128 Results for "mark wilder"

Vocalist Wesla Whitfield continues her series of recordings featuring the work of Great American Songbook composers on High Note with this superb collection of songs by Kurt Weill, Harry Warren, and Alec Wilder. Living up to its title, September Songs: The Music of Wilder, Weill and Warren is a...

Giants of Jazz: Mark Murphy is a nice budget collection of tracks from the vocalist. Included are cuts mainly from the '70s, including stellar versions of "Waters of March," "Stolen Moments," and "On the Red Clay." This is a solid introduction to Murphy's...

As a composer Mark Dresser walks no lines; he enters and exits the musical body without regard for boundaries or conventions imposed from outside his musical view. As a soloist, improviser, and bandleader, Dresser is well-known for turning the musical tract inside out in order to get what he...

This early-'60s effort, not Murphy's first but still pretty early in his discographical canon, has worn well over the years. Credit of course can be lavished on the vocalist himself, who didn't sound like this 20 years later, although every stage of his developing vocal chops has...

Beyond merely skilled, beyond the horizon of hip, past the narrow classification of "jazz singer," Mark Murphy has, for decades, given listeners breathtaking performances that underscore the very heart of song itself. Once to Every Heart was produced by ace flügelhorn master Till...

Drummer Mark Ladley leads a set of swinging straight-ahead jazz performed by some fine musicians from the Midwest on this CD. The first five selections feature Ladley in a trio with organist Mel Rhyne (best known for his early association with Wes Montgomery) and tenor saxophonist John Greiner;...

Mark Murphy's 2005 Verve album, Once to Every Heart, focused on the veteran jazz vocalist's rare, even singular ability with allads and orch songs. Produced by Till Brönner, the great flügelhorn player, it was an album that brought Murphy's name back toward -- if not...

Roots rocker Webb Wilder was due for a live album, which he finally recorded for the cameras in August 2005. The result was then packaged as a DVD/CD collection and released by Landslide in 2006 where it languished in near obscurity. Along comes the better distributed Blind Pig to the rescue and...

Flute player Mark Lotz is from the Netherlands, but that doesn't keep his Afro-Cuban excursion Cuban Fishes Make Good Dishes from sounding remarkably authentic. Although traditional jazz instruments like flute, piano, bass, reeds, and horns make appearances on most of these 14 songs (the...

From spacy mood music to some funkier sounds, this is a fine outing for distinctive electric bassist Mark Egan. Teamed up in various combinations with guitarists Toninho Horta and Steve Khan; saxophonist Bill Evans; keyboardist Clifford Carter; drummer Danny Gottlieb; and the percussion of Don...

Pianist Mark Levine's Latin jazz quartet does not blaze any new trails on Isla, but the group performs a colorful repertoire with spirit. In addition to Levine, the main voice is percussionist Michael Spiro, whose variety of sounds and complex polyrhythms give the group (which is called the...

Starting in the late '90s, San Francisco-based pianist Mark Levine led an excellent Afro-Cuban jazz quartet called the Latin Tinge. Levine -- who early in his career had associations with Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, and Cal Tjader (1979-1983) in addition to Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw,...

Contrabassist Mark Dresser and cellist Frances-Marie Uitti are both respected members of the avant-garde and improvisational music establishment. Dresser, who is based in Brooklyn, was a member of Anthony Braxton's quartet for nine years and has also worked with Robert Dick, Bob Ostertag,...

Atmospheric and serpentine, the two-disc As We Speak finds electric fretless bassist Mark Egan leading his trio through a series of enigmatic and propulsive original songs. An acolyte of the late great bassist Jaco Pastorious, Egan has a lithe touch on his instrument, and tracks such as the...

Mark O'Connor has certainly had a diverse career. A brilliant violinist, equally at home in jazz, bluegrass, country and classical music, he has excelled in all areas. Among his countless number of musical associations have been the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt,...

This is a particularly interesting program by boppish guitarist Mark Elf. The date starts out strong (with "Trickynometry" and "Dot Com Blues"), featuring a quintet that includes trumpeter Nicholas Payton, and one regrets that Payton is only on one of the remaining ten...

Elf's latest recording is mostly comprised of standards, but four of the cuts are originals dedicated to jazz radio programmers -- thus the title. The guitarist is appeciative of the help he has received exposing his music, and these tunes are the first wave of several he hopes to write for...

Mark Elf's 11th release for his Jen Bay label is a lively studio affair. Joined by some of New York's most in-demand session musicians, including pianist David Hazeltine (who has extensively recorded on his own), bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash, the guitarist kicks off...

Backed by a stellar band that features such fine players as Brian Blade on drums and Brad Mehldau on piano, this sax player is given a daunting set-up on In This World. Thankfully, the promise pays off with a host of fine originals and a couple of surprising covers. Perhaps the most commendable...