John Vanore - Easter Island Suite

John Vanore - composer, trumpet
Michael Mee - alto saxophone, flute
Bob Howell - saxophone, bass clarinet
Brian Landrus - bass clarinet
Greg Kettinger - guitar
Ron Thomas - piano
Craig Thomas - bass
Other musicians unidentified

I don't know much about John Vanore, although he did a nice reimagining of Oliver Nelson's Stolen Moments a few years ago. Easter Island Suite is Mr. Vanore's composition, and it features four parts or movements that work well individually and collectively. I'm not familiar with any of the musicians except Brian Landrus, and since John is Philly based, I'm guessing that's where these guys are from.

The arrangements are no frills, in the sense that they don't have a lot of unusual colors or instrumentation. They work well, though, and provide a lot of solo space to his band, especially the saxophonists. Easter Island Suite is a recording I've returned to multiple times, which says something with the amount of music I listen to!

Convergence - Reckless Meter

Greg Gisbert – trumpet
John Gunther – tenor saxophone
Mark Patterson – trombone
Eric Gunnison – piano
Mark Simon – bass
Paul Romaine – drums

Reckless Meter from the group Convergence is a really nice straight-ahead date featuring original compositions from the band. Everyone acquits themselves well; Eric Gunnison on piano is a standout. It’s great to hear from John Gunther, an underrated tenor player who reminds me a little of Tina Brooks. John had some nice CDs on the old CIMP label.

https://caprirecords.com/album/reckless-meter/

I'm back...!

Due to popular demand from, well, no one in particular actually, I've decided to give my music blog another go. I was surprised to see my last post was way back in 2017! I think what's brought me back is the fact that there's so much good music being released that isn't getting its just due. 

I've decided to change how I write in a couple of ways:

• I'm going to keep my posts brief. This will allow me to be more prolific with my entries without taking too much time away from other interests and responsibilities.
• I'm going to be a little more frank than I was in the past. I generally review what I really like, so don't expect to see negative reviews, but I'm going to hold myself to calling it as I see it, the positive and any perceived shortcomings.

Hopefully, I can help jazz fans find out about some great music. Here goes.