Recorded in Arizona with Calexico’s Joey Burns producing, Amos Lee’s fourth studio album, 2011’s Mission Bell, finds the singer/songwriter in a thoughtful mood and once again wrapping his soulful folk numbers in country, blues, and soft rock. A ruminative, lazy summer day of an album, Mission Bell is not…

Before the rise of bebop, the French horn was never heard as an improvising instrument in jazz. John Graas, who worked with Stan Kenton and Shorty Rogers, was the first jazz French horn player to lead his own record date, in 1953. However, Julius Watkins soon surpassed him as…

With an easy bop sensibility, Woods cuts loose on a number of originals and a few surprising chestnuts for a strong set. Fellow reed player Johnny Griffin (the two played in Monk’s nonet in the late ’60s) and the fine rhythm section of Cedar Walton on piano, Ben Riley…

Renee Rosnes‘ sixth Blue Note CD shows her stretching well past her hard bop roots. Joined by bassistScott Colley and husband Billy Drummond on drums, she covers a wide swath of musical styles. Her aggressive attack on Ornette Coleman‘s “Blues Connotation” contrasts with her laid back richly textured treatment of the old Beatles hit “With…

As We Are Now is another wonderful session from pianist Renee Rosnes, finding her nativgating a challenging set of six original compositions and three covers. Rosnes is supported by drummer Jack DeJohnette, bassist Christian McBride and saxophonist Chris Potter, an impressive lineup that alows Rosnes to stretch her limits….

Pianist Renee Rosnes ends a two-year recording lull with Life on Earth, a set of mostly original tunes with a world music flavor. There’s quite a bit — maybe too much — going on here, as Rosnes introduces new sonic elements and personnel to differentiate each track. Thus, “Empress…

It is unusual to hear a son and his mother record together in a jazz setting, but this collection of ballads by Bill Charlap and Sandy Stewart is a stunning duo date. Charlap is best known as the leader of a superb piano trio, along with having worked extensively…

Bill Charlap, a versatile pianist based in swing who is also a longtime member of the Phil Woods Quintet, pays tribute to the great George Gershwin throughout this likable set. Although some of the ten Gershwin songs are slightly modernized, the music is very much in the tradition. There…

Though his debut on record occurred only eight years prior to Stardust, pianist Bill Charlap has become well known for his lush, poignant reading of the standards. On his second date for Blue Note, Charlap and his rhythm section lovingly re-create 11 songs by songster Hoagy Carmichael, and are…

This is the sort of album that gives the mainstream a good name. It’s wonderfully recorded, especially at the low end of the spectrum: Peter Washington’s bass and Kenny Washington’s kick drum speak with authority yet never overwhelm Charlap’s piano. The trio’s approach is distinctive, marked by tight and…