This is the only album of the Masada Quintet, another brainchild of avant garde composer John Zorn. The instrumental album features the quintet’s - Piano, drums, bass, tenor sax, trumpet – relaxed style with muted piano and generally comforting brass. An outstanding all-around album. Put it in the car stereo for your commute and lose the office stress .
Best Song: Serakel, but also listen to Haamiah
New York jazz band Sex Mob has an interesting shtick – a slide trumpet (a trumpet with a trombone slide).Their second shtick is taking popular pop songs, disassembling them and reassembling them anew, keeping the basic elements and making the rest their own. In this album, they take on the music of the James Bond franchise. Cool sixties sound seeps from every track making it a perfect album to play at the private bar of your bachelor pad.
Best Song: You Only Live Twice
Gretchen Parlato has the soul of jazz – musicianship, improvisation, soul, style and individualism (while paying homage to the past greats). With fans like Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, Parlato has the jazz foundation (she won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition ion 2004 judged by Quincey Jones, Al Jarreau and others) in case there would be any reason you would doubt her. But that won’t happen once you listen to the first track. Blending Brazilian influences with her understated soft voice and intricate rhythms, Parlato’s first album shows she can go further into pop, easy listening, lounge, or whichever direction she chooses. Is it obvious yet that we recommend this album? It provides high musicianship with a smooth ethereal feel. Put it on next time you invite friends over for after-party drinks.
Best Song: I Can’t Help It and Within Me
Formerly of the group Tony! Toni! Tone!, Saadiq went on as a producer of Joss Stone, Mary J. Blige, and others. His music goes back to the roots of old school R&B, and listening to this album brings back memories of Motown, Neville Brothers, Smokey Robinson, and other greats. Saadiq’s voice oozes retro seduction and nostalgic emotion. While there is great emphasis on style, nearly all of the tracks are outstanding, and the presence of a number of big hitters (Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, Jay-Z) the album isn’t nearly as individualistic as, say, one by Ayo. The album garnered three Grammy nominations and is a great choice for your next house party, retro or not.
Best Song: 100 Yard Dash and Just One Kiss
Definitely soul pop more than jazz, Faith credits Billie Holiday and Etta James as her influences. Faith pushes the brassy confident voice that has been brought back by Amy Winehouse and Duffy (though no one beats the original Shirley Bassey). The retro guitars, strong beats, and Faith’s angry lyrics create a funky and heated mix. If you like the new retro-soul comeback, you’ll need this album for your collection.
Best Song: Stone Cold Sober
Fans of Grey’s Anatomy will know Michaelson’s songs already. Like a lot of other artists we review, she isn’t jazz (though many of her songs are begging for jazz interpretation). ‘Open me up and you will see, I'm a gallery of broken hearts, I'm beyond repair, let me be, And give me back my broken parts’ is sung with such sweet sincerity, it doesn’t sound nearly as cynical as it reads. The simple indie arrangements and emotion-analyzing lyrics create a slightly melancholy album which provokes thought and brings back old feelings.
Best Song: Giving Up
Eva Cassidy wasn’t very well-known outside of Washington DC until after her death of cancer at 33. After her music was featured on a BBC program. After that her songs began topping charts. It can’t be said that the albums are stylistically unique or her voice is something unique. But it is very…attractive. The personal takes on popular covers, simple accompaniment, and warm American sound make you want to put your ipod on repeat.
Best Song: True Colors
Allen Toussaint is a name you should know. If you don’t know the name, you definitely will recognize some of his funkier work from the 70’s. On this mostly instrumental album, he lets loose a lot of thoughtful New Orleans style. Warm, sensual sounds that make you want to close your eyes and drink it in.
Best Song: The Bright Mississippi
Born to a Nigerian father and Roma (gypsy) mother in Germany, Ayo brings a lot of her personal cultural background to her music. Ayo also has some slight reggae sounds, maybe influenced by her reggae singer partner. This album was released in 2006 and went gold and platinum in several European countries. It can be argued that it’s not jazz, but her swaying global rhythms, earnest, accented voice which is an amazing instrument in itself, and sincere,danceable and individualistic style would be welcome in jazz clubs anywhere. AyoJoy is a documentary about her life and music.
Best Song: There’s a lot but check out Watching You and Down on My Knees.
The debut album of Smith, its songs span the breadth of Smith’s ability. The electic collection allows her to show off her wide array of influences (similar to how Alicia Keyes demonstrates her broad foundation). Because of that, it’s hard to pinpoint an “Alice Smith sound". It’s definitely more soul pop than jazz, though elements of jazz come out in almost every song.
Best Song: Love Endeavor, also check out Dream
Spencer Day has passed over the classy and brassy style of Michael Buble for the sifter flirtatious sound of Harry Connick Jr. Certainly he has the smooth, charming voice, but the album goes in several directions. Till You Come Home is reminiscent of Connick Jr., he croons in I Got A Mind to Tell You, and in Maybe he could be a male counter to Doris Day. Overall, he tends more to slow emotional ballads with more focus on pathos than rhythm. His song Better Way is an idealistic look complaining that too many people think about money and power and we should find a better way. Strong but smooth vocals, wide variety of song styles, Day has a reputation as a hardworking musician, but all together this album doesn’t pull through well. Undoubtedly though, a talent we’ll be hearing from in the future.
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