For his fifth album as a leader (not counting the many he recorded as part of the Joe Zawinul Syndicate and as a member of Grover Washington, Jr.'s backing band), six-string bassist Gerald Veasley pushes the smooth jazz envelope a bit. Those who like their grooves gentle and their textures lush will still find plenty to like here – the rich strings on his cover of Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do," for instance, or the sweet and lovely "Goodnight Moon," written in honor of Washington. But there's a certain toughness at the center of the music this time out, and a greater willingness to let loose. The massed horns of "Kickin' 22 Express," the driving mid-tempo funk of his arrangement of the Ramsey Lewis classic "The In Crowd," the snaky and virtuosic unison lines on "You Asked for It" – all of these point to someone who is not ultimately satisfied with just creating pleasantly swinging background music. More power to him. – Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

This outstanding comprehensive sourcebook of the worst in human behavior throughout history also includes instances of some of the best responses. It is aimed at the adult general reader but will be valuable for both specialists and older students studying the destruction of a people. The editor and contributors are broadly representative of academic experts around the world, and some of them have had extensive involvement with the subject.

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"...This record serves primarily to remind us of the importance of Harold Arlen in both popular music and jazz, twenty years after his death, and once again, to remind us of the importance of Toots Thielmans. Seeing the harmonica player in concert is one of the most beautiful, moving musical experiences one can have." -- Ian Patterson

This live recording of Cubismo (not to be confused with Cubanismo) proves that a love of Cuban music can blossom even in the unlikeliest of places: namely Croatia. Recorded in Zagreb, this CD features a band of long-haired hippies who wail and roll in songs of traditional Cuban fare. Cuts like "Sueños" cha-cha with vigor while "Tu Mi Delirio" slowly shuffles with the suavest romance. "Groovin' High" recalls Irakere in its jazzy complexity and fine solos. Yolanda Duke's guest vocals on "Definitivamente" and "Oriente" are bold and passionately beefy. But perhaps what's most amazing here is the wild audience response to this virtuoso band and its daring attack on a music born thousands of miles away from its homeland. Clearly, the Zagreb listeners love Cuban music, a feeling not uncommon in the late '90s throughout the Western world, and Cubismo – with a mix of Croatian and Latin members – serve up the salsa well. – Karen Karleski, Amazon.com

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Although the liner notes claim that this Concord release was Toots Thielemans' first recording as a leader in more than a dozen years, somehow the harmonica great's 14 European dates (not to mention sets released by Stash and Pablo) were overlooked. In any case, this is a pretty definitive session by the harmonica virtuoso who is joined by pianist Fred Hersch, either Marc Johnson or Harvie Swartz on bass, and drummer Joey Baron. The material is filled with challenging and generally underplayed standards (including Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil," Thad Jones' "Three and One," Benny Carter's lyrical "Only Trust Your Heart," and Thelonious Monk's "Little Rootie Tootie"), plus two fine Hersch originals. Ranging from hard bop to Brazilian music and post-bop, this is a consistently enjoyable and highly recommended outing.
- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

"Stephane Grappelli was one of the masters of the jazz violin. In this wonderful Telarc recording one can witness the master's playfulness, charm and talent as he plays before an appreciative and polite audience. I was surprised at the recording quality of the CD - the warmth of reproducing string usually requires vinyl, a VPI turntable and a Jadis tube amp - however this reproduction has a less digital and more natural sound. An enjoyable CD - highly recommended in terms of Grappelli's talent as well as it's engineering." - Michael Schelb

"The music is highly interesting! Bold, complex, energetic, beautiful acoustic jazz, typical of its period. There's some effortless blending of different subdivisions of rhythm (Watts and Hurst have teamed up before...), some spirited almost-free blowing, some serious loose and groovy second-line blues romping, floating, all-encompassing jazz music. All the players deliver, and the band sound is great. Geri Allen rocks. Open your ears and dig in."
- B.A.H.

"The guitar is an often overlooked instrument in the more acoustic jazz setting due to its need for amplification. But when you check out jazz guitarists you will want to own Pat Martino albums. He has this incredible cool, fat sound and his improvisation is soo pleasing to listen to. I often find myself smiling when I hear his solos as in "look how he got round THAT corner.." You can hear how he has influenced later guitarists like G. Benson which is interesting in a sort of academic way but the sound is what takes the cake!"
- Casper Paludan

"...It may be 25 years old, but put this on and listen to what good instrumental blues/jazz/rock should sound like. And then throw most of your smooth jazz CD's in the garbage."
- review from amazon.com

A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, guitarist Grisha (Grigory Goryachev) has been acclaimed the world over for his blinding virtuosity and extraordinary musical sensitivity. As a master of both flamenco and classical styles he has created a new genre all his own and garnered praise from such guitar luminaries as Paco de Lucia, Christopher Parkening, and Eliot Fisk.