Patrick Barnitt - Sway
Sway, the
second album by Los Angeles vocalist, composer and actor Patrick Barnitt, is a
project comprising swing, pop, and blues tunes. Barnitt has a warm, intimate
voice, somewhat in the tradition of the Great American Songbook crooners but
with a more contemporary edge. The vocals were recorded at Capitol Studios.
Barnitt is a mainstay on the L.A. jazz scene. He performs regularly at the
Dresden, a quintessential Hollywood nightclub. He also gigs regularly with
drumming legend Frank Devito, a member of the famous The Wrecking Crew. Barnitt
is accompanied by The Paul McDonald Big Band, a 17-pieceband that features some
of the top West Coast players. Barnitt’s musical tastes are wide-ranging. His
classic tenor voice, top-notch musicianship, and big band arrangements create a
thematic whole that is by turns swinging and romantic.
Brandee Younger - Soul Awakening
Really beautiful work from Brandee Younger – maybe one of
the few artists to mix together jazz and harp since the generation of Dorothy
Ashby and Alice Coltrane! The record's even hipper than Brandee's last –
richer, deeper, and with these strongly spiritual currents that get great
support from an excellent lineup that includes Ravi Coltrane on tenor, Sean
Jones on trumpet, Dezron Doglas on bass, and EJ Strickland on drums! The music
is sharp and focused, but also has a wonderful sense of flow – perfect for
Younger's deft fingers on the strings of the harp – which, as in the hands of
Ashby or Coltrane, is completely transformed from its usual instrumental role.
Titles include "Soulris", "Games", "Sae The
Children", "Soul Awakening", "Linda Lee",
"Respected Destroyer", "Blue Nile", and "Love's
Prayer". ~ Dusty Groove
Eddy Senay - Step By Step
The second smoking Sussex album from guitarist Eddie Senay –
and arguably even better than the first! The tracks here are all instrumentals –
played with a style that's tight, right, and very on the money – mixed with
keyboards from Rudy Robinson, who also arranged the numbers on the set. There's
kind of a choppy early 70s soundtrack funk groove to the whole set – like a
funky 45 groove, but stretched out a bit more – with Eddie's guitar
bad-stepping its way over Rudy's sweet keyboards – all in a relatively lean
mode that's laidback and loose, but still supremely funky! Titles include
"Cameo", "Delgado", "Soul Preachin",
"Shakeero", "Safari", "Sarko East",
"Shakedown", and "Phase 1". ~ Dusty Groove
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