Anat Cohen's Clarinetwork - Live at the Village Vanguard, inspired by Benny Goodman and celebrating his centennial, is a musical tour-de-force. Winner of 3 consecutive Jazz Journalists Association "Clarinet Player of the Year" awards and multiple "Rising Star Clarinet" DownBeat critic's polls, Cohen leads an all star rhythm section (Benny Green, Peter Washington, Lewis Nash) on this seminal live recording that returns the clarinet to its rightful role at the forefront of jazz.

Never short on bluesiness and grit, Cohen clearly knows how to wail, and she has never sounded more nuanced. 4 stars." Ed Enright, Downbeat

Track Listing:
1. Sweet Georgia Brown 7:25
2. Lullaby Of The Leaves 13:47
3. Band Announcement 0:37
4. St. James Infirmary 10:16
5. After You?ve Gone 8:17
6. St. Louis Blues 12:30
7. Body And Soul 9:13
8. What A Little Moonlight Can Do 7:23' I first heard Darrell Nuiisch sing on a Ronnie Earl album and I was immediately taken by his smooth and true R & B style. I felt so comfortable with his vocal style that I sat down and just listened, I was hooked.

Darrell Nuiisch grew up in Dallas and was surrounded by blues and soul music at an early age. Darrel has taken what he heard and has resurrected a sound that’s time has come. His phrasing on his lyrics makes a warm soulful sound that is hard to ignore.

“I never tried to beat anybody over the head with my stuff," says Nulisch of his relaxed, emotionally rich style. "I've tried at times to push a little bit harder, but it doesn't work for me. I don't feel comfortable doing it and I don't think it's a true representation of my style or what I am. You have to be who you are and just hope that people catch on to what it is. And the people who get it really dig it." Blues and soul fans will have lots to dig on this album, I Like It That Way.

This is his fourth solo release with Severn Records and the sound is pure, smooth soul.

I have not taken this CD out of my CD player in my car and I will probably won't for many miles to come. Go out and buy this CD to take the chill out of the dark winter days ahead. As I was sitting in the small tent by the water at The Newport Jazz Festival this year an artist named Miguel Zenón took the stage with his quartet and the sound lifted me off my seat. Miguel Zenón, a Puerto Rican saxophonist and composer, released his 5th Album Esta Plena on September 29th.

Let me tell you- this album is high energy. The album includes his regular quarter: pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischin, and drummer Henry Cole in addition to three guests who sing and play hand drums known as panderos. Esta Plena is a blend of his native Puerto Rican sound called plena, and 21st century Jazz. Zenón himself describes the album as “music that can start a party anywhere. It’s simple and basic, and accessible, but at the same time, it’s so deep.” So if you are in need of something new, and off the beaten path give Esta Plena a listen. As long as I have been listening to music, there have been a few albums that I play that I never tire of hearing. We all have them in our music collections; always available to put on your stereo at any time.

Ry Cooder's, Paradise at Lunch is one of those albums. This album was released in 1974. It isn’t the first album that he had made, but it was the first of his albums that caught my attention.

On this album Ry does a variety of old songs composed by the likes of Burt Bacharach, Mississippi Fred Mcdowell and Bobby Womack. As a guest artist, Earl Hines plays with Ry on the classic old blues song “Mr Ditty Wa Ditty”. Each cut has a unique, rich sound that varies from song to song. Ry Cooder's masterful bottleneck playing is excellent and I even love his voice. There is one original song called, "Tattler", that is one of my all time favorites. The musical style of this song defies labeling as one particular genre. Ry Cooder has put out many albums and has brought many great different musicians to play with him. Ry was responsible for bringing the famous Cuban jazz group, Buenes Vista Social Club to America. Ry Cooder is a great composer and musician that never limits his musical style to one genre. He has played Tex Mex, Hawaiian music, R&B, Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Rock and just about any style you can imagine. He also played and composed many movie soundtracks.

Paradise at Lunch was just one of his musical journeys that always sounds fresh and current. Try it you'll like it. Henry Butler is a man who can play it all. Born and raised in New Orleans, the city runs through his veins, down his fingers, and into the keys of his piano. His style of playing has all the fixings of Professor Longhair's traditional New Orleans style with a mix of Thelonious Monk and Mccoy Tyner added in. He has a very percussive style that makes you think the piano, at any moment, is going to lift off the ground.

This solo album is a collection of eleven songs recorded live at various locations and times from the 1980s to 2007, New Orleans to Colorado. The songs range from the New Orleans style of "Basin St Blues" and "Tiptina" to some funky songs like "Will It Go Round In Circles" by the late great Billy Preston to the traditional "Old Man River" by Jerome Kern.

I had the pleasure of seeing Henry Butler live with a jazz trio in The Crescent City this past year, and all I can say is it was amazing. I have never seen a piano player with so much energy with both his left and right hand who puts it all together the way he does. Hold onto your hat when you hear this album and enjoy.

To hear an interview and some live sessions please go to NPR Studio Sessions
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=91017433&m=91087036
Visit his website at: henrybutler.com
One artist, I have been following for quite some time is Christian McBride. Christian is a jazz bass player who is sought after by other jazz musicians because of his extraordinary versatile talent and technique. He plays both electric and acoustic jazz bass. He has played with the likes of James Brown, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny ,and McCoy Tyner. His latest recording, "Inside Straight Kind of Brown", came about after he formed an acoustic band for a show at The Village Vanguard. "Inside Straight" is his first all acoustic album since " Getting To It", his first album from Verve in 1995. His current touring quintet includes pianist Eric Reed, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson and drummer Carl Allen. This recording has interesting all acoustic arrangements and boy does it sound good The sound of this album has a hard swing and bluesy groove with the feel of a Cannonball Addarly record. I have been listening to this recording in my car and at home and it just gets better after every listen. I want to bring Christian McBride and this band to the Garde for a concert hopefully in 2009-2010. Check out Christian's website, www.christianmcbride.com. Christian McBride is someone that will be around for quite sometime. So check out Christian's latest and watch him glide into the future. If you are looking to relax on your porch with some good tunes this month check out Jonah Smith’s self titled debut album. Some of you may have heard him first opening for Robert Cray, a Kitchings Productions event, this past spring at the Garde Arts Center.

His style is difficult to pinpoint, he is a real mix of jazz, soul and even a little Nashville. The album is full of simple arrangements based around his electric piano, backed up by a little bass, drums and electric guitar. One of my favorite tracks is, “My Morning Scene” which describes a hectic morning that I am all too familiar with.

The Band, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Martin Sexton have all influenced Johan Smith’s warm, soulful sound. So at the end of the day, when you are ready to put your feet up and grab a Corona, put on Jonah Smith’s album. There is not a bad track on the CD and that is rare these days. Enjoy!