IT'S CHRISTMAS ON MACK AVENUE (COMPILATION)
A really
great jazz-based Christmas album – one that's done in the best style of vintage
gems like Jingle Bell Jazz or God Rest Ye Merry Jazzmen – with an equally great
blend of instrumental and vocal artists throughout! The package highlights some
of the best artists on the Mack Avenue label, performing a mix of Christmas
standards in very different styles – some relatively straight, some full of
fire and improvisation – and with a shift in instrumental lineups that makes
for a very fresh record throughout! Titles include "Christmas Time Is
Here" by Warren Wolf, "Silent Night" by Christian McBride,
"Little Drummer Boy" by Tia Fuller, "Santa Claus Is Coming To
Town" by Sean Jones, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by
Cecile McLorin Salvant, "Sleigh Ride" by Aaron Diehl, "Santa
Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto" by Christian McBride, "Skating"
by Hot Club Of Detroit, and "Carol Of The Bells" by Warren Wolf. A
classic set you'll be playing at seasonal gatherings for years to come! ~ Dusty Groove
BRIAN CHARETTE - GOOD TIPPER
Great
Hammond work from Brian Charette – served up in a style that's a bit different
than most contemporary organ jazz sessions! The tracks here are sometimes short
– like the old soul jazz organ singles back in the 60s – and Charette mixes
things up nicely with a few great covers of soundtrack and pop moments – a bit
like some Jimmy McGriff album on Sue Records! Yet Charette's also got a much
wider range of sounds than McGriff ever did – a knowledge of the Hammond that
embraces all the changes from Larry Young forward – worked out with a sweet
trio that includes either Avi Rothbard or Yotam Silberstein on guitar, and Mark
Ferber or Jordan Young on drums. Joe Sucato guests on tenor on the album's one
long track – and titles include "The Kicker", "Good
Tipper", "Another Quarter", "Standing Still",
"You Only Live Twice", "Up Up & Away", and "Time
Of The Season". ~ Dusty Groove
APHEX TWINS - SYRO
The
first proper full length album by Aphex Twin in more than a dozen years – and
like all of his preceding efforts, he transcends all electronic music genre
distinctions, delivering a sound that's distinctly his own – a sound that'll
stand the test of time! Glance at the ultra-complicated track titles, and you
might expect the strangest, most outre aural science of his career, but to the
contrary, it's highly melodic and insistent stuff – finding him him working
comfortably at home in his own canon, without repeating past glories. Excellent
later work from one of the most consistently rewarding electronic music artists
of the past several decades. It seems like Richard D. James doesn't ever bother
to release his stuff if he doesn't have something great in the hopper, and Syro
is indeed pretty great! ~ Dusty Groove
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