PORTALIS (Orenda) 7.5/10 As Orenda Records’ catalogue expands, so does both the scope of its music and the significance of the Los Angeles-based label. This, the debut album by bassist/composer Zack Teran, interweaves jazzy threads with streams of electronica, bursts of rock and more. Groove and drama are often uneasy bedfellows,…
Category: Album Reviews
BLUEPRINTS & VIGNETTES (Earshift) 8/10 Music has a way of smoothing its own path. Given the chance, our brains readily accommodate complexity that comes via the ears, so the unfolding of even quite convoluted material can swiftly assume an air of inevitability. Of course relentless complexity may ultimately test powers…
IN PARIS (Resonance/Birdland) 8/10 Wes Montgomery always stood out from the welter of jazz guitarists who emerged in Charlie Christian’s wake. Using his thumb (rather than a plectrum) he developed the warmest sound: a bronze tone that was equally effective on tender ballads or for lighting sudden spot-fires amidst his…