CD Review: The Dave Miller Trio, "The Mask-erade is Over"

If you like to listen to a great traditional straight ahead Jazz piano trio playing, Dave Miller's new CD "The Mask-erade is Over" will be perfect for you.  Dave Miller who has his own playing personality can at times remind you of some your favorite Jazz pianists like George Shearing, Bill Evans and Ahmad Jamal.  Bill covers a lot of ground in this CD and brings his Jazz personality center stage on a great selection of standards. 

Dave's daughter is the super-talented singer Rebecca DuMaine and Dave and his trio have often recorded with Rebecca on her CDs.  

I have selected two YouTubes videos for your listening pleasure.  The first song is "Be Careful It's My Heart".  Dave was inspired by Peggy Lee's version with one of his Piano heroes, George Shearing.  The second song is a Dave Brubeck gem, "In Your Own Sweet Way".  The playlist of songs on this CD are from a diverse outstanding group of composers:  Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, Noel Coward, Irving Berlin and Ray Henderson.   Take a moment to review the fun playlist below.

                                                              "Be Careful It's My Heart"

                                                               "In Your Own Sweet Way"

PLAYLIST:

1. Anthropology

2. Be Careful It's My Heart

3. The Masquerade Is Over

4. The Opener

5. Someday I'll Fine You

6. You Don't Know What Love Is

7. Yardbird Suite

8. Estate

9. In Your Own Sweet Way

10. The Blue Room

11. Dusty

12. Why Did I Choose You

13. Hallucinations

14 Just Imagine

PLAYERS:

Dave Miller- Piano

Andrew Higgins- Bass

Bill Belasco- Drums

 

CD Review: Peter Malinverni Trio, "On The Town"

 

Pete Malinverni has been in the middle of the New York Jazz scene for over four decades.  During this love affair with Jazz he has had the chance to meet and perform with the top Jazz artists in the country.  The inspiration for his latest CD, "On The Town" was a result of an unplanned meeting with Leonard Bernstein at an upscale restaurant where Malinverni had a gig.  The restaurant was chosen as the site for the opening night party for Franco Zeffirelli's production of "Tosca" at the Metropolitan Opera.  As Malinverni played through a selection of arias at the piano, Bernstein walked in, and Malinverni immediately launched into the composer's "Lucky To Be Me".  Bernstein was touched by the tribute and spent a considerable portion of the evening hanging around the piano.  Malinverni comments "His public image was of a guy who knew his stuff and was super passionate about it.  But I found out that night that as passionate as he seemed, he was even more so.  When I saw him in the flesh, it was electric.  His head poked through the clouds, and the piano somehow seemed a more exalted place then and thereafter".

It's clear that this meeting left a deep impression on Pete that has only grown stronger with time.  The music on this CD is a wonderful undertaking of great compositions we all treasure and giving them a new Jazz rebirth.  Helping Pete Malinverni accomplish this task were two equally remarkable Jazz musicians, Jeff Hamilton and Ugonna Okegwo .  Playing in a trio with Pete Malinverni's brilliant arrangements of these truly classic songs requires the highest level of musical skills and Hamilton and Okegwo make it seem easy!

This is a truly outstanding Jazz Trio and the music they have produced is outstanding!  I have attached two YouTube videos featuring songs from "On The Town".  The first is "I Feel Pretty" from "West Side Story" and the second is the opening tune, "New York New York" that I believe captures the love Malinverni has for the city.

                                                                          "I Feel Pretty"

                                                                    " New York New York"
Playlist:

1. New York New York

2. Lucky to Be Me

3. Somewhere

4. Cool

5. Simple Song

6. I Feel Pretty

7. Lonely Town

8. Some Other Time

9. It's Love

10. A Night On the Town

Players: 

Pete Malinverni- Piano

Jeff Hamilton- Drums

Ugonna Okegwo- Bass

                                                

CD Review: Adrianne Duncan, "Gemini"

Pianist, Composer, Arranger and Vocalist Adrianne Duncan has released her new CD, "Gemini".  Adrianne is joined on this CD by some sensational supporting side-men who help to make this CD a delight for the ears.  Adrianne Duncan is a sensitive and thoughtful songwriter and the songs she composes match her soft, sensitive voice perfectly.  Her singing and song writing bring to mind Joni Mitchell and I say this as an extreme complement.  Her songs have a story entwined in them.  

Adrianne is a classically trained Piano player and a student of the study of music.  She offers, "My starting to write was a direct result of studying Jazz Piano. I didn't think it would lead to composing; my intention was just to start accompanying myself". 

All the songs on this CD have an original short story attached.  Adrianne writes poetry then infuses it within beautiful music melodies .  She is a major talent who will receive major national recognition over the coming years!

Joining Adrianne on this CD is the always wonderful Nick Mancini who continues to impress with his high-level virtuosity on the Vibraphone.  Just as remarkable are Dan Lutz on Bass, Jimmy Branly on Drums, Katisse Buckingham on Flute and Saxophone and John Tegmeyer on Clarinet.

Adrianne wrote all the songs on the CD with the exception of some very creative reharmoizing on the 1978 classic rock song "Roxanne" by the Police.

I have selected two "YouTubes" for you to listen to.  The first is her original "He's Not Quite You".  According to Adrianne this song "Predicts the end of a relationship".  Mancini provides an energized vibe solo that turns this ballad into a delightful samba at its end.  The second song I selected was the title tune, "Gemini".  An instrumental that allows Adrianne to display her composing and Piano chops.  The arrangement is terrific with Flute and Clarinet trading solos.

PLAYLIST:

1. He's Not Quite You

2. Elijah

3. Gemini

4. Home At Last

5. Roxanne

PLAYERS:

Adrianne Duncan-Piano, Vocals, Songwriting, Arrangements

Nick Mancini-Vibraphone

Dan Lutz-Bass

Jimmy Branly-Drums

Katisse Buckingham-Flute, Saxophone

John Tegmeyer-Clarinet

                                                                        "He's Not Quite You"

                                                                             "Gemini"

 

  

 

CD Review: The Chris Saunders Band, "Dancing WIth The Widow St. James

This review is a musical change of pace.  It is for a new CD from The Chris Saunders Band and it's deep into Jazz blues of the South.  Chris Saunders plays Trumpet and Cornet and is also a terrific singer and songwriter.  He is a native and current resident of the San Francisco Bay area but there is no doubt that he has been heavily influenced by some of his favorite Blues singers like Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Lou Rawls, Dr. John, Howlin' Wolf and Louis Armstrong.  In his new CD, "Dancing With The Widow St. James" Saunders has included a mix of covers and originals which he co-wrote with his collaborator, Pianist and group founder Ken Cook.  All of the Saunders and Cook songs tell stories about life and its struggles.   The short stories inside these tunes are why the Blues have been so popular over the years.  They strike home for the listener and make the music and lyric very relatable to life. 

I love the sound and feel of Saunders' voice, his lyrics and his Cornet, they all fit well together.  He and his writing partner Ken Cook have the rare ability to take real human emotional experiences and inject them into medley and lyric.

I have attached two "YouTube" videos for your listening pleasure.  The first is a tasty song written by Percy Mayfield, "River's Invitation".  The second is an original song written by Saunders and Cook.  It's the title tune on the CD, "Dancing With The Widow St. James"  

PLAYLIST:

1. River's Invitation

2. Big Man

3. Butterflies and Chicken Wings

4. I Wonder

5. Am I Blue?

6. Lighting and a Feather

7. Dancing With the Widow St. James

8. Low Tide Rising On a Devil Wind

9. Life is a Struggle

10. I Don't Need No Doctor

11. Lullaby of the Leaves   

 

 

PLAYERS: 

Chris Saunders-Vocals, Cornet & Trumpet

Ken Cook-Piano, Organ

Rob Fordyce-Electric Bass

Michael Aragon-Drums

Luis Carbo-Percussion

                                                                 "River's Invitation"

                                                       "Dancing with the Widow St. James"