Singer Cassandra Wilson, who has had a rather diverse career that has ranged from the free funk of M-Base to standards à la Betty Carter, has in recent times adopted a folk-oriented style a little reminiscent of Nina Simone. On New Moon Daughter her repertoire ranges from U2 to…
A tribute album by Cassandra Wilson to Miles Davis seems like a very logical idea, but this CD is actually less than one would expect. Wilson’s deep voice gives a downbeat feel to the music, her lyrics for such Davis-associated songs as “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down,” “Seven Steps…
Cassandra Wilson has steadfastly refused to be pigeonholed or confined to any stylistic formula. Her highly anticipated Blue Note debut may stir renewed controversy, as she is once again all over the place. She begins the set with her intriguing version of “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” Then…
The funkified British-born electric guitarist was there in the early ’90s as one of the leaders of what became the acid jazz movement, and he came along in early 2000 to point the way to A Brighter Day, which blended some of those old sensibilities with more modern R&B…
As the reality of Y2K took hold, no doubt many artists went with forward-thinking album titles for their first efforts of the new millennium. But guitarist Ronny Jordan wasn’t thinking of trendiness or even the calendar shift when he called his Blue Note debut A Brighter Day. His 1992…
This set is a bit of a departure for pianist Jacky Terrasson who has generally been heard in acoustic trio formats. Terrasson utilizes a variety of other musicians in larger ensembles for mostly original works (other than Ravel’s “Bolero”). Among his sidemen are tenor-saxophonist Michael Brecker (who gets off…
The talented young pianist Jacky Terrasson and his trio (with bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Leon Parker) find something new to say on a few standards (including a rare up-tempo version of “For Sentimental Reasons”) and introduce five of Terrasson‘s originals. Although he has does not have an…
Since winning the Thelonious Monk Piano competition in 1993, Jacky Terrasson has more than validated the judges’ opinions with a consistently outstanding series of CDs. Mirror provides a rare opportunity to enjoy Terrasson in a solo piano setting. He recasts the old favorite from the Duke Ellington songbook by…
Smile is a good showcase for pianist Jacky Terrasson‘s patented blend of mischief and mastery. A kind of companion piece to the superb A Paris (Blue Note, 2000), two tracks extend its “I love Paris” theme: the dazzling “Parisian Thoroughfare,” and the luscious, dreamy “Sous le Ciel de Paris,”…
