Home » Jazz Articles » Dennis Carroll
Jazz Articles about Dennis Carroll
Bobby Broom: Notes of Thanks
by Jack Bowers
Guitarist Bobby Broom is no stranger to the music of tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, having spent two tours of duty with various Rollins groups which, taken together, add up to a decade (1982-'87 and 2005-'10). Notes of Thanks is Broom's way of expressing his gratitude to Rollins for those years in the trenches and the many valuable lessons he learned there, the best way he knows how: through his music. Rollins wrote every song on Notes of Thanks ...
Continue ReadingFrank Lamphere: Frank Songs, My Way: Frank Lamphere Sings Sinatra
by David Bondelevitch
"Now that's original... How'd he ever come up with that one?" These words open the press material for Frank Songs, My Way: Frank Lamphere Sings Sinatra, and it is a solid question, with so many albums of Frank Sinatra covers. It would be tough to top Tony Bennett's Perfectly Frank (Columbia Records, 1992). Performers who cover other performers tend to make two mistakes. First, they often pick the obvious songs, which have probably been covered many times, ...
Continue ReadingEllen Rowe Quartet: Vinton's Cove
by Jack Bowers
Ellen Rowe wears many musical hats, all of which fit her extremely well: pianist, composer, arranger, educator and last but not least, band leader. Rowe supervises an admirable quartet on Vinton's Cove, displaying her sizable skills as writer and arranger while brightening the keyboard as well. Rowe dons her composer's cap on half a dozen of the album's ten numbers, and wears her arranger's headgear on all of them. Two of the songs include lyrics by the studio ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Like Sugar
by Pierre Giroux
Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander delivers a soulful modern tribute to Stanley Turrentine with his album Like Sugar. Recorded at the renowned Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, with longtime collaborators David Hazeltine on piano, Dennis Carroll on bass, and George Fludas on drums, the album reinterprets Turrentine's spirit rather than simply copying it, resulting in a deeply swinging and cohesive set that blends tradition with contemporary artistry. Alexander begins this session with one of his ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Chicago To New York
by Jack Bowers
Eric Alexander, widely praised for years as one of the jazz world's foremost tenor saxophonists, greets listeners with an unforeseen yet tantalizing curve ball on his latest album, Chicago to New York, employing his luminous soprano sax to enhance the first two numbers, John Coltrane's “Afro Blue" and “Wise One," before unleashing his trustworthy and perceptive tenor to usher him securely through the last five. While the soprano adds spice to Alexander's musical menu, the tenor remains ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Chicago To New York
by Pierre Giroux
Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander's release, Chicago To New York, is a masterclass in modern hard bop that pays homage to the vibrant musical exchange between two of jazz's most storied cities. This is not just a geographical nod but a conversation across time and space, framed by a quartet whose cohesion and shared sensibilities transcend geographical lines. Alexander, one of the most consistent voices of his generation, joins forces with pianist Mike LeDonne, both standard-bearers of ...
Continue ReadingChicago Jazz Orchestra: More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery
by Jack Bowers
When the Chicago Jazz Orchestra decided to record a tribute to Wes Montgomery, the choice of who would sit in for the legendary guitarist was obvious: Bobby Broom, a stellar guitarist in his own right who has called Chicago home for more than forty years and had performed a concert version of the album at Chicago's Harold Washington Library in 2004. Once Broom agreed to accept the assignment, the sailing was relatively smooth, as CJO music director Jeff Lindberg assembled ...
Continue Reading
