At Last

Lauren White is a name that you should probably commit to memory, because the twenty-one year-old jazz singer from Dallas, Texas, possesses an abundance of talent, a great attitude, and is one of the most polite people you will ever talk to, qualities which will serve her well in the music industry.  Earlier this year White released her debut CD, At Last, an album that has three original tunes, several standards that were popular long before she was born, and tunes by more modern songwriters such as Lee Ann Womack. Recently, White took time to speak to me about her album and her career. 

Lauren White attended the music program at the University of North Texas, a school that has gained a strong reputation for honing the talents of jazz recording artists such as saxophonist Bob Belden, Jeff Antoniuk and Jason Tipp, from Under The Lake. Rosana Eckert, a professor at the University of North Texas and vocal coach to Norah Jones, has also worked with White in the same capacity.  

Rare Medium at the Caboose

Somehow I doubt anyone will ever accuse me of being a hipster. Still, even I can feel a soulful dance groove when it comes along ensconced in the high-wire energy of Rare Medium, a funk ‘n groove sextet based in the Twin Cities. RM brings their infectious beats to their new release, Reconditioned, and the urge to stand up and dance to this music can be irresistible.

Citing influences as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Medeski Martin & Wood, Miles Davis and The Meters, Rare Medium has been gaining strength like a tropical storm since their first release, That Means You, in 2003. The band has shared the stage with such national acts as The Average White Band, Bernie Worrell and The Slip, while their recent list of popular gigs has included Caboose, Trygs, Fine Line and the Nomad World Pub (including a back to back night opposite the Jack Brass Band). The band features a cast of musicians whose credits and backgrounds are as diverse as their music:

Very Early

An octet is the perfect environment to explore the many possibilities of arrangements, textures and colors within each composition, with Octobop’s latest release Very Early, titled after the Bill Evans tune, the ensemble exhibits an updated cool jazz offering. Very Early is Octobop’s fourth recording following the well-received releases, After Dark, Night Lights and Too Close for Comfort. What each recording has in common is a clear and evident respect for West Coast cool jazz in its splendor. West Coast genius Marty Paich’s arrangements find their way onto all of the Octobop releases, which also guides the releases signature sound.

When The Night Is New

Even though Jazz vocalist Abigail Riccards is still in the beginning stages of her career, she has already been the recipient of some significant awards, including Downbeat’s Outstanding Collegiate Vocalist (2002) and, along with her bandmates, Downbeat’s Outstanding Collegiate Vocal Jazz Group (2004). Demonstrating all the sensibilities of a seasoned jazz singer, Riccards, who has performed with the likes of George Duke, Mulgrew Miller, and numerous other noteworthy artists, will soon no doubt have many critical accolades to add to her press kit with the December 3rd release of her glorious dbut CD, When The Night Is New (Jazz Excursion Records).

The album consists of twelve love songs, comprised for the most part of classic tunes or standards, the exception being her interpretation of Sting’s “I Was Brought To My Senses.” Her sensitive retelling of Sting’s ballad provides clear proof that Riccards is a storyteller par excellence. Her phrasing and inflection bring the lyrics to life and the romantic tales unfold before us. David Berkman provides a great piano accompaniment and Lage Lund turns in a solid performance on guitar.

• Facts: Real Emotional (2007); Stigers’s 8th CD, his 5th for Concord, and his 3rd collaboration with keyboardist/arranger Larry Goldings as producer/co-producer. Dedicated to the memory of Michael Brecker.
• Synopsis: The 12 tracks include originals by Stigers & Goldings as well as a range of covers, from Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Emmylou Harris to Paul Simon, Mose Allison, and Randy Newman, along with the jazz obbligato, Hoagy Carmichael (“Stardust”).
• Personnel: Curtis Stigers, vocals, saxophone; Larry Goldings, keyboards, accordion, glockenspiel, all arrangements; Matthew Fries, piano; John Pizzarelli, guitar; John Sneider, trumpet; Phil Palombi, bass; Keith Hall, drums.
• FMI: www.curtisstigers.com

Real Emotional

Chris Greene Quartet

I receive many requests to review CDs, mostly from local Midwest area bands, but some from as far a field as Europe and Asia. One of the problems that I find in reviewing local musicians (wherever “local” may be situated) is that these efforts are often nothing more than vanity records, something to sell at gigs and to give a feeling of self-importance. When soul and science, volume one by Chris Greene’s quartet dropped into my mail box a few days ago, I had no qualms about reviewing it, having witnessed the band playing around the Chicago area for the last few years. My only concern was whether the quartet could capture on CD the raw energy that they generate when playing to a live audience. I needn’t have worried, the “live jazz” feeling was captured on disc perfectly.  

The quartet incudes Chris Greene (saxophones), Damian Espinosa (piano), Marc Piane (bass), and Tyrone Blair (drums). This five-track album certainly shows the quartet’s musical diversity, featuring music composed by soul legend Stevie Wonder; rocker Sting; jazzman Tommy Turrentine; bandleader Duke Ellington, together with a band original to complete the set.