Roger Scruton, Culture Counts (Brief Encounters). If you're concerned that the bad in culture is driving out the good, this little book by the British philosopher and polymath may make you feel better. Scruton writes not only about music, but about architecture, painting, literature and the … [Read more...]

Jovino Santos Neto, Alma do Nordeste (Adventure Music). Based for some years in Seattle, the pianist, flutist and composer returns to his native Brazil and collaborates with eleven of his countrymen. The music is based in the baiãos, forrós, xotes and other rich forms of Northeastern Brazil. It is … [Read more...]

Ed Reed, The Song Is You (Blue Shorts). His career was derailed by a troubled life, but as he approaches his eightieth year, Reed's second CD confirms that he is a singer who serves the song. Not a great vocal technician, he specializes in phrasing and interpretation that penetrate to the heart and … [Read more...]

Brubeck Brothers Quartet, Classified (Koch). The band headed by bassist/trombonist Chris and drummer Dan Brubeck is in top form on seven new quartet compositions, an impressive chamber suite and a stirring ensemble version of their father's "Blue Rondo a la Turk." Guitarist Mike DeMicco, pianist … [Read more...]

Fever, The Music of Peggy Lee (Capitol). This quasi-documentary sketches Peggy Lee's life and career. Its greatest contribution is the use of performance clips, interviews and informal films to create a portrait of a gifted artist whose human warmth matched her talent. She was terrific even in a … [Read more...]

Katie Hafner, A Romance on Three Legs (Bloomsbury). The story of Glenn Gould's search for the perfect piano allows us to know the great pianist--and great eccentric--a little better. The book is a superb piece of reporting, its subtext a meditation on the compelling nature of … [Read more...]

Hans Glawischnig, Panorama (Sunnyside). The bassist ranges beyond his usual Latin territory through nine imposing original compositions. Glawischnig's sidemen are his boss, alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon, pianists Chick Corea and Luis Perdomo and the noteworthy young drummers Antonio Sanchez, Marcus … [Read more...]

Carl Saunders, The Lost Bill Holman Charts (MAMA). Holman wrote these jewels of chamber music in the early 1980s, but the commissioner put them in a closet for more than twenty years. When they came to the attention of virtuoso trumpeter Saunders, he assembled a septet to record them. And what a … [Read more...]

Eric Alexander, Prime Time (High Note). In top form and with a responsive audience, the muscular tenor saxophonist and his quartet are captured in concert on CD and, in different performances, on an accompanying DVD. Like the music, the video and audio are clear and straightforward. Pianist David … [Read more...]

Bud Shank, Against The Tide (Jazzed Media). The main current of the DVD is superbly photographed and recorded video of a Shank quartet recording date. Interwoven with the studio session are documentary coverage of the alto saxophonist's long career and segments of Shank speaking. Pulling no punches, … [Read more...]

Bob Blumenthal, Jazz: An Introduction To The History And Legends Behind America's Music (Collins). The critic and historian's attractive little book is a fine primer that also works as a refresher course for the experienced listener. Ushering the reader through the history and styles of the music, … [Read more...]

Cuong Vu: Vu-Tet (ArtistShare). The trumpeter ranges from placidity to wildness, often within a few bars of the same piece. What may seem near mania on the first hearing resolves into logic and strange beauty as the music becomes familiar. On the outer edge of amplification, Vu, tenor saxophonist … [Read more...]

Kendra Shank: A Spirit Free, Abbey Lincoln Songbook (Challenge). It would been have natural to assume that Abbey Lincoln's songs are so tied to her personality that no attempt to adapt them could succeed. Ms. Shank, however, manages to pay tribute to Ms. Lincoln and evoke her without imitating or … [Read more...]

Sam Yahel Trio: Truth And Beauty (Origin). This trio was called Yaya3 when it debuted in 2002. By whatever name, organist Yahel, tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman and drummer Brian Blade depart from the standard organ trio blockbuster approach into subtlety and taste, without sacrificing propulsion. … [Read more...]

2 Films: Nonstop Travels With Michel Petrucciani & Trio Live In Stuttgart (Dreyfus Jazz). The documentary film follows the late pianist in Europe and the United States. Beautifully directed and photographed, it captures his musicality, charm, wit and spunk. Memorable moments: a reunion in Big … [Read more...]

Howard Mandel: Miles, Ornette, Cecil, Jazz Beyond Jazz (Routledge). Our fellow artsjournal.com blogger also calls his web log Jazz Beyond Jazz. His book further increases listeners' ability to understand the avant garde music he knows so well. Mandel helps clear the way toward appreciation of … [Read more...]

Herbie Hancock, River, The Joni Letters (Verve). Without its cadre of vocalists, Hancock's tribute to Joni Mitchell would not have received a Grammy nomination or widespread critical attention. In varying degrees, Mitchell, Norah Jones, Tina Turner, Luciana Souza and Corinne Bailey Rae do justice to … [Read more...]

Roberta Gambarini and Hank Jones, Lush Life (55 Records). With a new collaboration of the Italian singer and the American pianist about to be released, it is past time to tell you about this one. Gambarini and Jones are all but flawless in this collection of classic songs and two jazz standards, … [Read more...]

Stu Pletcher, The Story Of Stewart Pletcher (Jazz Oracle). Stu Pletcher is not a household name. Even in the 1920s and '30s when he played in popular bands led by Ben Pollack, Smith Ballew and Red Norvo, he was not a household name. Nonetheless, he was a splendid cornet and trumpet soloist who … [Read more...]