June 05 2012
Brian Bromberg - Compared To That ( Advance Review )
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/brian-bromberg-compared-to-that.html
June 05 2012 David Garrett Legacy Decca
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/david-garrett-legacy-decca-2012.html
June 12 2012
Lakecia Benjamin Retox from the Motema Label - (Advance Review)
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/lakecia-benjamin-retox-motema-2012.html
June 12 2012
Orrin Evans Flip The Script - ( Advance Review )
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/orrin-evans-flip-script-posi-tone-2012.html
June 12 2012
The Cookers Believe Motema Records
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/cookers-believe-motema-records-2012.html
June 19 2012 Ralph Peterson The Duality Perspective (Advance Review)
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/ralph-peterson-duality-perspective-2012.html
June 19 2012 Bruce Forman Trio Formanism
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/bruce-forman-trio-formanism-b4m-2012.html
June 19 2012 Towner Galaher Uptown
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/towner-galaher-uptown-rhythm-royale.html
June 19 2012 Sara Gazarek Blossom & Bee
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/sarah-gazarek-blossom-bee-palmetto-2012.html
Mike Stern has a new release coming soon on the Concord label.
Best of 2012 So Far...
01. Hristo Vitchev - Heartmony
02. Ben Wendel - Frame
03. Tord Gustavsen - The Well
04.. Lorenzo Feliciati - Frequent Flyer
05. Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer Group - Signing
06. Kerong Chok - Good Company
07.Hendrik Meurkens / Gabriel Espinosa - Celebrando
08. Andrea Veneziani Trio - Oltreoceano
09. Ricky Sweum - More Than Imaginable
10. Chris Hazelton - Perefrination
11. Tom Wetmore - Desired Effect
12. Masabumi Kikuchi - Sunrise
13. Tessa Souter - Beyond The Blue
14. Jazz Punks - Smash Ups
15. Daniel Freedman - Bamako By Bus
16. Brian Bromberg - Compared To That
17. Mike Stern - All Over The Place
18. Tom Tallitsch - Heads or Tales
19. Piero Odorici - Cedar Walton Presents:
20: Maria Neckam - Unison
21: Nickie Schrire - Free Flight
22. Ralph Peterson - The Duality Perspective
23. Amina Figorova - Twelve
24. Carmen Intorre Jr. - For The Soul
25. Orrin Evans - Flip The Script
26. Chick Corea - The Continents
27. Brian Bromberg - Hendrix
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Worst ? Just a perspective to consider.
Robert Glasper - Black Radio. Call it hip hop, neo-soul or "gulp" #bam - The one thing it is not is jazz.
Perhaps the best hip hop recording of the year but jazz in name only.
Bill Doerrfeld - Flurious. A solo piano bash fest so mind numbing that your better bookstores and coffeehouses would avoid this one like the plague. Doerrfeld refers to this as an amalgam of jazz, classical and BLUEGRASS? Right....bluegrass piano is all the rage. Snicker.
Brad Mehldau - Talented? Yes! As dry as dust and exciting as watching paint dry? Yes!
Hiroshima - Departure. First the record label said later, look for the fans to follow.
Najee - The Smooth Side of Soul....Cutting no new ground here. Can we get "something" new and original?
Incognito - Surreal. How many times can you re-package the same record?
Rich Siegel - A "peace activist" spending more time posting anti-Semitic remarks on face book then he does working on his "music." A feeble attempt to win over converts to his politically based ideology blaming the United States and Israel for all the ills of the world. A pro-Muslim activist with an agenda as long as your arm. Need a good protest record? Dylan, Baez and about ten other real artists come to mind. Siegel is but a musical footnote. The irony here that being Siegel was FORMERLY a member of the Jewish faith but turned in his letter of resignation. Oddly enough, they survived.
Lisa McClowry Sings Acoustic Alchemy - Make no mistake this release is all about Lisa and has little if anything to do with Acoustic Alchemy. A nice singer that has somehow moved past the lounge lizard stage but something tells me not for long. Awful.
