Blogarrhea: Coltrane Tribute, Piano/Sax Duets, Classical Electronica, Salsa, Blues & the Guy who Plays Organ at the Ballgame

Legacy: A Coltrane Tribute (Jazzed Media), by Steve Heckman, takes some of the more spiritual compositions by the legendary saxophonist John Coltrane like "Dear Lord," "Wise One" and "Reverend King" and interprets them with his crack band of pianist Grant Levin, bassist Eric Markowitz and drummer Smith Dobson. Heckman, a San Francisco multi-instrumentalist, plays tenor and soprano sax on eight 'Trane tunes, the title track original ("Legacy") and standard "It's Easy To Remember" by Rodgers & Hart (which 'Trane included on his 1963 Ballads album). Highly recommended.

Janus is the mythological Roman god of time with faces simultaneously looking both forward and backward. Janus (Sunnyside Records) is also the name of the new duo CD by pianist Nick Sanders and saxophonist Logan Strosahl where they reinvent medieval ancient composer Guillaume de Machaut [1300-1377], French aristocrat Francois Couperin [1668-1733], Olivier Messiaen [1908-1992], Thelonious Monk [1917-1982] and Hoagy Carmichael [1899-1981]. There's also some very forward-thinking progressive originals that have them playing off one another both in diametrically opposed sparring or in-sync unison and harmony. It's all very heady and keeps the interest flowing over the course of 12 tracks of which their own "Be-Bop Tune" stands out. Highly recommended for classical fans wanting a little something different.

The Evolution Suite (Zoho) by pianist/arranger/composer/educator Richard Sussman is a ground-breaking montage for string quartet, jazz quintet and electronica. Sussman plays piano, synthesizer and laptop computer. It's a five-movement hour incorporating contemporary classical, straight-ahead jazz and even the quirky blips and bleeps that constitute instrumental pop. With trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor saxophone, acoustic and electric bass, drums and electric violin added to the fray, the music is mesmerizing, intoxicating, hypnotic and accessible. In other words, don't be scared off! Even Katy Perry fans should be able to get down with this!

You don't have to be Latin to enjoy Ray Obiedo's Latin Jazz Project Volume #1 (Rhythmus Records). It's the eighth CD by this San Francisco guitarist/composer, made up of three originals and eight Latin Jazz standards like Tito Puente's "Picadillo," Juan Tizol's "Caravan" and Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz." The highlight has to be a percolatin' version of "St. Thomas," written and originally performed by sax titan Sonny Rollins on his 1956 Saxophone Colossus album. Percussionist Sheila E, vocalist Sandy Cressman and members of Santana and The Yellowjackets star as action from four flutes, trumpet, timbales, sax, steel pans, piano, bass and drums keep things hoppin'.

If you're a baseball fan and you live in Atlanta, you've no doubt heard Matthew Kaminski. For the last eight seasons, he's played the organ at all 81 home games. Now, he's Live At Churchill Grounds (Chicken Coup Records) playing the big Hammond B-3 on eight swing classics as well as Brian Wilson's "Sail On Sailor" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "So Danco Samba." Vocalist Kimberly Gordon shines on six tracks, fronting the organ/drums/sax/guitar quartet. Influenced by organ legends like Jimmy Smith (whose "Midnight Special" jams on for 9:20) and Brother Jack McDuff (whose "A Real Goodun" closes things out in a 10:33 ramble), Kaminsky doesn't tour but those in The Peach State can hear him on occasion on accordion in two bands, one polka and one Western Swing.

Teresa James is a Tramp. A Rhythm Tramp to be exact. Bonafide (Jesi-Lu Records) is a blues party that gets going immediately with soul and verve to the point where you just can't help but twitch and sway to the sound she's puttin' down. Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps are on their ninth CD and it shows. They're tight, real tight. She's sexy. Real sexy. It's in her voice. It's also in her unerring picks like opener "I Like It Like That," the 1954 R'n'B shouter by The 5 Royales, and John Hiatt's masterful "Have A Little Faith" which closes the party with a solemn request.

Pierre Lacocque is a Cab Driving Man (Delmark Records). He doesn't drive a taxi. His Cab is Cab Calloway, a major influence. He also plays harmonica and writes for Mississippi Heat on its 12^th CD since 1991. Michael Dotson plays lead guitar and sings lead on the three of 16 he wrote. Inetta Visor is the full-throated vocalist on the other 13 and when she wraps her considerable pipes around Pierre's originals like "Flowers On My Tombstone," "Life Is Too Short" and the closing "Hey Pipo," the blues waft through the air like a deep fog on a lonely pier. She even has the guts to interpret The Divine One, Sarah Vaughan, on "Smooth Operator." In fact, her palette is filled with the colors of Chicago Blues, Delta Blues, honky-tonk boogie-woogie, Latin and soul. To make this CD even more outstanding, guests-like Hambone Cameron on Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer and clavinet-drop in on various tracks to lay down some scintillating piano, percussion and horns. It all amounts to a low-down dirty good time.

TagsBloggarhea, Steve Heckman, Matthew Kaminski, Ray Obiedo