This is the one hundred forty-ninth in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.
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Deborah Benner is, in addition to being a fine salsa and jazz singer, a classical soloist, an actress (having a recurring role in House Of Cards), and an educator.
Early in her career, she performed with guitarist Charlie Byrd, bassist Keter Betts, swing bands and society orchestras.
Michael Bard studied classical guitar in Italy, has toured extensively as both a sideman and a leader (working with Shahin and Sepehr and touring the Mideast as half of Douze Cordes), recorded as a leader, and toured and recorded with the Latin Rumba/Flamenco group Trio Caliente which also includes his wife Deborah Benner and guitarist Amilcar Cruz.
For this LiveStream from Mar. 28, 2020, Brenner and Bard perform as Dou Caliente, sometimes augmenting their duo with some pre-recorded rhythm tracks.
The outstanding vocalizing of Deborah Benner (who sings in English, Spanish and Portuguese) and the versatile and virtuosic guitar playing of Michael Bard are heard on a wide area of music that includes salsa, flamenco, an unaccompanied guitar solo that starts out with “Malaguena,” and a medley of Brazilian tunes.
The music is both intimate and spirited, a fun way to spend an hour.
This is the fourteenth in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.
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Julius Rodriguez (who has been nicknamed “Orange Julius) is in his twenties and is in an up-and-coming jazz pianist.
He studied in the Manhattan School of Music’s precollege division starting when he was 12 and later attended Juilliard.
Since then Rodriguez, who also plays drums, has worked with such notables as Keyon Harrold, Ben Williams, Carmen Lundy, Jazzmeia Horn, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, and Veronica Swift among others, and has performed as a member of Isaiah Barr’s Onyx Collective.
From Mar. 28, 2020, Julius Rodriguez performs an uptempo solo piano version of George Shearing’s “Conception,” tearing into the piece while often implying rather than stating the time, creating a nonstop flow of inventive ideas while never losing the beat; he concludes his performance with a relaxed version of a melodic original.
This is the twelfth in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.
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Singer-keyboardist and songwriter Nicole Zuraitis was born in Connecticut, had classical training, and has developed her own distinctive voice and style.
Now based in Brooklyn, Ms. Zuraitis has several albums out with a new one, All Wandering Hearts, upcoming on the Dot Time label.
In her career she has collaborated with many creative musicians including Cyrille Aimee, Thana Alexa, Dave Stryker, Tom Chapin, Omar Hakim, and Helen Sung, and she sings with the Birdland Big Band but, as she shows during this concert, she can put on an entertaining and very musical performance by herself.
After a spontaneous sound check, she launches into “Hallelujah, I Love Him So,” followed by an energetic and heartfelt set comprised mostly of her originals plus “There Is No Greater Love”; Dan Pugach joins her now and then on snare drum.
Nicole Zuraitis’ strong singing, fine accompaniment, and thought-provoking originals cross the musical boundaries between jazz, folk music and pop in winning fashion.
This is the fourth in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.
Support live music – even when it’s streamed!
Born and raised in Japan, pianist Yuko Miwa moved to the U.S. in 1997 to attend Berklee where she is now a professor; she has recorded eight CDs as a leader thus far.
An excellent modern mainstream jazz pianist, Yoko Miwa has been livestreaming on a regular basis during the current crisis.
The March 28, 2020 livestream (her second of the day) features her performing a swinging version of “I’m In The Mood For Love,” alternating in each chorus between two keys as Bill Evans (one of her influences) might have done; she closes the performance with a brief and catchy rhythmic original that leaves one wanting more.
