Bistro Bits: Special-Case Albums—New Releases by Minnock and Aloisio/Pallatto

Mark Dundas Wood
Today for Bistro Bits, I’m having a look at two recent album releases, both of which fall into the “jazz” bucket. But circumstances make these two albums a bit different from, say, the ones I discussed in the previous installment of Bistro Bits. John Minnock’s new album of David Shire music was released after Minnock’s...

Bistro Bits: Jazz Babies 2024–New Recordings by Russell and Mason, Loar, and Levy/Vannatter

Mark Dundas Wood
A couple of weeks ago, writer Lisa Jo Sagolla discussed a number of new recordings on this site. But it's a busy time of year, and there are many more recent releases that deserve some coverage. So, for today’s Bistro Bits column, I’m taking a look at three recently released albums, all of which live...

Album Reviews: A Pleasurable Trio of Recent Releases

Lisa Jo Sagolla
Reviewing recordings by leading cabaret vocalists may be the heavenliest job on earth, as this latest batch of new releases “required” me to spend my fleeting summer days listening over and again to three thoroughly pleasing albums – two comprising nothing but tasty, love-themed songs, the other serving up pop and show tunes that insist...

Album Review: “A Lady With A Song—Amber Weekes Celebrates Nancy Wilson”

Gerry Geddes
When singer Nancy Wilson (1937-2018) passed, she left behind a legacy of classic recordings, unforgettable concert performances, appearances in film and television, and a career that will inspire singers for generations. She recorded more than 70 albums and was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning the coveted prize three times. In a career of more than...

Album Review: Mark Winkler–”The Rules Don’t Apply”

Gerry Geddes
Singer/songwriter Mark Winkler received the 2023 Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording for his last album, Late Bloomin’ Jazzman. The blooming continues with his new collection of originals and inventive covers, The Rules Don’t Apply. It’s a musically diverse and adventurous set of songs, jumping from big band, to sextet, to trio, and back again. The ease...

Album Review: “A Collective Cy–Jeff Harnar Sings Cy Coleman”

Gerry Geddes
Anyone choosing to explore the songs of Cy Coleman finds a cornucopia of jazz, pop, and Broadway with words by some of the finest lyricists the Great American Songbook has to offer. The power, wit, style and breadth of melodies and rhythms have much to offer, and singer Jeff Harnar has wisely partnered with a...

Betty Bryant: “Lotta Livin'”

Gerry Geddes
We live in an age when octogenarians and nonagenarians in the music industry are delivering performances in recordings and concerts, in cabarets and jazz clubs that are equal (and at times superior) to their younger counterparts. Near the top of any list of these remarkable musical artists, would appear the name Betty Bryant.  She is...

Marc Jordan: “Waiting for the Sun to Rise”

Gerry Geddes
I often long for the golden age of albums in which the recording was a cohesive artistic statement into which thought, passion, art, and craft were poured, resulting in work that was substantially more than the sum of its tracks. It was the time when singers and producers and creative musicians like The Beatles, Joni...

Linda Kahn “Wait ‘Til You See What’s Next”

Gerry Geddes
Sometimes, the minute you hear a singer you know that they are (in sound, in temperament, and in style) born to be a recording artist. Such is the case with Linda Kahn and her stunning new album, Wait Till You See What’s Next. After having abandoned performing for many years, Kahn made a return to...

CD Review: Hannah Gill’s “Everybody Loves a Lover”

Gerry Geddes
Sometimes it’s a simple, refreshing delight when a singer records an album that is not out to re-invent the wheel but to honor the great legacy of American pop and the Swing era, embracing them with an emotional hug that allows listeners to luxuriate and lose themselves in the sweet journey that a well-crafted and...