Today I have another treat for Jazz fans of a Jazz Piano Trio. Billy Test is a talented and creative young Composer, Arranger and Educator. While still young, Billy has an amazing resume that includes holding the piano chair with the Grammy Award Winning WDR Big Band in Koln, Germany since 2018. Billy is an alumnus of the Jazz studies at William Paterson University in New Jersey. He also was awarded his master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He has won many musical awards including being a finalist in the American Pianists Awards and second place in the 2017 Montreal Solo Piano Competition.
Billy's piano playing and composing blends the Jazz emotions of joy, sorrows and Blues perfectly and incorporates his classical background skills to produce fresh improvisations and wonderful compositions.
Joining Billy on "Coming Down Roses" are two seasoned pros who have been playing together as a trio since 2018. Evan Gregor is on Bass and Ian Froman is on Drums. The trio was formed in 2018 and has developed a close musical relationship. The focus of the trio has been on performing Billy's original compositions along with lesser-played songs from the "Great American Songbook". This is Billy Test's debut as a bandleader.
I have attached two YouTube videos for your listening pleasure. The first is a fresh approach to the Cole Porter standard "All Of You". The second is a Billy Test original and the title tune from his CD, "Coming Down Roses". I know you will enjoy this CD and I expect we will be hearing a lot more from The Billy Test Trio.
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 AhmadJamal. 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"
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, JeffHamilton 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.
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.
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"
Vocalist Alexis Cole is simply the best Jazz vocalist I have heard in many years. Even though she has released several CDs over the past few years, I never had an opportunity to listen to her work. Her new CD, "Sky Blossom" has made me a big fan of her voice and vocal talents. Alexis Cole has an interesting background giving her valuable years of training and experience by singing for seven years in the Army's West Point's Jazz Knights Big Band. She left the service in 2016, trading her uniforms and fatigues for sleek cocktail dresses and chic hats and fully focused on her Vocal skills. On her new CD, "Sky Blossom" she shares the results of all her intensive Jazz studies with us. To find words that describe Alexis' vocal performance to prove without any doubt she has arrived as one of the very best Jazz Vocalists performing today is not difficult! Here are some of the words that came to my mind when listening to Alexis Cole: high energy, flawless pitch, perfect scat technique, warm, rich vocal tones and strong sense of swing! Alexis Cole leaves no doubt that she is a major Jazz star even though a lot of the Jazz world is still yet to discover her.
Her years of experience singing with West Point's Jazz Knights Big Band all come to the forefront in this wonderful Jazz CD. Her seven years singing with the Army Big Band gave Alexis the opportunity to grow as a Jazz Vocalists sharing the stage with a diverse group of musicians from the New York Philharmonic to Kool and the Gang. Singing with a big band is a very different skill than singing with a small group. There is really no way to learn the needed big band vocal skills other than singing with a big band.
Alexis recently founded the website JazzVoice.com, an online educational community featuring singing classes, Professional development workshops and private lessons with some of the top names in vocal Jazz. If you are a vocalist, make sure you check out this site.
Alexis gives us more proof that she is a master musician by selecting a supporting cast of musicians to join her on "Sky Blossom" that is really impressive! I have listed the players below so you can see for yourself. In addition, her playlist of songs is like a master class exam for Vocalists. Alexis has picked a diverse composer list including Clifford Brown, Anthony Newley, George and Ira Gershwin, Miles Davis and Oscar Brown, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Carlos Jobim, Thelonious Monk and Billy Joel!
As a side note, the title of the CD, "Sky Blossom" is a nod from Alexis to her military service. It is a military term for an opening parachute and her credo of jumping into the unknown with faith.
PLAYLIST:
1. Joy Spring
2. Pure Imagination
3. How Long Has This Been Going On
4. All Blues
5. Estate
6. Across The Universe
7. Triste
8. How I Wish
9. Social Call
10. New York State of Mind
11. Our Love Is Here To Stay
12. American Anthem
Players:
Alexis Cole-Vocals
Tracks 2-7, 11
Jeff Jarvis-Conductor
Scott Arcangel-Arranger
Ryan DeWesse, Cade Gotthardt, Evan Hamada, Andrew Solares-Trumpets
Phineas Crisp, Ken Eernisse, Anna Menotti, Bobby Burton-Trombones-
Stephen Wood, Erik Larsen, Nathan King, Tanner Olivas, Chris Cockrill-Saxophones
Pianist, Composer and Arranger Alex Collins has joined together with Bassist Ryan Berg and renowned Drummer Karl Latham andreleased their new CD in June and it's a piece of musical art. All three of these New York based highly-skilled and talented musicians have provided their own personal interpretation to some timeless Jazz standards. They bring these old classics back to life with creative interplay and very new and fresh improvisations. I have attached two "YouTubes" that I know will be adding to my latest playlist. The first is "Alone Together" that opens with a drum solo from Karl Latham and then moves into a high tempo when he is joined by the band. The song was written by Arthur Schwartz with Lyric by Howard Dietz in 1932 but it's reborn again by this talented group. The second is an absolutely wonderful rendition of the classic Van Heusen song,"Polka Dots and MoonBeams". This song is quite long 12 minutes and 27 seconds but it's so good you will be looking for more when it ends!
