Greg Satterthwaite

These stomping tenor sax instrumentals come from the jazz and R&B repertoire of the '40s and '50s. Many Roomful of Blues alumni, such as Duke Robillard (g) and Al Copley (p), contribute. It doesn't rock any harder than this.

Guitarist Greg Skaff assembles a masterful trio with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Albert "Tootie" Health, two NEA Jazz Masters for this rewarding set. Well-known for his work with soul jazz legends and with groups based around the Hammond B-3 organ, this date is surprisingly Skaff's first recording in the past 30+ years leading a guitar trio alone without piano or organ. It's also special set for the legendary reunion of Carter and Heath who worked together with history making results in the early 60s on landmark recordings by pianist Bobby Timmons and by guitarist Wes Montgomery. But, they have collaborated only once since. Skaff takes full advantage of this moment delivering an album all three are immensely proud of.

There are concessions that must be made on Keith Emerson and Greg Lake’s Live from Manticore Hall, starting with the absence of Carl Palmer - and then the occasional use of loops.
Too, the conversational aspect of the evening certainly works on its first listen, bringing us in with a confidential closeness. (Emerson, in an impish moment, recalls people asking questions about his pre-Emerson Lake and Palmer band: "The Nice what?") But once that context is understood, these lengthy segments quickly become extraneous detours away from what is often a adventurously re-imagined journey through some peak moments for both…

Saxophonist Greg Osby attacks a varied mix of jazz standards on St. Louis Shoes with results that sound both well within the "tradition" and utterly modern. Reminiscent of midcareer Wynton Marsalis, Osby seems to want to mix the Cotton Club-style swing of Duke Ellington with the angular bebop and calculated arrhythmia of Thelonious Monk. Backed by a stellar ensemble including trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Robert Hurst, pianist Harold O'Neil, and drummer Rodney Green, Osby crafts interesting arrangements of songs including the barely recognizable Gershwin chestnut "Summertime" and the Dizzy Gillespie classic "Shaw 'Nuff" that are both harmonically challenging and rhythmically unique. Check out the quirky and angular Raymond Scott meets Monk written solo that Osby and Payton play in the middle of Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"…