Marc Phillips, Author at Positive Feedback

Somesh Mathur's Time Stood Still

Marc Phillips — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 22:16:08 +0000

Sweetbeats Productions, Digital download available at Apple Music and Google Music $8.99 I know I've raved about recordings in reviews, even in the last year, where I remarked that I put it in my CD player or an LP on my turntable and I didn't take it out/off for a very long time. That's a... Read More »

The post Somesh Mathur's Time Stood Still appeared first on Positive Feedback.

ORG Music's Reissue of Shirley Horn's Softly

Marc Phillips — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 01:43:21 +0000

ORGM-1030, LP $24, available at https://orgmusic.merchnow.com/products/v2/276626/softly-black-vinyl This one threw me for a loop, as my mom likes to say when she's thrown for a loop. I took one look at the cover and thought, "Oh, here's another wonderful ORG reissue from the Golden Age of Jazz." I know of Shirley Horn, but I'm not that... Read More »

The post ORG Music's Reissue of Shirley Horn's Softly appeared first on Positive Feedback.

ORG's Reissue of Dave Brubeck's Time In

Marc Phillips — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 23:41:11 +0000

ORG Music, ORGM 1040, LP $27.99, available everywhere For a guy who has owned umpteen copies of Time Out over the years, everything from an early pressing to one of those JVC Super Bit-Mapped CDs to the latest LP remastering from Analogue Productions, my record collection is suspiciously devoid of Dave Brubeck records. Other than... Read More »

The post ORG's Reissue of Dave Brubeck's Time In appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Sunny War, With the Sun

Marc Phillips — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 20:31:56 +0000

Sunny War, With the Sun. ORG Music ORGM-1041, LP $15.89 at Amazon.com. I have this really bad habit of judging albums by their covers. Something gets sent to me in the mail, I glance at it, maybe open it up and look at the liner notes and then I place it in the rotation according to what... Read More »

The post Sunny War, With the Sun appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Sarah Reich, New Change

Marc Phillips — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 22:54:20 +0000

Sarah Reich, New Change. Tap Music Productions B07FTXR22W, CD $9.49 from Amazon.com "I want to be the first tap dancer to win a Grammy Award!" Okay yeah, it's nice to have dreams, kid—wait a minute, did you say tap dancing? A Grammy Award? When you think of tap dancing as an art form, do you think about... Read More »

The post Sarah Reich, New Change appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Furutech NCF Booster Performance-enhancing Connector and Cable Holder and NCF Booster Signal Cable Riser and RCA/XLR Stabilizer

Marc Phillips — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 15:29:29 +0000

Marc Phillips has been doing music reviews for Positive Feedback for quite a while now. In the interest of full disclosure, he is also a distributor (Colleen Cardas Imports), and has a separate life selling fine audio gear. You'll want to keep this in mind as you read his comments...but his evaluation dovetails exactly with my... Read More »

The post Furutech NCF Booster Performance-enhancing Connector and Cable Holder and NCF Booster Signal Cable Riser and RCA/XLR Stabilizer appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Lee Hazlewood's Woodchucks, Cruisin' for Surf Bunnies

Marc Phillips — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 21:37:43 +0000

Light in the Attic Records LITA169, colored LP $22, LP $20, CD $12, available at lightintheattic.net "Lee Hazlewood wasn't a cowboy, but he sure played the part. He never took LSD but made some far-out, psychedelic records, and he sure as shit didn't surf…but he had a brief yet prolific output of surf music. The... Read More »

The post Lee Hazlewood's Woodchucks, Cruisin' for Surf Bunnies appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Tom Hook's 62

Marc Phillips — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 21:21:35 +0000

Arbors Records ARCD 19463, CD $10, available at https://arborsrecords.com/collections/frontpage/products/tom-hook-62 "Where were you in '62?" The number 62 always gets my attention. That's because I was born in 1962, and any mention of that year and the events that occurred instantly gets embedded in my memory, everything from Marilyn Monroe's death the day before I was... Read More »

The post Tom Hook's 62 appeared first on Positive Feedback.

David Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7's The Giver

Marc Phillips — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 22:26:48 +0000

ORG Records ORGM-2114, LP $20, special limited edition green or white $25, available at orgmusic.com We music lovers and collectors know the feeling of missing out on a particular band or performer for a big chunk of our lives, only to say, "Why haven't I discovered this until now?" I can think of dozens of... Read More »

The post David Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7's The Giver appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Andy Zimmerman's Half Light

Marc Phillips — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 19:40:21 +0000

Andy Zimmerman, Half Light. Newvelle Records NV014LP, LP available as part of subscription at newvelle-records.com I came to a stunning realization about my musical tastes the other day. I was discussing Haydn with a friend, and he asked why I wasn't a bigger fan of his music. I hemmed and hawed for a while before coming... Read More »

The post Andy Zimmerman's Half Light appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Fred Hersch Trio - Live in Europe

Marc Phillips — Wed, 23 May 2018 20:49:58 +0000

Palmetto PM2192, CD $15.98 Amazon.com Fred Hersch, where have you been? It's been ages! Okay, I know I'm the one who's been out of touch with Fred Hersch and his amazing piano trio recordings. It's not his fault. It's a curious thing, one of those instances where you discover a new artist and buy an... Read More »

The post Fred Hersch Trio - Live in Europe appeared first on Positive Feedback.

The B3B4 Organ Jazz Quartet

Marc Phillips — Tue, 01 May 2018 19:45:15 +0000

Self-released and available at b3jazz.com; CD $12.97, digital download $9.99 "My name is Kevin Gerzevitz and I play the Hammond Organ. I've learned through my fellow organist Robert Kennedy that you write reviews of jazz recordings. I am a member of a group called B3B4. We are based in the San Francisco Bay Area and... Read More »

The post The B3B4 Organ Jazz Quartet appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Gabriel Mervine's People, Places, and Things

Marc Phillips — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 23:50:31 +0000

Gabriel Mervine's People, Places, and Things. Synergy Records SMCD 80040-2, 80043-2 and 80044-2, CD $12.98 each at Amazon.com Before I can introduce you to Gabriel Mervine, an incredible and ambitious jazz trumpet/flugelhorn player and composer, I have to introduce you to Uncle Don. He's not my uncle, by the way. Don Marsh is Colleen's uncle,... Read More »

The post Gabriel Mervine's People, Places, and Things appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Diving into RTR with Lyn Stanley

Marc Phillips — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 01:15:25 +0000

I'll start off by describing my experience with reel-to-reel, which spans several decades. In 1979, I acquired a Pioneer RTR deck from my brother-in-law—he had no idea how to use it, and I believe we just traded some stuff back and forth. It worked almost flawlessly, although one of the channels had a habit of... Read More »

The post Diving into RTR with Lyn Stanley appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Noa Fort, No World Between Us

Marc Phillips — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 16:53:34 +0000

Noa Fort, No World Between Us. Self-released, CD $15, available at https://noafort.bandcamp.com/album/no-world-between-us I've been really hard on contemporary jazz singers lately. Most of them are extremely talented, but I always feel like I need a little more from them. If they're going to raid the Great American Songbook, they should come up with a unique approach that... Read More »

The post Noa Fort, No World Between Us appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Takaaki's New Kid in Town

Marc Phillips — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 22:24:55 +0000

Takaaki, New Kid in Town. Albany Records B076F3X5GJ, CD $16.99 amazon.com If you're an audiophile, you're probably already familiar with the 70s jazz recordings from Japan's Three Blind Mice label. I'm lucky enough to own several of these titles on LP—everything from Tsuyoshi Yamamoto's legendary Midnight Sugar and Misty to Isao Suzuki's Blue City to Hideto Kanai's Q... Read More »

The post Takaaki's New Kid in Town appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Phillips on the Music: Zeitlin & Marsh's Expedition

Marc Phillips — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 00:45:14 +0000

Denny Zeitlin & George Marsh's Expedition. (Sunnyside Communication SSC1487. CD $12.98. http://sunnysidezone.com/album/expedition) The first time I listened to Expedition from pianist Denny Zeitlin and percussionist George Marsh, I didn't think of it as a collection of improvisations between two longtime collaborators. I imagined a more traditional jazz ensemble, one with a traditional rhythm section, even though their... Read More »

The post Phillips on the Music: Zeitlin & Marsh's Expedition appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Dave Stryker's Strykin' Ahead

Marc Phillips — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 00:30:38 +0000

Dave Stryker's Strykin' Ahead on CD and LP. (Strikezone 8815, CD $15, LP $25 www.davestryker.com) The other night, while driving home one evening between Syracuse and Rochester, I happened upon a program called Cool Jazz Countdown on the local NPR station. The format of the show was clearly modeled on Casey Kasem's original Top 40 Countdown—if Casey... Read More »

The post Dave Stryker's Strykin' Ahead appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Denny Zeitlin and George Marsh's Expedition

Marc Phillips — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 03:28:58 +0000

Denny Zeitlin & George Marsh's Expedition. (Sunnyside Communication SSC1487, CD $12.98, http://sunnysidezone.com/album/expedition) The first time I listened to Expedition from pianist Denny Zeitlin and percussionist George Marsh, I didn't think of it as a collection of improvisations between two longtime collaborators. I imagined a more traditional jazz ensemble, one with a traditional rhythm section, even though... Read More »

The post Denny Zeitlin and George Marsh's Expedition appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Lyn Stanley's The Moonlight Sessions, Vol. 2

Marc Phillips — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 00:36:47 +0000

Lyn Stanley's The Moonlight Sessions, Vol. 2 (A.T. Music LLC 3106, 2-LP set $125, CD/SACD $29.98, http://www.lynstanley.com) "Other than that, I think her voice is incredibly sexy and inviting. It's much closer to London than too-cool-for-school Krall and for that reason I'll be more than happy to bring this to all future trade shows. Unless, of... Read More »

The post Lyn Stanley's The Moonlight Sessions, Vol. 2 appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Lars Jakob Rudjord's Indiepiano on LP

Marc Phillips — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 21:37:24 +0000

Fyrlyd Records FYRLYDLP1602, available at http://fyrlyd.no/ for 389 NOK "I'm a huge fan of those guys." Music reviewers aren't supposed to admit to such things. We're supposed to be objective in our approach to something that's almost perfectly subjective. We're supposed to accurately describe the release, offer some sort of reference for the reader that... Read More »

The post Lars Jakob Rudjord's Indiepiano on LP appeared first on Positive Feedback.

3Divas

Marc Phillips — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 20:43:51 +0000

DIVA 3DCD-2017, CD $17.99, available at http://divajazz.com/sights-and-sounds/recordings/3divas_cd/ Should it matter that the music you're listening to is performed entirely by women? That's the problem I had right out of the gate when it came to reviewing this eponymous debut CD from three supremely talented jazz musicians—pianist Jackie Warren, bassist Amy Shook, and drummer Sherrie Maricle.... Read More »

The post 3Divas appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Sasha Matson's Tight Lines on LP

Marc Phillips — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 23:46:11 +0000

Like many boomers, I've reached the point in my life where the aesthetics of Mid-Century Americana have become incredibly pleasing. It might be nostalgia, borne from the idea that the world of my childhood looked very different than now but in delightfully subtle ways such as the lines of the furniture in the average living... Read More »

The post Sasha Matson's Tight Lines on LP appeared first on Positive Feedback.

The Secret Sisters, You Don't Own Me Anymore

Marc Phillips — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 21:03:46 +0000

New West Records BO6XPTH66X, LP $20.98, Amazon.com When it comes to harmonizing singers, who's your favorite group? The Beach Boys? Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young? The Fleet Foxes, who finally put out a somewhat troublesome yet utterly charming third album this week? My personal pick—John Doe and Exene from X—may be off the beaten path,... Read More »

The post The Secret Sisters, You Don't Own Me Anymore appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Thurston Moore, Rock and Roll Consciousness

Marc Phillips — Fri, 26 May 2017 00:03:14 +0000

Ecstatic Peace!/Caroline Records CAROL015LP, $19.99 2-LPs Amazon.com For me there are two Sonic Youths. I really like one of them. They're edgy and noisy but still know how to create simple and concise indie-pop songs that really kick ass, songs like "Kool Thing" and "Bull in the Heather." They can even branch out and deliver... Read More »

The post Thurston Moore, Rock and Roll Consciousness appeared first on Positive Feedback.