Gary Husband’s latest album, Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 , is the follow-up to the well-received Volume 1. The music manages to be both evocative and forward-looking. This is no easy trick. All-star albums can present problems. The music can be difficult to take on tour since each song was tailored for a specific musician or band. It can also be daunting to present any sort of thematic vision for the same reason. Often, these gatherings are also weighed down by the desire to cram the CD with as much music as possible, which can lead to all-star overkill.
The second studio album from Snarky Puppy, The World is Getting Smaller features two live drummers (Rob Avsharian and Steve Pruitt) panned left and right (as well as a guest appearance from master percussionist Jose Aponté), and marks a compositional departure from The Only Constant. It was recorded as most of the band was leaving college at the University of North Texas in 2007.
For his latest album NY Standard, Ari Hoenig pays tribute to the movement and tradition of playing jazz standards in New York City. Once you learn a song there are so many different directions and conversations you can have using that song as a starting point. It’s kind of like a private conversation you can have with other people who know the song. If you don’t know the song however there will be a lot you will miss. New York city has brought together people from all over the world. People that would normally never have the chance to even meet but can speak to each other on a deep level using jazz standards as the basis for the conversation…
Drummer Kim Plainfield, known for his work with Bill Connors, and Lincoln Goines known for his work with Mike Stern and Wayne Krantz join together for this mostly instrumental fusion studio project. In the 'Where have you been dept' Guitarist Bill Connors makes a guest appearance on one track. Although this is a drummer and bassist's project, and both Kim and Lincoln play their asses off, the guitar playing on this cd shines throughout.
"Outstanding" is an overused description but one that's applied to bassist Orlando le Fleming so consistently that its justification can't be denied. Since relocating from his native UK to New York City he’s thrived in the world’s toughest jazz environment, and brought his inimitable personality to work on projects for the likes of Branford Marsalis, Joey Calderazzo, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Bill Charlap, Billy Cobham, Wayne Krantz, Ari Hoenig, Seamus Blake, Jeff "Tain" Watts and David Sanchez among many others.
As a leader he shines even brighter - his drumless OWL Trio in particular gained plaudits across the board for its hushed, intimate atmosphere…