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Nov 26, 2024 | 
trackingangle.com | Kevin Gray |Michael Fremer |Paul Tavenner
some of us buy the records, Jacob made one!You needn't read the liner notes to feel from where drummer/composer Jacob Wendt draws his inspiration. The front cover photo and art direction offer a hint. The back cover does not, but drop the stylus on the title track opener and you'll hear Rudy's classic Blue Note stereo spread and feel Horace Silverness of it.
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Sep 23, 2024 | 
trackingangle.com | Hugh Davies |Kevin Gray |Michael Fremer
fortunately the sound is superior to the jacket art reproductionGram Parsons overdosed in the desert shortly after recording these tracks at Wally Heider's Hollywood Studios. A damn shame and a waste of a troubled life. His greatness is more appreciated now than when he lived.
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Sep 5, 2024 | 
trackingangle.com | Rudy Van Gelder |Kevin Gray |Michael Fremer
And a new "Blue Note"-y cover While this is admittedly a simplification, Tone Poet Blue Note releases come in a few basic musical flavors: the "must have" ones that even non-jazz fans know by name, the great ones that when originally released couldn't find an audience but now are more popular and well-appreciated than ever, the head scratcher delayed release ones that have fans wondering how and why the label didn't issue them when originally recorded, and finally the delayed release ones...
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Aug 1, 2024 | 
trackingangle.com | Ron Nevison |Kevin Gray |Michael Fremer
but Free fans had mixed feelingsFree was one of the great unappreciated late '60's era rock bands. Sure, they had a hit with "All Right Now", but like Stealers Wheel with "Stuck in the Middle", that song is catchy with a barbed hook, but that's about all. Free was a band that simmered: dark, brooding, deep and thoughtful. The albums leading up to Fire and Water didn't sell, and Highway, the one following the big seller, flopped too.
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Jul 19, 2024 | 
trackingangle.com | David Jones |Kevin Gray |Michael Fremer
"one large ear, equipped only with a psyche"Based on some of the comments on this site under the original announcement of these UHQR Bill Evans releases you might think the subtitle quote was someone's reference to Analogue Productions Chad Kassem, but it's actually from annotator Ira Gitler's original liner notes for Sunday at the Village Vanguard. His point was that being a jazz critic doesn't mean he can't melt into the music and drop the analytical side of his reviewer brain.
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Mar 15, 2024 | 
trackingangle.com | Kevin Gray |Michael Fremer
at Hackensack WestYes, was a clickbait headline. Guitarist Anthony Wilson did not "meet" the rhythm section when last year they stepped into Kevin Gray's Cohearent Recording studio A/K/A "Hackensack West" to record this album live to two track tape, mixed "on the fly" as Rudy did. Wilson has been playing in Diana Krall's band for years with drummer Jeff Hamilton and bassist John Clayton, Jr.. Following this session, they were immediately back on the road with Krall.
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Feb 26, 2024 | 
trackingangle.com | Bill Stoddard |Kevin Gray |Michael Fremer
a joyful reunion plus 1/2 of the MJQ & great sound make for an efficacious OJC reissue The obi says the Adderley/Evans "reunion" was "Cannonball"'s idea, something I didn't know when I picked up a Japanese repress for $3.98 at Record Surplus back in the mid-80s during the era of the great "vinyl record replacement dump"—and what a great time it was for those who recognized the CD folly for what it was! The cover shot doesn't have Julian appearing all that happy posing with his horn in front...
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Jan 17, 2024 | 
trackingangle.com | Kevin Gray |Michael Fremer
Bones Howe engineered sonicsWhile Rhino's "High Fidelity" series lacks a clearly identifiable direction or purpose—it seems to meander around the catalog without regard to time, place or purpose—there's one consistent strategy: each two record release has a rock title and a jazz title. Credit Rhino with chance-taking guts this round. Marquee Moon isn't exactly mainstream rock (though the reissue gives it that sound), and Ornette Coleman's music scares a lot of listeners. I'm not making that up.
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Nov 28, 2023 | 
lakecountystar.com | Kevin Gray
Here’s what to do once you arrive, with options for summer, winter and in-between. But first, you have to get there. Most of Switzerland is accessible by train, so while it’s easy to drive across the country’s well-maintained roads during the warmer months, there’s no need for a rental car. And you won’t want one when it’s snowing. Instead, stick to the reliable train system. Swiss trains run like Swiss watches, and stations are well-marked.
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Oct 19, 2023 | 
ourmidland.com | Kevin Gray
And while eating and shopping are basically competitive sports here, there’s no shortage of things to do in Dallas — and that extends to the outdoors. Because while we acknowledge that the city’s conspicuous lack of mountains and beachfront might preclude it from winning any natural beauty awards, it’s still home to urban green spaces, lakes, forests and myriad running and biking trails, several with bars just off their paths. All in, there’s a little something for everyone.
