Jacky Terrasson‘s 1999 album, What It Is, represented something of a risk. The young pianist’s first three albums were barebones trio affairs that had won him rave reviews, whereas What It Is featured additional instruments and was more slickly produced. Gone, it seemed, was the sparse, acoustic approach…
For this notable set, pianist Jacky Terrasson teams up with the smoky, chance-taking vocalist Cassandra Wilson, either Lonnie Plaxico or Kenny Davis on bass and percussionist Mino Cinelu. The music is quite impressionistic and atmospheric. Terrasson and Wilson stick to standards, but their renditions of such songs as…
Jacky Terrasson delights in turning standards inside out. On his eponymously titled debut CD he gives odd rhythms to “I Love Paris,” purposely speeds up and slows down the tempo on “Bye Bye Blackbird,” takes “I Fall in Love Too Easily” very slowly, does his best to disguise “Bye…
Kurt Elling has finally delivered on the potential promised on his 1997 album The Messenger. It is true that Elling has been terrifically consistent in his offerings with very inspired performances– even if the material and its execution were not nearly as adventurous as that storied earlier recording. But…
Fans of Kurt Elling have long known that his recordings, as clever and well-orchestrated as they might be, don’t quite match up to the power and charm of his live performances. Years of holding court at the Green Mill and other Chicago clubs are what really have brought Elling…
Who but Kurt Elling would open a ballads album by singing a Charlie Haden bass solo? It’s a typically ambitious move, transforming “Moonlight Serenade,” Glenn Miller’s perennial slow-dance favorite, into a hip, smoky ode. Elling is a distinctive vocalist, endowed with true musicianship: Listen as he sticks to his…
After taking the jazz vocal scene by storm, Kurt Elling got in a bit over his head, gaining as many critical kudos as catcalls. On his third disc, he finds a happy medium between romantic rumination and vocal experimentation. The highlight of the disc is “Freddie’s Yen for Jen,”…
This is one of the most interesting jazz vocal sets to be released in 1997. Kurt Elling covers a wide range of music, continually taking chances and coming up with fresh approaches. He is assisted by his longtime pianist Laurence Hopgood, different bassists and drummers, and on various tracks…
For his debut recording, Chicago vocalist Elling pushes the envelope, challenging listeners and his musicians with beat poetry, ranting, and his Mark Murphy-ish singing. There’s quite a bit of dramatist/actor in Elling, although the romantic in him is also pretty prevalent. Acting much like a tenor saxophonist, Elling can…
More than a decade into their career, Medeski, Martin & Wood continue to expand their sound. This time out, they’ve enlisted John King (Dust Brothers, Beck, Beastie Boys) as producer and engineer, and he brings a left-field pop sensibility to the table without ever sacrificing the personality and energy…