What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella

Jim Snidero - Live at the Deer Head Inn (Savant)

Jim Snidero puts out strong, solid completely straight ahead albums. And on Live at the Deer Head Inn, he's put out a strong, solid, completely straight ahead live album. That's a great thing. Joined by an all-star crew of Orrin Evans (piano), Peter Washington (bass) and Joe Farnsworth (drums), these four gentlemen swing through eight standards, and it feels like a comfortable pair of old jeans. Whether they're bopping through "Now's The Time," doing some top notch ballad playing on "Idle Moments," or grooving through a number of standards, everything just sounds nice, and I think you're going to like it.

Charlie Sepulveda & The Turnaround - This is Latin Jazz (High Note)

Trumpeter Charlie Sepulveda has been releasing a steady stream of albums as of late, and the latest is called This is Latin Jazz. The album features Charlie and his working band, The Turnaround, live with a bunch of special guests. There are fiery guest spots for Randy Brecker ("Liberty") and Miguel Zenon ("Frenesi"), a beautiful vocal feature for Natalia Mercado ("Alfonsina y el Mar") and that just scratches the surface. This is one of those albums that starts off great at first listen, and then continues to grow on you as you spend more time with it. The heat and grooves this band generates are something else, and I can't wait to play this one for you more often.

Brian Charette - Power From the Air (SteepleChase)

Organist Brian Charette has released a new album, called Power From the Air.  This new disc features a larger band than usual for an organ group, but that only serves to make the grooves heavier and more powerful, and since there's more soloists, those grooves are a little longer, too. And that's no bad thing. Charette has written the lion's share of the music on Power From the Air, and it is an intriguing mix of fat organ grooves and heady horn arrangements. The results are like few organ records that you've heard. If you're a fan of the B3, you'll be enthralled. But with four piece horn section and the interesting voicings Charette uses throughout, even those who usually shy away from organists will likely find something here to love.