Congratulations on the release of “Duality” how does it feel? Thank you! It feels great! We’ve been working on this record for quite some time and are more than proud to finally show it to the world. It’s a 14 track project, what’s the story behind it? The idea behind the record was to do …
Album Review: “Maximise” – Perry. Words: Sammy Stein
Perry is the alias of instrumental smooth jazz/experimentalist Max Clemmons Jr. As Max Clemmons, he played piano on a disco recording called ‘Billy Who’ with the late drummer and studio musician Yogi Horton. He released ‘Dancing For Your Love’ on Spider Records, a number written for his cousin, Joe. Perry’s latest album is independently released. …
Album Review: Big Brooklyn – “Everyone, Everywhere”. Words: Sammy Stein.
Big Brooklyn Everyone, Everywhere I first heard Big Brooklyn four years ago when they released the album ‘Purpose’ ( CD Baby 2018). It has been a wait for the next release. Their big sound is as classy as their presentation and their new release ‘Everyone, Everywhere’ is out on 18th March. Once again, they delight …
The Extraordinary Journey Of Jason Miles: A Musical Biography. Interview with Sammy Stein.
The Extraordinary Journey of Jason Miles A Musical Biography Jason Miles has been behind some iconic recordings. He is in the process of releasing his book, and it promises to be as iconic as some of the musicians he has worked with. I was privileged to see a copy a few weeks back and I …
Single Review: “3:28am” – Prime Panda
I was speaking to Neil March, fellow Fresh On The Net moderator about this band over lunch this weekend and he had only positive things to say about them…. They have played his Vanishing Point gig, and he said they were amazing. This is their new single, and it’s stunning. The overall production is stunning, …
Music, Jazz And The Female View. Words: Sammy Stein
Music, jazz, and the female view We seem to have been trying to address the shortage of female musicians for decades, and nowhere is this more apparent than in jazz. Progress is incremental. So perhaps we need to look a little deeper and consider some of the reasons behind this. The once-accepted explanations – “jazz …
Single Review: “Glitter In My Pocket”-SōMuch
Italian band SōMuch are back with the follow up to “Studio 54” and it’s deliciously infectious! Instead of 4/4 the beat is swung, and they’ve got a horn section blasting the parts… This song is so catchy, a total party starter, the arrangement is on point… The production is so slick…. I like the way …
Album Review: “More Than Ever” – Smät Five. Words: Sammy Stein
More Than Ever Smät Five Smat Five are a quintet led by Marco Tranchina. Comprised of an all Italian line-up, Smat five are Mikelle Montolli ( Sun Ra Arkestra, Nigel Price, Heidi Vogel, Judi Jackson) on bass, Alan Short (Donna Summer, Sam Moore, Natalie Cole, Groove Razors, Cong-Fusion) on alto saxophone, Andrea Solarino ( Manzi, …
Album Review: “The Things In The Past”- Ikumi Koyama. Words: Sammy Stein
The Things In The Past Ikumi Koyama Ikumi Koyama is a Japanese pianist and singer from Yokahama, Japan. This debut recording introduces Koyama to a wider audience. Koyama began learning piano aged just two and later studied jazz piano at Shobi University, enrolling as an exchange student at New York City College for a semester, …
Album Review: “Motherland Journey” Blue Lab Beats. Words: Del Osei-Owusu
Blue Lab Beats – Motherland Journey Sky Reflections The first track on this opens with with an instrumental, you could just imagine this as a concert entry music… The way that this starts off is uplifting, and I love it. I love the the synth chords start out, and I really need to find out …