Hundred-word Reviews for August 2024: Jazz and Blues

Here’s five more hundred-word reviews. No frills, right to the point (more or less), these are quick takes on albums deserving of an attentive listen. Do check ‘em out. This batch focuses on jazz and/or blues.

Something Else! ft. Vincent Herring – Soul Jazz
If you’re going to title your album Soul Jazz, you had best bring the goods; there’s a proud tradition of music contained in that word-pairing. If you call your jazz outfit Something Else! – a title that suggests both Cannonball Adderley and Ornette Coleman – the same is doubly true. Happily, thus septet does indeed have and deliver what it takes to impress. Classics from Horace Silver, Eddie Harris, Donald Byrd and Herbie Hancock are served up in fine, thrilling fashion. The vibe is as real as it gets: the whole set was cut in a single day at NYC’s Smoke Club.

Fabulous Thunderbirds – Struck Down
The modern blues outfit fronted by Kim Wilson has gone through many lineups; as of 2024 the T-Birds are (depending on how you count) on their ninth guitarist, eighth drummer, seventh bassist and second keyboardist. But what matters is the music. This lineup is more blues and less rock than the peak-commercial period, but it’s all good. A heavy reliance on guests can signal a paucity of ideas, but when the guests are this high-profile, one doesn’t worry so much. Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo’, Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal and Billy Gibbons are among those who drop by to help out.

Frank London – Spirit Stronger Than Blood
Trumpeter London heads a quartet (quintet on half the tracks) for this impassioned set of tunes. There’s a spiritual and meditative quality to the tracks, but prospective listeners shouldn’t take that description to mean that the music on Spirit Stronger Than Blood is placid. With a vaguely Spanish feel, “Let There Be Peace” starts out one way but shifts to another, more accessible approach. The music swings, but it seems designed more for deep listening than casual enjoyment. Melodic passages brush up against jagged, more dissonant sections, keeping the listener on his or her toes. The tunes are nicely varied.

Kiki Valera – Vacilón Santiaguero
My interest in Son Cubano – the indigenous jazz of the Caribbean island – has been growing of late, and the music of Kiki Valera deserves much credit for that. Director of the century-old Familia Valera music ensemble in Santiago, he’s an exemplar of the form. This is Valera’s second album to get a U.S. release, and it’s a delight. In the same way that Buena Vista Social Club sparked a craze a few decades back, Vacilón Santiaguero deserves to take off in a big way. Heartfelt and spirited, it’s tradition, timeless and terrific. Interested in Cuban music? You should start here.

Matthew Whitaker – On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute
Hammond organist Whitaker pays tribute to some of the giants of jazz organ on this tasty set. Working with a bigger ensemble than the traditional organ trio, Whitaker’s set features guitarists, electric bassist, a spirited horn section and more. Organ is at the center, but there’s much more going on. Tunes written or popularized by Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jimmy Smith and Joey DeFrancesco figure into the mix. With fulsome stomps and claps (but oddly no vocals), the New Hope Baptist Church choir takes center stage on “Expect Your Miracle.” It’s gospel for people who don’t think they like the stuff.