All Wanderisng Hearts
shaun@blittzedmarketing.com February 22, 2021
O's Notes: Vocalist, pianist, composer, arranger and producer Nicole Zuraitis has been decorated at every step of her musical career. You can enjoy her performing in New York regularly. All Wandering Hearts is her most recent effort with mostly new originals. Her voice is soothingly soft on “Lullaby” and “What A Wonderful World”. That delicacy gets a touch edgy (appropriately) on the blues tracks like “I Would Die 4 You” and then rocking on the finale “Send Me On My Way”. Nicole’s balance illustrates her appeal to a wide audience.
Prickly Pear Cactus
shaun@blittzedmarketing.com February 22, 2021
O's Notes: Prepare to blast off with Prickly Pear Cactus, an adventure that takes us to tomorrowland on a microscopic level. Ikue Mori leads the way with a full complement of electronics along with free jazz pianist Satoko Fujii and her notorious counterpart, Natsuki Tamura on trumpet. Tamura is encouraged by Mori to extract edgy sounds from his trumpet as they take us through ten fresh collaborations. This is a product of the pandemic, as the musicians exchanged sound files over the internet while quarantining at their homes in New York City and Kobe City. The music approximates our antibodies fighting the virus. Be careful and stay safe.
Be Water
shaun@blittzedmarketing.com February 22, 2021
O's Notes: 32-year-old jazz pianist, Christian Sands takes the leading role on Be Water composing most of the music, producing and assembling a fine band with bassist Yasushi Nakamura and Clarence Penn on drums. The music is inspired by the power, cleansing, and quenching characteristics of our essential and precious water. Guest artists Marcus Strickland (t-sax), Sean Jones (t) and Steve Davis (tb) shine on “Be Water I”. Strickland returns on “Drive” in a more prominent role. We also enjoyed “Sonar”, “Crash”, “Can’t Find My Way Home” and “Still” featuring guitarist Marvin Sewell. Like water, Sands explores many tempos, dynamics and moods on a winning effort.
Live from the Prison Nation
shaun@blittzedmarketing.com February 22, 2021
O's Notes: Trumpeter, bandleader and composer Alonzo Demetrius is out to make a statement with his latest CD Live From The Prison Nation and he certainly does. Alonzo’s work on trumpet is expansive with a wide dynamic range and crisp statements. He leads his quintet, The Ego through four lengthy compositions united by two interludes. His music and the associated spoken word are provocative and focused on social injustices. It’s a strong debut.