When a label decides to allow DJs to remix and add to older jazz recordings, one has to wonder if it’s for real or just a gimmick. Does a fan of Wayne Shorter really want to hear a reworking of “Oriental Folk Song” by La Funk Mob? Or Horace Silver‘s “Won’t You Open…

Tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson deserves a lot of credit for stretching himself on this release. Although he can sound very close to Joe Henderson at times, on this set he interprets a wide-ranging repertoire that allows him to avoid falling into the revivalist hard bop category. In addition to…

Javon Jackson worked steadily throughout the ’90s, developing his own style as a soloist and a leader. In the process, he made a series of remarkably consistent albums, each one finding him exploring another aspect of his hard bop-derived sound and each one being more ambitious than the last….

Javon Jackson is best known as a hard bop tenor saxophonist inspired by Joe Henderson. On this CD, however, he really stretches himself and shows that he is continuing to develop an increasingly personal voice. In addition to two challenging originals and a blues, Jackson performs a Brazilian piece…

Successful instrumental pop session from the electric violinist who was a dominant figure at Blue Note in the late ’70s. Pointer could at times churn out a surprisingly riveting solo, but he spent more time plugging into rigidly arranged, heavily produced and orchestrated structures and supporting background vocalists. ~…

This concert was originally intended to be a video release showcasing Stanley Jordan in acoustic, electric and solo settings. His tight rhythm section — including Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, Kenny Kirkland on piano and Charnett Moffett on bass — drives his complex and moving guitar playing through the…

This trio set with bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Kenwood Dennard features the tapping guitarist Stanley Jordan during a typical live show from 1990 playing many songs that he had previously recorded. While “Stairway to Heaven” is treated as very credible rock and “Lady in My Life” gets funky,…

This debut record from Stanley Jordan features the guitarist’s extraordinarily idiosyncratic tapping technique on a variety of material. Jordan’s revolutionary approach to the instrument, consisting of striking the fretboard with both hands to sound notes, allows him access to musical possibilities that are simply out of the reach of…

The fact that Bill Evans’ years as a Miles Davis sideman had so positive an effect on him is evident on The Alternative Man — an unpredictable fusion date that, although overproduced at times, is full of spirited blowing and adventurous composing. Ranging from the reggae-influenced “The Path of…

This double LP finds pianist Michel Petrucciani often showing the influence of Bill Evans. His interplay with bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Eliot Zigmund (an Evans alumnus) is consistently impressive and these eight performances (all but two are between eight and 12 minutes long) never lose their momentum. It’s recommended for lovers of piano trios.