Blues guitarist Dave Specter is never prone to grandstanding. He communicates an inherent sense of style and form, subtlety and swing, keeping his magnetic needle always fixed on a steady, unalterable course.

Blues guitarist Dave Specter is never prone to grandstanding. He communicates an inherent sense of style and form, subtlety and swing, keeping his magnetic needle always fixed on a steady, unalterable course. Recorded live at Buddy Guy's Legends and Rosa's Blues Lounge, Live in Chicago features special guests Jimmy Johnson, Tad Robinson and Sharon Lewis. The CD contains four instrumentals and two songs by each of the guest vocalists. Tracks include: Boss Funk, What Love Did to Me, What's Your Angle, Feel So Bad, Out on the Road, in Too Deep, Angel and more. DVD with more tracks also available in the DVD new release section.

Blues From The Inside Out is the most expressive project of Dave Specter's 35 year career. Featuring his debut as a vocalist, the album is an exciting and timely celebration of blues, soul, jazz, funk and gospel. With a guest appearance on guitar by Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna fame, who also co-wrote one of the album's 12 original tunes. These are exciting times to hear Specter, an evolving artist who embraces growth and discovery. In times when darkness and doubt may seem to hang over us, we need to remember the world is illuminated by possibilities. With this new album, Dave Specter's brilliant light shines down on us all.

MESSAGE IN BLUE

MESSAGE IN BLUE

CRITICAL MASS is the new album from the Dave Holland Quintet featuring all of the original members with the addition of drummer Nate Smith and features 4 new holland compositions as well as one from each of the 4 remaining band members.

Surprises, saxophonist Dave Liebman said when asked about playing with the master pianist Martial Solal. Their second Sunnyside album of duets finds them before a knowledgeable and appreciative audience at Studio 104 de Radio France, a center of uncompromising music in the City of Light. "The surprises are endless," Liebman told me. "Martial doesn't want it to be perfect. He's twenty years older than I am, and, to borrow a term from a newer generation, he wants the music to be 'killer.' When he plays, it is definitely killer." There is an exhilarating range of music in this second Solal-Liebman album, which follows their Masters In Bordeaux, (ssc 1489). Whenever their next encounter may be, let us hope that someone with recording equipment is invited. The world needs more of the infectious spirit that these masters found together in Paris.

2017 release. Jazz is supposed to be spontaneous and unpredictable. When you play with Martial this couldn't be more true. He never repeats himself; his harmonic choices range from Tatum to McCoy to Schoenberg; he will bend the form of a composition in the moment and as anyone who is familiar with Martial's piano playing knows, his technique is flawless (approaching 90 years old as I write in May 2017!) // The several times we have played together in the past year plus have been quite significant for me. While the repertoire played represents the standard jazz song book (chosen at the gig itself), to interact with arguably the most famous European jazz artist of all time playing standards is not something one does every day. At the same time the challenge for me is to adjust and react to the Maestro's ideas at a level that I have rarely had to deal with, particularly in the bebop idiom.

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