JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Alright, a little disclosure here. I’m not a big fan of either Milt Jackson or Wes Montgomery (I know — total heresy). So you might want to take my opinion of Bags Meets Wes with grain of salt.
I actually think it’s really good.
First off, it’s a straight bebop date, which […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Power To The People is one of those releases that tend to fall through the cracks. Like much of Joe Henderson’s solo work, it is not overtly innovative, but instead works through already established forms. It also lacks the simplicity and clarity that would endear it to the small jazz […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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It would be tempting but reductive to categorize The Infinite as Dave Douglas’ take on Miles Davis on the cusp of fusion, as fellow critic Dave Lynch does on allmusic.com. I understand the temptation. It’s always easier to talk about a recording if you have an overarching metaphor, a way […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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I have a confession to make. I’ve been sleeping on Kenny Garrett. I first heard him in concert with the Five Peace Band back in March, and I was suitably impressed. He managed to hold his own with monsters like John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Vinnie Coliauta, and Christian McBride.
Naturally, when […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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80/81 is the first record that hinted that Pat Metheny might be more than just a smooth jazz punk that composed insultingly poppy ditties like Phase Dance and Jaco.
Here, he’s surrounded with jazz heavyweights like saxophonists Michael Brecker and Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Metheny […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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By the time Beyond The Sound Barrier was released, Wayne Shorter’s fans knew what to expect from his quartet, which included pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and Brian Blade on drums. All the pussies who couldn’t handle the cerebral deconstruction of tunes that weren’t all that simple to begin […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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I’d love to know what was going through Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen’s head when he decided to call up guitarist John Scofield and saxophonist Dave Liebman for his date Dancing On The Tables, with drummer Billy Hart rounding out the group.
After all, there’s nothing particularly subversive about Pedersen’s tunes. In fact, […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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One way to think of Blue Montreux is a cross between the Brecker Brothers and Steps Ahead. It’s got Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker on sax and trumpet respectively, and vibist Michael Mainieri, the impetus behind Steps Ahead. Blue Montreux is a unique fusion record: it’s got a heavy funk […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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One of the best concerts I ever heard was Lonnie Smith at the now defunct 1369 Club in Cambridge Massachussetts in the early 80s. I remember him burning down the house playing cheesy tunes like Three Blind Mice with a pickup band of a drummer and a guitarist. I walked […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls is barely jazz. The main influences are pop structures, folk, a hint of bluegrass, and a little Brazilian. So why am I reviewing it?
Well, first of all, it’s a Pat Metheny recording, and through sheer hard work and dedication over the years, Pat […]