Cuneiform Records has released another series of discs on the last several months that will almost certainly enchant Last Call listeners. Joel Harrison has released a new disc on the label with an impressive band including noted trumpeter and educator Cuong Vu. Holy Abyss does not disappoint. Fans of Return to Forever will delight in a new recording from Forgas Band Phenomena : Acte V. Led by Composer/Drummer Patrick Forgas this band captivates with jazz-rock mix. Also notable is a new recording from Sao Paulo Underground(featuring Rob Mazurek), Tres Cabecas Loucuras. The band spearheaded by Mazurek's brilliant cornet explores the frontiers of jazz and ambient sound on an impressive disc, informed by the sunny rhythms of Brazil. The Claudia Quintet returns with their sixth album, What Is the Beautiful?, bringing together the compositional approach of leader John Hollenbeck with vocalists Kurt Elling and Theo Bleckmann, in a performance of the poems of avant-garde/proto-beat American poet, Kenneth Patchen, an innovator in his time.
For more information on these and other fine releases on Cuneiform records, you may visit their website: http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/index.shtml
Below, you'll find a compilation of all album reviews done by local KIOS jazz and blues staff.