The Jazz.com Blog
July 31, 2008 · 0 comments
The Best Jazz Tracks for July
The Song of the Day is a regular feature at jazz.com that aims to call attention to the best tracks from recent CDs. We cast a wide net. Our reviewers will highlight music from major label releases, indie projects, self-produced CDs, and deserving disks from far-flung parts of the world. The predominant focus is jazz, but we sometimes dip into blues, world music or other styles. The one common denominator is excellence. By highlighting these tracks, jazz.com hopes to call attention to outstanding music you might otherwise miss.
Today’s Song of the Day is a new take on a familiar classic. Jazz fans will be quite familiar with “All Blues” from Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue album. But when was the last time you heard it played in 5/4, and with sitar mixing it up with the saxes? Of course, it’s always a treat to find Ron Carter and Jimmy Cobb in the rhythm section, but how often do you get to hear them alongside the renowned ghatam player Vikku Vinayakram? In other words, this is exactly the type of music we like to feature on Song of the Day: fresh and different; informed by the tradition, but not held back by it.
Below are links to the reviews for all the tracks selected as Song of the Day during the month of July. Click here for a complete list of all the recordings featured as Song of the Day since the inception of jazz.com.
Miles in India: All Blues
Lee Konitz & Grace Kelly: Alone Together
John Ellis: Tattooed Teen Waltzes With Grandma
Gunther Schuller: Concertino for Jazz Quartet & Orchestra
David Murray & Mal Waldron: Soul Eyes
Brian Beninghove: Tape Side Up
Marc Rossi: Hidden Mandala
Adrián Iaies & Michael Zisman: 'Round Midnight
Susie Ibarra: Drum Sketches
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Kids Are Pretty People
Gene Harris: Misty
Antonio Ciacca: Squazin
Jeff Coffin Mu'tet: Bubble Up
Yellowjackets: Double Nickel
Emilio Solla: Conversas
John Beasley: Bedtime Voyage
Wynton Marsalis & Willie Nelson: Stardust
Al Foster: The Chief
Gustavo Assis-Brasil: The Same Day
Revolutionary Snake Ensemble: Just a Closer Walk
The Stein Brothers: Quixotic
Ahmad Jamal: Back to the Island
This blog entry posted by Ted Gioia
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