was the best musical situation I’ve ever been a part of,” says Willie Jones III in the eight-page booklet that’s included in the compact disc package. “…It’s not about being cocky. It’s just that we played every night. We knew what we had. We knew what we were bringing. We also knew that there are hardly any other bands playing in that style, bringing that type of fire.”
You will hear Roy Hargrove and his magnificent group of musicians at their very best on this live recording from Bern, Switzerland. It’s a moment in time, never to be forgotten!
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Tierney Sutton and Tamir Hendelman
Spring
(BFM Jazz)
Spring features a very logical matchup. Tierney Sutton is one of the very best jazz singers based in Southern California, and the same can be said for Tamir Hendelman as a jazz pianist. They both have had long histories of recording and performing rewarding music in a variety of settings. Spring is their first duo album and, surprisingly, their first time recording together.
The dozen standards that they perform often have something to do with spring and five of the numbers actually have “spring” in their titles. The most memorable performances are when the singer and the pianist (who operate throughout as equals) really go for broke, acting as free spirits by improvising around each other. This is particularly true on the two Antonio Carlos Jobim tunes that open the album (“Double Rainbow” and an especially playful “Waters Of March”) and the closing “L.O.V.E” which is happily reckless without ever faltering. Otherwise, Spring mostly includes some heartfelt ballads including a wistful version of Paul Simon’s “April, Come She Will,” a quietly dramatic “I Get Along Without You Very Well,” and a superior rendition of “Dori Caymmi’s “Spring.” And, for contrast, Peggy Lee’s “Things Are Swingin’” really does swings hard.
The long overdue collaboration of Tierney Sutton and Tamir Hendelman makes one hope for many more similar projects. Spring is quite impressive and available from www.bfmjazz.com.
Bria Skonberg
Brass
(Cellar Music)
Bria Skonberg is equally talented as a very good swing-oriented trumpeter and a jazz singer. Early in her career she played trad jazz with her Mighty Aphrodite Jazz Band and Bria’s Hot Five. The six albums that she led prior to Brass find her progressing from trad to swing to original music and sometimes singing in an effective style a little reminiscent of Peggy Lee. She has had a successful career during the past decade as a single, heading a variety of combos.
On Brass, Ms. Skonberg only sings on the final number, putting the focus on her powerful and expressive trumpet playing. Joined by pianist Luther Allison, bassist Eric Wheeler, and drummer Darrian Douglas (with fellow trumpeter Kellin Hanas guesting on “Brotherhood Of Man”), she occasionally hints at Harry “Sweets” Edison and Clark Terry but mostly sounds quite individual within the swing style. She displays impressive technique and always swings, even on the more somber ballads.
The group performs four of the trumpeter’s originals including “Dolly Jones” (a heated tribute to the pioneering 1920s/30s female trumpeter of that name) and a wide range of material. Among the other highlights are a rare revival of Jelly Roll Morton’s “New Orleans Bump,” a muted “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea,” and a delightful and inventive arrangement of “El Choclo,” “Brotherhood Of Man” has a colorful trumpet tradeoff by Skonberg and guest Hanas while the closing number is mostly “Comin’ Home Baby” but also includes two choruses of the leader singing “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To.”
Brass is one of Bria Skonberg’s finest recordings to date. She continues to grow as a creative performer; her appearances are always well worth catching. Brass is recommended and available from www.cellarlive.com.
Music From The Land Of The Sky
The 1925 Asheville Sessions
(Rivermont)
In 1925, the sales director of the Okeh label, Ralph Peer, went down to Asheville, North Carolina to record performances by local musicians. It was the very first time that a label recorded in Appalachia. Although it was not the first time that country and so-called hillbilly music was documented, it preceded by two years what was termed “the big bang” of country music which took place during a field trip to Bristol, Tennessee, resulting in the discovery of Jimmy Rodgers and the Carter Family and the popularization of the music nationally.
46 selections (including four from a previously unreleased session) were recorded in Asheville during Aug. 25-Sept. 2, 1925. The single disc Music From The Land Of The Sky, the first-ever collection to reissue a strong sampling of this music, has 28 of the performances. While I wish that all 46 were made available on a two-CD set, every artist who recorded during the nine-day period is represented. This includes one previously unreleased number from the otherwise unheard four-song date by Wade Ward. The remarkable recording quality on this reissue, the dazzling and extremely informative 128-page hardcover booklet (which not only has descriptions of each song but biographies on all of the artists plus lots of photos), and the variety of the music make this release into a gem.
Among the mostly obscure but talented artists who are featured are singers Kelly Harrell, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Ernest V. Stoneman, the Carson Brothers, Wade Ward, Harvey Irwin, and Fisher Hendley, and the talking and fiddling of J.D. Weaver. There are also some instrumentals including a fiddle-piano duet by J.D. and Carrie Margaret McFarlane, unaccompanied solos from Jim Couch on harmonica (“St. Louis Tickle”), banjoist Ernest Helton, and fiddler J.D. Harris, a banjo duet by R.B. Smith and S.J. Allgood, and two numbers from the Foor-Robinson Caroline Club Orchestra. The latter group, which was playing regularly at a local hotel, includes future bandleaders Hal Kemp (on saxophone) and pianist Slatz Randall (best-known for “Skirts”). In addition, the four songs by the trip’s main discovery, minstrel singer Emmett Miller, are among the highlights, bolstered by the jazz accompaniment of pianist Walter Rothrock.
Most of the music, other than that of the Caroline Club Orchestra and Emmett Miller (although he crosses over), falls into the country/hillbilly/rural folk music area. The more colorful titles include “A Married Man’s Blues” (the Wade Ward recording having its debut release), “The Wreck On The Old Southern 97,” “Let Your Shack Burn Down,” and “They Always Pick On Me.” In general, the musicianship is surprisingly good, the vocals are filled with honest emotions and, 101 years later, this formerly-rare music is quite timeless.
Ted Olson and Tony Russell (the duo compiled this essential set for Rivermont (www.rivermontrecords.com) and wrote the very extensive liner notes), along with Bryan S. Wright, Richard Emmett, and Wayne Martin, are to be congratulated for the first-class production.
Marilyn Crispell & Anders Jormin
Momento
(ECM)
Pianist Marilyn Crispell, who first recorded as a leader during 1981-82, came to fame in the late 1980s for her work with the Anthony Braxton quartet. The music of that classic group was very complex, mostly intense, and usually quite forceful. The pianist fit right in and consistently inspired the saxophonist. She also had collaborations during the next two decades with many in the who’s who of the avant-garde.
However, during the past 20 years, Crispell has followed a different musical path, one that finds her very much at home on the ECM label. Her music has become gentler and often quite laidback. This part of her career began in 1996 when she made her first ECM album, Nothing Ever Was Anyway, which had her in a trio playing the music of Annette Peacock. While still quite capable of performing high-energy music, she has emphasized quieter improvisations, particularly in recent times.
Momento is a set of duets with bassist Anders Jormin that consist of four songs written by the pianist, three from the bassist, and four that they co-wrote together. The song titles, which include “Embracing The Otherness,” “Contemplation in D,” “For The Children,” and “The Dark Light,” give one a good idea as to the thoughtful nature of the music. All of the performances are taken at a slow pace with Jormin often commenting musically on Crispell’s statements.
Introspective Interplay would have been a good title for this relaxing set which is explorative in its own soft way. Memento is available from www.amazon.com.
Sonny Simmons
Global Jungle
(Spin Records Boise)
Sonny Simmons (1933-2021) was a major alto-saxophonist who paved his own path in jazz’s avant-garde. He actually began playing music on English horn (which he used occasionally as a double) before starting on the alto when he was 16. Simmons had an episodic career and life which included musical partnerships and recordings with flutist Prince Lasha (starting in 1962) and his wife, the powerful trumpeter Barbara Donald, plus two albums with Eric Dolphy and a later one with Horace Tapscott. Despite being off the scene during part of the 1970s and ‘80s, with only two albums being his only recordings during 1972-89, he made a comeback in the 1990s and even recorded a high-profile album for Quincy Jones’ Qwest label. Despite the time off, Simmons led 28 albums of his own during 1966-2014, not counting nine others from the Cosmosamatics, a group that he co-led with Michael Marcus during 2000-13.
Global Jungle, which dates from 1982, features Simmons leading his working group of the era, a unit that also features cellist Kirk Heydt (who produced the album), acoustic bassist Perry Thoorsell, electric bassist Earl Freeman, and drummer Dylan Morgan. Three of the four selections on this Lp were out formerly on an obscure CD along with some other numbers from a slightly later session with a different bassist. “H.P.S. Zoarious” was previously unreleased and the mixes on the other performances have been changed and greatly improved.
With the instrumentation of alto, cello, two basses, and drums and the emphasis on passionate and intense ensembles, Simmons is the lead voice most of the time although cellist Heydt also has some spots. The rhythm section is often both thunderous and tight, giving Simmons an inspiring barrage of sounds to improvise over. The four pieces (“The Global Jungle,” “Steel Foundry Of Love,” “The Global Prayer,” and “ H.P.S. Zoarious”), while being filled with free and emotional improvising, also contain passages that were worked out in advance, giving each performance a bit of a theme and coherence.
The stirring Global Jungle is available from www.spinrecordsboise.com and www.discogs.com.
Mark Wade
New Stages
(Dot-Time)
In his career, bassist Mark Wade has extensively performed both jazz and classical music. On New Stages (available from www.dottimerecords.com), he combines his two musical loves in a very effective manner. Wade took 15 themes drawn from classical music, most of which are far from well-known to the general public and transformed them into jazz for his trio. With pianist Tim Harrison and drummer Scott Neumann both showing plenty of versatility, the results are rewarding.
The 15 performances are mostly pretty concise, clocking in between 2:08-7:40. One piece flows into another with the melodies sometimes being played straight the first time around before the trio comes up with fresh variations. This is never a matter of “swinging the classics” but instead has the musicians fully exploring and often stretching the themes (which are generally excerpts of much more extensive works) in episodic fashion. Along the way one hears four movements from Debussy’s “Children’s Corner Suite” and pieces by Sibelius, Chopin, Wagner, Rodrigo, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Duruffle, and Gorecki. Only the closer, Bach’s “Jesu,” is well-known although the second half of Rodrigo’s “Iberia” surprisingly becomes Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta.”
Due to the “new” material and the creativity of the players, New Stages is full of surprises. It is easily recommended both to jazz and classical music fans.
Tia Fuller and Shamie Fuller-Royston
Dynasty – Fuller Sound
(Cellar Music)
Alto-saxophonist Tia Fuller has gained fame for her work as a jazz solo artist, leading five of her own albums and working with such notables as Esperanza Spalding, Ralph Peterson, T.S. Monk, Jon Faddis, and Sean Jones. She has also been part of Beyonce’s backup band for years. Her playing sometimes recalls the passion of Jackie McLean and Gary Bartz although in her own sound. Her sister, pianist Shamie Fuller-Royston, has often worked in her quartet.
Originally the sisters were in a family band with their parents called Fuller Sound, recording a difficult-to-find album early on. Their recent duet CD is labelled Vol. 2 in tribute to that important early experience and recording. While Tia Fuller takes vocals on “In This Quiet Place” and “Momma Said” and contributes a little spoken word on the opening number, this is essentially an instrumental album of alto-piano duets.
Among the highlights are the medium-tempo blues “Dooty Baby” (which has the altoist hinting in spots at Eric Dolphy and Charlie Parker), “Ode To Bach” (giving the pianist an opportunity to display her classical background), Sam Rivers’ “Beatrice” (they used to play that standard with their parents), and Freddie Hubbard’s “Dear John” which is based on “Giant Steps.”
The result is a heartwarming set that is filled with high musicianship and mutual affection by the sisters. Dynasty is available from www.cellarlive.com.
Alex Wintz
Collage
(Outside In Music)
An excellent jazz guitarist with his own sound and an open-minded approach, Alex Wintz has worked with such notables as Etienne Charles, Jeremy Pelt, Roxy Coss, and Nick Finzer among others. He has appeared on over 50 albums thus far and led three: LifeCycle, Live To Tape, and now Collage.
While one can hear touches of other guitarists at times (including Wes Montgomery, early George Benson and, on the slower tunes, John Scofield), Wintz has developed his own forward-thinking musical personality. On Collage he performs six of his post-bop originals plus “The Shadow Of Your Smile” and a bluesy version of George Harrison’s “Isn’t It A Pity.” He is joined by bassist Matt Penman, drummer Jimmy MacBride and, on four of the pieces, pianist Victor Gould.
Most memorable among the performances are the jazz waltz “The Wheels Of Justice” which has the best chance of Wintz’s originals of catching on in the future as a standard,” a swinging “It’s Been A Minute” (which has Gould’s most rewarding solo of the set), and Wintz’s tasteful yet inventive treatment of “The Shadow Of Your Smile” although all of the selections are enjoyable to hear. The guitarist has a thoughtful style even on the uptempo tunes (he knows how to take his time), switches effortlessly between single-note lines and chords in his solos and consistently comes up with fresh ideas. The rhythm section is supportive and quietly inventive throughout, helping make this a tasteful yet creative outing with Alex Wintz heard at his best. Collage is recommended and available from www.outsideinmusic.com.
Jason Miles
100 Miles For Miles Davis
(Self-Released)
Jason Miles has always treasured his friendship and musical association with Miles Davis. In the 1980s he was the synthesizer programmer and occasional keyboardist on a few of Davis’ projects, uplifting the music mostly behind the scenes. Miles Davis always appreciated his work.
Since 2026 is Miles Davis’ centennial, Jason Miles wanted to pay him a tribute. Rather than performing the trumpeter’s repertoire, Miles plays seven originals that sound like the type of groove tunes that Davis might have enjoyed playing in the 1980s. Miles features different musicians on each selection with the lead voices (often on one song apiece) including trumpeters Randy Brecker, Russell Gunn, Barry Donelian, and Michael “Patches” Stewart, altoist Ada Rovatti, soprano-saxophonist Jeff Coffin, tenor-saxophonist Jay Rodriguez along with several different rhythm sections.
Highpoints include Brecker on “100 Miles,” the joyful “Samba Para Miles”(which includes guitarist Romero Lubambo), and the relaxed groove of “Jeanne Moreau.” Jason Miles performs “Miles To Miles” twice; once as a piano solo and also as a vintage “bonus track” performance with a quintet.
The heartfelt 100 Miles For Miles Davis is easily recommended for those who enjoy the music from the trumpeter’s final decade. More information can be found at www.jasonmilesmusic.com.
Charles Ruggiero
Plays Monk Live!
(RMF)
Back in 2021, drummer Charles Ruggiero began a monthly gig at North Hollywood’s legendary Baked Potato that continues up to this day. His original band for this engagement was a trio with tenor-saxophonist Bob Reynolds and bassist Mike Gurrola, and in the early days they exclusively played Thelonious Monk songs. While the band has changed since then with the addition and substitution of other players and a larger repertoire, for this recording Ruggiero wanted to return to the original concept and trio.
On Plays Monk Live! the group performs five of Thelonious’ tunes. Gurrola takes some excellent solos and Ruggiero plays some choruses on drums on which one can hear the rhythmic Monk melodies. However, with this instrumentation, Reynolds is generally the main voice. He takes an inventive opening cadenza on “Evidence,” really digs into “Green Chimneys,” and does his best during the octave jumps and nonstop melody of “Misterioso” which could leave many horn players breathless. The tenor stretches out in his own voice without trying to copy Charlie Rouse or Johnny Griffin, playing with consistent invention in the tradition. The trio also performs “Monk’s Dream” and “Let’s Cool One.”
The crowd at the Baked Potato was rightfully enthusiastic and boisterous during these spirited performances. Acquiring this recommended CD (available from www.ruggierodrums.com/shop) is very much like being at the club, although without getting to experience the club’s famous baked potatoes.
Ali Ryerson
The Ali Ryerson Quartet
(ACR Music)
Ali Ryerson has been such a consistent performer ever since she made her recording debut back in 1985 that it is easy to take her for granted. Suffice it to say, she has been one of the top jazz flutists on the scene for the past four decades. Her love and expertise at playing straight ahead jazz and Brazilian music is always a joy to hear.
On her most recent recording, Ryerson is joined by a top-notch rhythm section comprised of pianist Larry Ham, bassist Lou Pappas, and drummer Tom Melito. In addition to performing three Brazilian songs, a Thad Jones tune, and an original by the leader, they play six new melodies that the flutist wrote that utilize the chord changes of standards. The latter was a project that she began during the pandemic for her adult students and she has now expanded upon for this album
The contrafacts are based on “Solar,” Steve Swallow’s “Falling Grace” (now called “Flying In Space”), “Yesterdays” (which really cooks), “The Island,” “Groovin’ High,” and a hard-swinging “What Is This Thing Called Love.” While there are occasional piano and bass solos which are always worthy, Ali Ryerson’s playing (listen to how warm she sounds on the Brazilian piece “Fe”) is the main reason to acquire this fine CD which is available from www.aliryerson.com.
Jared Hall
Hometown
(Origin)
An excellent trumpeter with an attractive sound, a wide range, and a real feel for advanced hard bop, Jared Hall is heard in top form throughout Hometown. His fourth album as a leader and third for the Origin label, this set teams him with tenor-saxophonist Troy Roberts (whose inventive and fiery solos sometimes come close to stealing the show), pianist Ben Markley, bassist Michael Glynn, and drummer Kyle Swan.
The seven selections include five Hall originals and two standards. “Step By Step” is the trumpeter’s new melody based on “Giant Steps” (which is given a slight Latin feel). “Echoes And Origins” is a swinger with a tricky melody. A relative of “Out Of Nowhere,” “Family Groove” has an unpredictable improvisation from Roberts while “Room 111” is an uptempo minor blues that has one of Hall’s best solos of the set along with an explosive tenor-drums duet. Also performed are an inventive reworking of Bobby Hutcherson’s best-known song “Little B’s Poem,” Thelonious Monk’s “Ask Me Now” recast as a waltz, and two versions of Hall’s hard bop tune “Hometown” which benefit from its dancing bass patterns.
Fans of modern hard bop will find much to enjoy on Jared Hall’s Hometown which is available from www.originarts.com.
