I receive so many CDs for review picking out one above all
the rest is impossible so next year I hope to pick out a CD and a gig of the
month which will narrow the field somewhat. Readers are, of course, invited to
make their submissions although I won’t be holding my breath!
Anyhow, here we go (Alphabetical):
·
Annie Ross – To Lady with Love. A CD
and DVD featuring Annie Ross in tribute to Billie Holiday. The voice may be but
a shadow of itself but the emotional content is unbeatable. With John and
Bucky Pizzarelli.
·
Basin Street Brawlers – It’s Tight Like That.
A party style Dixieland band full of fun popular in and around London . Worth hearing them
further north.
· Big Chief– Blues in Twos. Previously
unissued tracks by legendary blues band featuring Dick Heckstall-Smith.
· Chris Ingham Quartet – Hoagy.
Pianist/vocalist Ingham pays tribute to Hoagy Carmichael with some Bixian
overtones from Paul Higgs and recent North east arrival Russ Morgan on drums.
· Count Basie and his Orchestra – Original
Album Series. A 5 CD set of classic Basie albums make this the reissue of
the year.
· Hank Marvin – Django’s Castle. An
unlikely entry but Marvin proves he’s no mere “shadow” of the legendary Django.
Hansu-Tori - An Improvised Escape. A late arrival but well worth waiting for.
Hansu-Tori - An Improvised Escape. A late arrival but well worth waiting for.
·
Johanna Graham Quartet – Don’t Let Me Be
Lonely. Debut album by a new singer (to me that is). Received rave reviews from her
launch at Pizza Express.
· New Century Ragtime Orchestra – Singin’
in the Bathtub. Tyneside’s unique take on 1920s/30s big band music.
·
Paul Edis Sextet – Mr Hipster. I haven’t actually heard the CD but I’ve heard
the sextet live enough times and read other reviews to know that it will justify inclusion.
· Scottish National Jazz Orchestra – Culloden Moor
Suite. Bobby Wellins composed and is featured on this stand out disc.
· Scottish National Jazz Orchestra – American
Adventure. SNJO in America
with guests such as Kurt Elling, Randy Brecker, Mike Stern and many others.
· The Lindsay Hannon Plus – The Spy.
Imaginative interpretations of standards, originals and contemporary classics.
·
Tim Kliphuis Trio – The Grappelli Album. Kliphuis
pays homage to the other driving force of The Hot Club.
· Tommaso Starace Quartet – Italian Short
Stories. An exciting and at times evocative musical portrait of an Italian
photographer.
· Tommy Smith and Brian Kellock – Whispering
of the Stars. Tremendous duo album by two superb players.
Vance Thompson's Five Plus Six - Such Sweet Thunder. An offbeat, yet still swinging tribute To Duke, Monk and Dolly Parton!
Vance Thompson's Five Plus Six - Such Sweet Thunder. An offbeat, yet still swinging tribute To Duke, Monk and Dolly Parton!
· Vasilis Xenopoulos – The Wind Machine.
“Vasi” has impressed us live on many occasions and this re-working of some big
band classics is a classic in its own right.
Apologies to those artists whose discs I haven't included many of which are also deserved of mention.
Lance.
1 comment :
Delighted to have our two most recent SNJO CDs listed as well as Tommy Smith / Brian Kellock album - wonderful!! Now here's to 2015 and our 20th anniversary celebrations with some special concerts
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