by Don Berryman Bassist and composer Steve Swallow has released a finely crafted new album, Winter Songs, on ECM records with a seasoned sextet that includes Chris Cheek on tenor saxophone, Mike Rodriguez on trumpet, Steve Cardenas on guitar, Gil Goldstein on piano, and Adam Nussbaum on drums. It is Steve Swallow’s first release as […]
By Don Berryman The Phoenix Trio is a new all‐star ensemble featuring three of the most creative and accomplished jazz musicians today; tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Marcus Gilmore (who is the grandson of the great Roy Haynes). This trio performing all original music was recorded by Jimmy Katz & James […]
By Don Berryman Steven Bernstein of Sexmob fame released a pair of albums – one being the seed of the other. He is known for his prowess on the slide trumpet (a.k.a. the soprano trombone) in the group Sexmob that formed in 1996 and is still going strong 30 years later. For this new project […]
by Don Berryman One of my favorite saxophonists of all time and a giant of jazz, Sonny Rollins, died at his home in Woodstock, NY, on May 25th, at the age of 95. If there was a Mount Rushmore of tenor saxophonists, Sonny Rollins would certainly be on it. In the 1950s, Rollins began by […]
by Don Berrymqn The Thelonious Monk Estate has launched a new series of authorized albums of recorded material, some of which has been circulated for years as bootlegs of varying quality. The initial release, Monk Live in Paris, 1967 Volume One, showcases Monk’s longstanding quartet with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales on bass, and […]
by Don Berryman Fulfilling a lifelong dream, jazz guitarist Dave Stryker, along with B3 organist Jarred Gold and drummer McClenty Hunter, recorded his latest album at Van Gelder Recording Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on July 14, 2025. A hallowed place for audiophiles who savor that clarity and warm sound, the Van Gelder Studio […]