Willie Jones III -][- THE NEXT PHASE [Wj3 Records]

Tags

African American, Drums, Jazz, Willie Jones III

Willie Jones III - THE NEXT PHASE

Willie Jones III -][- THE NEXT PHASE -(MP3)- [Wj3 Records, 2010]

Willie Jones III is probably the top drummer to see play in 2010. His skills are ridiculous. He reminds me a lot of my favorite all-time drummer, “Philly” Joe Jones. With his latest release “The Next Phase”, Willie shows that he is more than just a great drummer; he’s become a great leader as well. The style of the music is hard bop and post bop. If you’ve been following Jeremy Pelt’s recent releases November and Men of Honor, you’ll find a similar style here to the style of those CDs. Not being a prolific song writer (only 1 track on the CD is written by Jones), Jones does the smart thing and includes some great songwriters in his band. Most notable is Jones’ pianist on the album Eric Reed who contributes two killer songs to the CD (The Thorn & Another Time).

This CD was my first exposure to Reed and I’m extremely expressed with his technique, style, and writing. He reminds me of McCoy Tyner and Wynton Kelly. His play is a constant highlight throughout the CD. Trombonist Steve Davis is also impressive throughout the CD wrote the last song on the CD (Up the Middle). Two of the tracks (3 + 7) feature vocals. I’m not a fan of either of these tracks. Fortunately the rest of the CD is so good, it more than makes up for it. —Scott Williams | Customer Review @ Amazon.com

..:: SOURCE: Amazon.com ::..

Noah Haidu -][- SLIPSTREAM

Tags

Chris Haney, Jazz, Jeremy Pelt, John Davis, Jon Irabagon, Noah Haidu, Willie Jones III

Noah Haidu -][- SLIPSTREAM – (MP3) – [Posi-Tone Records, 2011] – Music Review –

Noah Haidu - SLPISTREAM

Based in New York, pianist-composer Noah Haidu originally from Charlottesville, VA debuts with his engaging bop induced yet lyrically intense album titled “SLIPSTREAM” on Posi-Tone Records. All compositions on this recording were written by Haidu with the exception of “Just One of Those Things” composed by Cole Porter.

Out of the box “SLIPSTREAM,” sonically encompasses the familiar tonality and melodic attributes the masters in jazz has recorded for years. Is Noah Haidu doing anything audibly different or thought-provoking? Many view his sound as cutting edge, his music is rhythmically tight and harmonically on point. As I listen, his voice ascends while evenly balance in the language of jazz to provide potent melodies with substance which should generate lots of conversation about what this remarkable young musician has to offer anyone who is willing to listen.