Category Archives: CD Reviews

CD Review: NYC Artist Tomas Doncker Pays Tribute To Howlin’ Wolf, Brings “GLOBAL SOUL” To The Masses

Text by Dawoud Kringle

New York mainstay Thomas Doncker was recently asked to be the musical director for Diablo Love (a love story by Mando Alvarado, directed by Alfred Preisser, featuring live music that features Dockner’s re-imagining of songs by Howling Wolf – a.k.a. Chester Arthur Burnet. It will be presented at Central Park SummerStage, in honor of Wolf’s 103rd birthday), and released an EP of music by Howling Wolf. And in doing so, he was taking on a great burden.

a0464342006_2Artist: Tomas Doncker Band
Title: Howlin’ Wolf EP
Format: CD & download
Label: self released
Genre: Blues/Global Soul/Future Roots
Release date: July 2, 2013
Streaming link: http://tomasdonckerband.bandcamp.com/album/howlin-wolf-ep
Produced by Tomas Doncker & James Dellatacoma for True Groove

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CD Review: The Red Microphone’s new album “The Red Microphone Speaks!”… a fine collective effort created and constructed…

1363011873_red_microphone_at_ss_resized_600Artist: The Red Microphone
Title: The Red Microphone Speaks!
Label: self released
Genre: jazzy revolutionary music

CD Review by Matt Cole

Recently, I reviewed the CD release show for The Red Microphone‘s new album, The Red Microphone Speaks!. Having listened to the CD, I can safely say that The Red Microphone does just as well in the studio as live at putting together a very cohesive package of free, revolutionary-tinged music. Continue reading →

CD Review: Sameer Gupta “Namaskar” – a unique approach to Indian / jazz fusion

D06036F00GF8YP87PDH58{0}_large  Artist: Sameer Gupta
Title: Namaskar
Label: Motema Rec
Genre: Indian jazz

 Review by Dawoud Kringle

Bass and piano hang a low note in the air. A sarangi asserts itself as the voice of a sad worldly wisdom. That Ab (or A; I am too engrossed in this beautiful music to pause the CD and check with an instrument or tuner) in the bass, shimmering cymbals, and crystalline piano chords weaving around that ancient voice. The groove and structure of the tabla, bass, and piano make their entrance, and the sarangi establishes the melody and explores its possibilities. Thus does “Aaye Ne Balam,” the first track on Sameer Gupta’s Namaskar CD begins.

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