Brilliant Corners: The Music of Thelonious Monk
Artist: Bill Holman

Bill Holman's exploration of ten Thelonious Monk tunes is purposely a lot more Holman than Monk. Rather than trying to re-create the great pianist/composer's piano solos or small-group renditions of his songs, Holman picked out numbers that interested him and then avoided listening to Thelonious' versions. The one trait of Thelonious Monk's that... Read More

When Music Calls
Artist: Anton Schwartz

The so-called Young Lion trend in jazz -- young guys choosing hard bop and acoustic post-bop over fusion, crossover and pop-jazz -- gained momentum in the early 1980s but was still alive and well in the late 1990s. One Young Lion who attracted some attention playing the Bay Area jazz scene of the 1990s was Anton Schwartz, who was 30 when he... Read More

Collected Roy Hargrove
Artist: Roy Hargrove

Although collectors and serious fans will have little use for it, RCA's Collected Roy Hargrove is a nice overview of his RCA recordings for casual fans, containing ten tracks including "Wee," "Ruby My Dear, " "Night Watch" and "Milestones." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

Brazil
Artist: Charlie Rouse

While this is by no means an authentic attempt at Brazilian music, it features the collective application of Brazilian musical sensibilities combined with jazz and R&B guided by former Thelonious Monk tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse. Rouse lends his hard bop Monk-flavored chops by playing off of fiery Brazilian born trumpeter Claudio Roditi,... Read More

Greatest Hits - MILESTONE
Artist: Cannonball Adderley

"Greatest Hits" in this case means some of Cannonball Adderley's best-known numbers for the Riverside label, all delivered at their glorious, uncut original length, complete with several of Cannonball's ingratiating spoken intros. Since a few of the obvious choices ("Work Song," "Jive Samba," "Sack o' Woe") were sold by Riverside to Cannonball,... Read More

Gimcracks and Gewgaws
Artist: Mose Allison

The older Mose Allison gets, the sharper his mind becomes, the more idiosyncratic his music sounds, and the more pleasure the aficionado gets for spending the better part of an hour with his latest stuff. By this time, the 70-year old philosopher from Tippo, Miss. had sharpened his wit and insight on life to an even keener edge, musing wryly on... Read More

Hello, Friend: To Ennis with Love
Artist: Bill Cosby
Community Score: 10.00

Hello, Friend: To Ennis With Love is a touching, moving tribute to Bill Cosby's murdered son that chooses to celebrate instead of mourn. Cosby produced the album, enlisting Lester Bowie (trumpet), Philip Harper (trumpet), Bobby Watson (alto saxophone), Craig Handy (tenor saxophone), Cedar Walton (piano), Peter Washington (bass), Billy Higgins... Read More

KC After Dark: More Music from Robert Altman's Kansas City
Artist: Kansas City Band

A sequel to the fabulously successful soundtrack album from the film Kansas City, KC After Dark gathers together a second batch of tracks from the cutting-room floor with almost equally astonishing results. Again, one is struck by how director Robert Altman and producer Hal Willner were able to get these young neo-boppers, so buttoned-down and... Read More

Blues for the New Millennium
Artist: Marcus Roberts

This intriguing release features pianist Marcus Roberts and a dozen of his originals played by a variety of young musicians in groups as large as 11 pieces. The compositions (other than Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" and Jelly Roll Morton's "Jungle Blues") are all by the pianist, as are the arrangements. In general, the original tunes... Read More

Live at the Silvermine
Artist: John Mastroianni

The eight tunes on this CD (five of them Mastroianni originals) were recorded live over the course of two nights at a colonial-style inn called the Silvermine in Norwalk, CT, and the intimate setting is reflected in the music. Mastroianni's compositions tend to be a little bit on the abstruse side, but his playing is warm and inviting; so is... Read More

Lone Star Legend
Artist: David "Fathead" Newman

David "Fathead" Newman has such a strong reputation as a soulful saxophonist that sometimes people forget how creative a straight-ahead improviser he can be. His two Muse LPs, Resurgence and Still Hard Times, have been reissued in full on this deluxe single CD. Whether playing tenor, flute, soprano or alto, Newman's solos are full of personality... Read More