By: Vince Lewis Pianist Randy Klein is an alumnus of Berklee College of Music. He is an Emmy Award winner for Free To Dance (PBS Great Performances), Beyond Tara – The extraordinary Life Of Hattie Mc Daniel (American Movie Classics) and Richard Wright – Black Boy (PBS/BBC Production). Klien has also enjoyed great success in [...]
Guitarist, David Gilmore, has worked with many top Jazz artists. His credentials include appearances with Esperanza Spaulding, Wayne Shorter, Christian Mc Bride, Sam Rivers, Steve Coleman and David Sanborn.
One of the joys of serving as a reviewer of Jazz CDS is the opportunity to hear new voices that come across my desk, and Jones Street, released by Mark Kleinhaut and Neil Lamb, made my day.
Grant Geissman’s new album, Bop! Bang! Boom!, is a perfect follow up to Geissman’s most recent releases “Cool Man Cool” and “Say That.” From the fun artwork to the great music, this is truly a pleasure to experience both visually and musically.
Philadelphia native, Kurt Rosenwinkel, has been a strong voice in modern Jazz for several years now. A solid standards player, he is also a prolific composer. Kurt is also a past winner of The National Endowment for the Arts Composer’s Award.
Point in Time is the exciting and engaging debut recording of Puerto Rico based guitarist Gabriel Vicéns. While most players his age are either still in school or cutting their teeth in jam sessions and the woodshed, Vicéns has already completed a degree in Jazz Performance from the Puerto Rican Conservatory, where he studied with some of the biggest names in the genre, including Jon Faddis, Miguel Zenón and Kenny
It was during my junior high school year that my mother gave me my first Wes Montgomery album. She didn’t know who Wes was, but she was able to redeem some S&H Green Stamps from the grocery store to get it for me. It had his picture on the front with a guitar, so she thought I’d be interested. The album was So Much Guitar, and being a Chet Atkins fan at the time, it seemed very strange to me musically. A couple of years later a best friend, drummer Steve Campbell, called me to join him at a local music store. He was excited for me to hear a recording that featured Wes playing “Caravan.” From that day forward, my musical direction shifted; I ran home to pull out my one album of Wes and give it another try.
Duke Robillard has been a prominent figure in the American music scene since the 1960s. He has been nominated multiple times for Grammy awards and is truly a chameleon when it comes to his capabilities in many styles and myriad of musical interests. From traditional blues to mainstream jazz and swing, Robillard has solid footing and an authentic approach, which makes him a pleasure to hear. This new recording, entitled Wobble Walkin’ encompasses both bluesy jazz guitar and the music of Tin Pan Alley.
Along with Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and a handful of other young composers, Oscar Castro-Neves emerged in the early 1960s as one of the founding figures of the musical movement that became known worldwide as Bossa Nova. In 1962, a year before “The Girl From Ipanema” became a Top 10 hit, he helped lead the bossa nova invasion of the U.S., playing a central role as a performer and accompanist for other noted Brazilian musicians at the historic presentation of Brazil’s new music at Carnegie Hall. Since then, his distinguished career has included performances with Stan Getz, Sergio Mendez, Yo Yo Ma, and even Michael Jackson and Barbara Streisand.
Canadian guitarist and composer Alex Goodman has released three CDs as a leader. He completed his Bachelor of Jazz Performance degree at the University of Toronto, where he was honored as the first jazz musician to receive the William and Phyllis Waters graduating Award. The award goes to the student deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of music.
Do you love the guitar and all things guitar related? 
