Home (www.fredsmith.com.au) Perhaps Fred Smith’s twin career as a diplomat explains his not being taken quite as seriously as a singer-songwriter as is his due. Given its potency, the Dust of Uruzgan opus (about his time in Afghanistan) was a hard act to follow, and he has responded by shrinking…
Category: Album Reviews
Joy In Spite Of Everything (ECM) The title of Easy Healing is perfect: a pick-me-up song riding on a breeze of calypso charm. Stefano Bollani, the exceptional Italian pianist long associated with Enrico Rava, could well have written this with Bill Frisell in mind, so perfectly does the guitarist’s elfin…
Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden/Paul Motian: Hamburg ‘72 (ECM/Fuse) Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden: Last Dance (ECM/Fuse) Jim Black Trio: Actuality (Winter & Winter/Birdland) By the age of two he was singing professionally. “Yodelling Cowboy Charlie”, they called him. That was in the Haden Family Band, a star attraction on the US country music…