The Chris Saunders Band’s newest album, Dancing With The Widow St. James, is rooted in soul jazz and blues with a subtle reference to pop thrown in for good measure. Saunders is a cornet/trumpet player, singer and songwriter. He has a smokey, soulful voice whose timbre and phrasing sound much like his horn. As a singer, he has been heavily influenced by Joe Williams, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Lou Rawls, Dr. John, Tom Waits, Howlin’ Wolf, and Louis Armstrong, with whom he has an especially strong connection. A native and current resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, he and his group have been performing together for 10 years and are mainstays on the Bay Area music scene. Saunders is the frontman, but it has always been about the band and the sum of its parts. On Dancing With The Widow St. James, Saunders includes a mix of covers and originals, which he co-wrote with his collaborator, pianist and group co-founder Ken Cook. The original songs on Dancing With The Widow St. James by Saunders and Cook reflect Saunders’ poetic nature and political leanings. Saunders along with co-producers Cook and Michael Aragon chose to cover several songs written by composers with whom they share a deep affinity. Saunders’ singing, cornet/trumpet playing, and composing on Dancing With The Widow St. James exude the soulfulness of an artist who has absorbed life’s tough lessons but has transformed them into the joy and solace that making music affords.
Kerry Moffit has been a professional musician for 41 years, performing regularly around the country and around Europe. He has performed with and written arrangements for all types of groups, from large jazz orchestras to small ensembles, and he has appeared on over 70 recordings as a sideman. Moffit has accomplished much over his long career, but he has never released a project under his name until now. What Goes Around Comes Around, Moffit’s debut CD as a leader with his band, Turning Circles, is an impressive showcase for this brilliant trumpeter’s performance and compositional talents. Moffit has a good reason for not putting out his own project until now. He served as a proud member of the United States Air Force Bands for nearly 25 years. The Air Force Bands are among the premier musical organizations in the country. Moffit enlisted in 1991, and throughout his service, he played trumpet in concert bands, ceremonial bands, jazz ensembles, and pop/rock bands for both military and civilian audiences. What Goes Around Comes Around features four jazz standards and four original tunes penned by Moffit, who also arranged all the music. The album is a stellar debut for an artist who has had an amazing career despite the fact he is unknown to general jazz audiences. Moffit is at the top of his form as a musician and composer. His warm trumpet tone and hip phrasing pare beautifully with his sophisticated compositions. Like a fine wine that has had time to age, his music is intricate, full of vibrant colors, and eminently pleasing to the palate.
Antonio Carlos Jobim has been one of the brightest, most influential stars in the jazz firmament since winning multiple Grammy Awards for the 1965 release of Getz/Gilberto. His music has been enjoyed by millions of people around the world and recorded countless times by musicians across many different genres. His songs are so ubiquitous that it is very difficult to find a fresh approach to his music. It takes an artist of the caliber of Antonio Adolfo to layer Jobim’s music with a new sensibility and truly transform it into a personal statement. On Jobim Forever, Adolfo imbues nine of Jobim’s iconic tunes from the 1960s with his own, unique artistry. Adolfo is a pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He has recorded over two dozen albums as a leader in the U.S. and Brazil. He has been nominated for several Latin Jazz Grammy Awards, and more than 200 of his original compositions have been recorded by major artists like Sergio Mendes, Earl Klugh, Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, and many others. Adolfo chose Jobim’s songs from the 1960s because he wanted to celebrate a great era of music, when Jobim’s innovations helped make Rio de Janeiro an important capital of world culture. The work of two modern Brazilian masters is on display on Jobim Forever. Adolfo’s modern jazz sensibilities, cultural heritage, and elegant and beguiling aesthetics are the perfect ingredients for creating a new paradigm for Jobim’s well-travelled music.
When Dr. Dave Flippo told his bandmates that he wanted to write music for each of them for his new album, he asked what elements they wanted him to include. He found their answers surprising and challenging -- like writing a waltz in four or a song about a giraffe. But Flippo, a Chicago-based jazz pianist, composer, vocalist, bandleader, and educator, was certainly up for the challenge. On Dedications – Jazz From Planet Flippo, he includes eight original tunes and three by well-known pop artists re-imagined in the jazz idiom. Each tune is dedicated to a member of the band and to friends, family, and other artists whom he admires. Flippo began his band in 1992. Although there were some personnel changes in the ensemble over the years, the one thing that has remained consistent is Flippo’s wide ranging musical interests. His current band comprises some of the top Chicago-based jazz musicians who have now been with Flippo for 10-15 years. The range of styles on Dedications displays Flippo’s prowess as a composer and arranger. With its eclectic styles, odd meters, and accessible melodies, Dedications – Jazz From Planet Flippo is a showcase for Flippo’s broad interests, erudition and inventiveness. It is an eminently fun album that features a tightly knit, top-notch band all in tune with Flippo’s expansive imagination.
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