A great setting for the creative percussion of drummer Han Bennink – a really well-balanced trio that features piano from Simon Toldam and a range of reeds from Joachim Badenhorst – a player with a nice sense of warmth amidst his freedom, and an artist who seems to bring out the same in Bennink as well! The set's still got some of the bold energy you'd expect from Han's classic work on the European free jazz scene – but there's also an inherent tunefulness at most spots too, and a personal mix of melody and lyricism that really humanizes the record – and makes it one of the best things we've heard from Bennink in years! The shift is almost the same as when Lol Coxhill and a few of his contemporaries recorded for the Nato label in the 80s – a performance that still holds strong to all the territory that Han has gained over the years, but which also has a soulful personality that really stands out. Titles include "Klein Gebrek Geen Bezwaar", "Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland", "Dog", "Lauren", "Inside Inside", "Ganz", and "Kiefer". ~ Dusty Groove
A lost album of raw twangy guitar from Mickey Baker – best known as the noisier half of the Mickey & Sylvia team – and even more let loose here on his own! The record is pretty rocking all around – with lots of loud, complex guitar soloing from Mickey – in a manner that would later emerge more in surf recordings, but which is here set in nice jazz-based studio arrangements – of the sort that really lets Baker step out as a bold solo talent on his own, instead of lurking in the background of the countless other sides he cut with other artists. Mickey really wails, and the album's a great lost treasure in the Atlantic catalog – with grooves that include "Midnight Midnight", "Gloomy Sunday", "Baia", "Whistle Stop", "Milk Train", "Baker's Dozen", and "Chloe". ~ Dusty Groove
George A. Santino’s The Magic of Christmas includes Christmas classics “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and “The Christmas Song,” as well as the new original song “The Magic of Christmas,” which was written by George A. Santino and Larry R. Bridges and includes a violin solo from local artist Geoffrey Castle and was produced, mixed and mastered by Erich Benedict of With an H Media. “Christmas is my favorite time of year. I hope that my fans enjoy this album as much as I enjoyed the experience of recording it,” says George A. Santino. George is known for his Frank Sinatra-inspired recordings in his own style. His debut album “Come Fly With Me,” released this summer was a collection of crooner hits and the first single, “That’s Life” debuted as #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Swing Jazz. His music video for “Come Fly With Me,” with over 12,000 views, was well received by jazz music fans and the media. The Jazz Times said, “George A. Santino has launched yet another fulfilling career—that of smooth crooner of the Great American Songbook.”