Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin Amparo (Decca) Amparo is not what most listeners would expect from a couple of crossover-jazz veterans. As on its predecessor, 2000′s Two Worlds, guitarist Ritenour and keyboardist Grusin explore their classical influences. Joined by a string orchestra, as well as friends Renée Fleming, Chris Botti, [...]

Natalie Cole Still Unforgettable (DMI/Atco/Rhino) As the daughter of Nat “King” Cole, vocalist Natalie Cole has a huge advantage when it comes to interpreting standards. Cole brings more to the table than most, having been thoroughly immersed in the Great American Songbook courtesy of her dad. Or maybe it’s genetic. [...]

Gene Ludwig Trio with the Bill Warfield Big Band Duff’s Blues: Live From the Zoellner Arts Center (18th & Vine/Allegro) When the Hammond B-3 organ grew popular in the 1950s, musicians viewed the instrument as a big band in a box. Combining a B-3 player with a roaring big band [...]

Anat Cohen Notes From the Village (Anzic) “Washington Square Park,” the opening track to multi-reed player Anat Cohen’s latest disc, begins as a modern-jazz piece with African and Middle Eastern influences. Just when you’ve settled into the exotic, intricate patterns, the piece shifts gears into a straight-out funk interlude – [...]

Rudresh Mahanthappa Kinsmen (Pi Recordings) Like many great ideas, it started with a joke. While saxophone player and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa was struggling to express his Indian-American heritage through music, his brother presented him with a gag gift called Saxophone Indian Style. The album proved revelatory, featuring the legendary Kadri [...]

Fourplay Energy (Heads Up) Improvisational magic flows through Energy, Fourplay’s latest recording for the Heads Up imprint. Keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Larry Carlton and the seasoned rhythm section of bassist Nathan East and drummer Harvey Mason deliver a heady mix of African, pop, funk and R&B-flavored contemporary jazz. The seductive [...]