Leonhart

The New York Trio has produced a series of enjoyable session for Venus since the beginning of the 21st century. Consisting of pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Bill Stewart, their fifth CD together is similar to earlier efforts, concentrating on accessible treatments of selections from the Great American Songbook.

A wonderful gift for jazz fans has arrived from Venus Records! Nobody argues that Bill Charlap is one of the most preeminent jazz pianists of his generation. His encyclopedic knowledge of the American Songbook is second to none, and his beautiful touch, amazing skills and imagination make it a pleasure to listen to him at all times. Ken Peplowski, on the other hand, is without a doubt one of the best clarinet and tenor sax players in the swing tradition. Each of them had recorded a number of albums for Venus Records of Japan separately - Charlap with his great New York Trio (with Jay Leonhart and Bill Stewart) and Peplowski with his own quartet and the Eddie Higgins Quintet. Now, wouldn't it be nice to put them together in a studio and make an album? Yes, it would, and they actually did it…

"Sweet or Mean," the new raw blues-rock EP written by the Detroit born renegade 'Eliza Neals'… Enter, producer Ted Horowitz aka "Popa Chubby" the incendiary blues-rocker, together celebrating their true love of rock-blues. For Ted to produce + arrange was natural after meeting him a few times and sitting in with his Smokin band causing a real combustion on stage. Eliza admits that the drama on these tunes is 100% authentic; because truth is strangely more entertaining than fiction. “Sweet or Mean” is rootsy blues-rock bliss with no gimmicks or tricks from the first heavenly note to the last guitar riff. Popa Chubby’s tone is reminiscent of ZZ Top, Santana and other seasoned vintage guitarists who know how to knock audiences out.

What's Trending is Leo Sidran’s eighth solo record. In many ways it picks up where his celebrated 2021 release The Art Of Conversation left off. If The Art was a “hymn to empathy” (El Pais, Spain) and “a treasure chest of intimate and introspective portraits of family life during the pandemic” (West Coast Soul, Germany), this latest release is a hip, deeply personal exploration of how music can make life more livable in difficult times.

Fifty five minutes of straight ahead jazz with a nice variety of tunes that allows the band plenty of opportunity to demonstrate their improvisational skills. The program includes seven jazz standards plus Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely". For each tune Joe Beck delivers innovative interpretations with clear articulate linear and chordal solos. No electronic modification of the guitar sound (which guitarists, including Beck himself, often used in the 1980's). Here the sound is clean in the tradition of Tal Farlow. Support from Jay Leonhart and the incomparable Grady Tate is superlative. Recorded sound is excellent. Recommended for fans of the guitar-bass-drums trio sound or for people who just like straight ahead jazz in it's purest form. If you are not familiar with Joe Beck and want to add some of his music to your jazz collection, this CD is a good place to start.

The vast Duke Ellington songbook is always ripe for exploration, and the New York Trio, featuring pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Jay Leonhart, and drummer Bill Stewart, is up to the task. The gorgeous ballad "The Star Crossed Lovers" is in good hands, as Charlap gently examines the facets of this gem, accompanied by Leonhart's spacious basslines and Stewart's whispering brushes. The brisk run through "Love You Madly" is transformed into an extended workout instead of the brief versions typically played by its composer. Charlap's bluesy gospel introduction to "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" will turn a few heads. Even though there's nothing new about tackling "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" at a racehorse tempo, this trio's intricate workout is a bit more abstract than most recordings. Charlap's jaunty treatment of "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" suggests its composer's stride piano roots.

The relaxed tone of this CD is set from the beginning, with Bill Charlap's quiet, spare solo reading of "The Shadow of Your Smile." On the next track, the others join in for some mellow and friendly swinging: Jay Leonhart's big, fat bass grounds Charlap's dreaminess, while Bill Stewart, who's left his sticks at home for this date, brushes up the tempo with subtlety and style. This release offers thoughtful solo piano (also on "Mona Lisa"), slow, romantic ballads ("How Long Has This Been Going On," "Paper Moon"), and tasty mid-tempo treatments ("As Time Goes By," "When Your Lover Has Gone"). While there are no barnburners, the heat rises to a steady simmer on "You'd Be So Nice…" and "How High the Moon," where the players are audibly enjoying themselves…

In the dawn of the 21st century, pianist Bill Charlap took the jazz world by storm with a series of rewarding albums for labels both in the U.S. and abroad. On Blues in the Night, he leads his New York Trio in a recording made for the Japanese label Venus, with veteran bassist Jay Leonhart and fellow young gun Bill Stewart joining him. Right away Charlap signals that he can take an old chestnut into a new direction. His stretched-out, blues-drenched "Blues in the Night" makes effective use of space and showcases his sidemen as well. Leonhart's buoyant bassline brings to mind the late Milt Hinton in the brisk rendition of "I Could Have Danced All Night." Charlap's intense workout of "Blue Skies" is a virtual jazz history lesson, showing the influence of a number of legendary pianists, while achieving a sound distinctly his own…