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09/21/20
KERRY KEARNEY/Tales from the Psychedelta: A white boy with the blues that's been tearing it up in New York for 40 years and in the blues/jam band underground gets the chance to let the rest of the country hear what's been bubbling under all this time. A killer slide player that has all the moves right in his heart and soul delivers loads of blistering soul on this extravaganza. Hot and heavy stuff no self respecting Allman fan can pass up, this is some wonderful, badass stuff.
(Highlander)
CESAR OROZCO & Kamarata Jazz/Rooted Forward: I don't remember we've gotten much Cuban/Venezuelan fusion music here over the years, but this cat does it and he does it right. Making his first set showing off his composing skills as proposed to his interpretive skills, you might hear echoes of rumbas in the background but he's one of those cats that takes the past and moves it forward. With loads of twists and turns that keep your ears riveted, this is a nu breed of Latin jazz whose has come. Fun stuff that let's you dance in your seat, this is a grand dose of party music that's a gasser throughout.
KATCHIE CARTWRIGHT/Rainy Afternoon: A flute player with chops and a pedigree serves up her love for jazz and Brazilian music on this four song set that's a real teaser. Flowing with just the right groove to make it surely Brazilian, you can bet if you dig these sounds you'll want more of them to dig. Solidly pleasing stuff that's a sure footed tour guide for the armchair traveler.
(Harriton Carved Wax)
CHIEN CHIEN LU/The Path: Not a would be jazz vocalist who honed her skills in Taiwan airport bars, this is the vibe pro that provides the vibes for Jeremy Pelt. Branching off for her own solo turn, this is a wonderful modern jazz outing that keeps it real making fusion the way it would have sounded now if originally allowed to continue to flourish. Not egghead stuff but actually mentally stimulating, call it thinking man's jazz that shows Lu can work and play well with others or chart her own course with style. Well done.
SANDRA MARLOWE/The Heart Always Remembers: A jazz vocalist who honed her skills in the trenches continues to show how interpretive skills can make something old into something new and something new into something vaguely familiar. A delightful entertainer that could do cabaret without indulging in the tortured effect, this is sophisticated stuff you can enjoy even without a drink in your hand. With jazzbos that know the turf bringing up the rear, this is one of those performances that make it something more.
(Love Dog!)
LAFAYETTE GLCHRIST/Now: The pianist returns to his trio format on this double disc that shows how you can be as pissed off as Gil Scott Heron without saying a word. At turns, it's often angry and aggressive yet tender based on playing that changes with the mood of the track, almost like Curtis Mayfield's calls for unity on his "Curtis Live" album. The Baltimore resident sees things he doesn't like and he's not shy about making his feelings known. His playing doesn't make you work but it does make you think and feel and this could easily be one of the most ambitious as well as best jazz sets of the year. Hot stuff throughout.
(Lafayette Gilchrist Music)
DIEGO FIGUEIREDO/Antarctica: This came out so closely behind his label debut that I almost thought the label was sending me a duplicate mailing. Once again showing what a wonderful acoustic guitarist he is, he could release an album a month and we probably wouldn't get tired of him---especially since it seems that he's mastered the art of effortless mastery. Playing with worldwide ears and apparently no need for boundaries, this set inspired by playing on an Antarctica cruise ship just nails the vibe. It might be natural to mention him in the same breath as other acoustic guitar greats, he's also in a class by himself. Killer stuff.
(Arbors 19474)
DUSTIN ARBUCKLE & the Damnations/My Getaway: Formerly half of an eclectic bluesish duo, Arbuckle amps it up to a band status where he's still out there in left field but now he comes across as a full fledged blues/roots/Americana player who's slyly wrapping his 15 years of experience into a new wrapper. His idea of coming close to the mainstream still is informed by his underground outlook and it makes his white boy with the blues thing go to wild new places. This is real antidote music to escape the mediocre with.
JIM WALLER BIG BAND/Bucket List: Called "Bucket List" because he's been at it for almost 60 years and loads of his friends and family have passed, he wanted to make a big band record before he passed as well. A gray haired, protean jazzbo that's played surf, Vegas and commercials, he shows he's go the skills to pay the bills as this set expertly hits all the right notes throughout. A show unto itself, this is a smoking, swinging set that any big band fan will love. Assuredly hot stuff.
WILLIAM CHERNOFF/Aim to Stay: A tyro inspired by Bill Frissell, this young bass player is turning into a spark plug on the British Columbia jazz scene. Fueled by compositions he wrote as a teen, this wise beyond it's years set has none of the indulgences you'd expect from a nascent voice locating itself. Quite the auspicious debut from a kid we hope sticks with it and doesn't lose the intensity he's had so far.
(Chernoff Music 1)
Volume 44/Number 329
September 21, 2020
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
Copyright 2020 Midwest Record
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