“One of Hicks’ finest recordings,” is the Washington Post’s judgment. A jazz piano giant for 40 years, John could break your heart with a ballad, sweep you off your feet with an anthem, or boot you into boogeyin’ with one of his cookers...
All About Jazz describes: "This set seems to be a hymn to the rhapsodic as two virtuosos play a handful of tunes that lend themselves to lush, melodic interplay..." This album pairs two legendary Fazioli pianos with two extraordinary pianists and, between them, a breathtaking singleness of groove and invention.
Take a classical clarinet virtuoso with a Louisiana-bred, lifelong passion for traditional
jazz. Add a gypsy trained, dyed-in-the-wool Django-style guitarist plus the East Coast’s
premier bassist for swing and blues. That’s the Redwine Trio. Ben’s session is one of the
most gorgeously played, irresistibly swinging, reverently authentic recordings we've heard
since the glory days of trad jazz.
With only piano and drums, Larry and Paul break through to a breathtaking new place in music, a space where classical and improv and jazz become indistinguishable. Both volumes offer staggeringly lifelike recordings, so much so Fred Kaplan picked "The Powers of Two" as one of his "Ten Best of the Year".
Playing the New York jazz scene together for over a decade, Paul and Santi have grown into
one of jazz’s great duos. Paul’s flawlessly warm guitar sound blends Wes Montgomery’s
bluesy soulfulness with Jobim’s Brazilian sensuality. That quiet excitement is doubled by
Santi’s big, rich-sounding bass. Bowed or plucked, Santi adds subtly swinging groove.
Striking, melodic arrangements ranging from centuries-old spirituals to modern sambas and
classic jazz ballads.
Quietly cooking melodic jazz and swing favs led by the rock-solid bassist who also ably
anchored our Joe Stanley and John Cocuzzi sessions. Previti made history for 18 years
backing up guitar giant Danny Gatton. And you jazzers probably heard John keepin’ time for
Doc Cheatham, Herb Ellis or Charlie Byrd.
Chuck Berg of Jazz Times says:
“It’s fair to say that Kindred now ranks with the giants of his instrument, with Ben
Webster, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, John Coltrane and Zoot Sims.”
Gerard locks effortlessly with his trio mates, Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirschfield. They’re one of the classic bass-drum duos in jazz, recorded on a hundred plus discs. As for Gerard, jazz greats like Nat Adderly, Zoot Sims, Mel Lewis and Red Rodney all loved his selfless accompaniment and his endlessly enchanting, melodic solos.
If you’re a fan of piano greats like Mary Lou Williams, Dorothy Donegan, Art Tatum and
Chris Anderson, Consuela’ll be right up your alley. With her drummer, Sangoma Everett,
she does Ellington, Waller, Kern and Berlin to pianistic perfection—and writes ensnaring
originals.
When Pierre first heard Monica perform, he was immediately struck by her voice—a warm, caressing alto with echoes of Rosemary Clooney and Morganna King. He was seduced by her repertoire, a gently nostalgic selection of great American songs. And she delivers those songs straight, with taste and feeling.
“His sound, gorgeous like his mentor’s, often has a shade more edge and darkness, and he has more facility than Ben, handling fast tempos with aplomb...for fans of melody-rich jazz that has a good beat,” according to Stereophile. Standard studio electronics simply don’t capture the unbelievable sensuousness of that Ashby tenor sound; our CD does.
A great jazz player can stop your breath with an impossibly slow and tender ballad; we spent several happy days combing though our master tapes to assemble a hour of gorgeous ballads that embody this quality. They’re from a dozen different CDs featuring jazz icons like Larry Willis, David Murray, Stanley Cowell, and Jack Walrath. The Absolute Sound says “…excellent sound and good music…the stuff of fine wine and candlelight.”
