Given the scarcity of Lee Ritenour’s official concert releases, each time the jazz guitar giant issues a stage report, fans have a reason for festivities. So while it would have been great to see an archival recording making its way to the stores – Lee’s first proper such platter, “Alive in L.A.”, didn’t see the light of day until 1997, and 1984’s “RIT/Special” can be found only on old laserdisc and DVD – Ritenour’s “Live At Ronnie Scott’s” is more than welcome.
When Mick Ralphs, a founding member of BAD COMPANY, had a stroke, it was mere days after he graced the stage with the band in England’s capital, at the O2 Arena on October 29th. That night the veterans performed an interesting set, which featured, alongside their usual classics, such rarity as “Crazy Circles” and a piece titled “Trouble Shooter” they didn’t seem to have ever recorded in the studio. And now this set is ready for release.
One of the greatest American songwriters, whose pieces – such as “Wichita Lineman” and “MacArthur Park” – have long become part of the global musical vernacular, Jimmy Webb may have released only thirteen studio albums over almost six decades, but each of these platters is precious, especially when it comes to a new one. His last album of original material hit the shelves as far back as 2013, but “Still Within The Sound Of My Voice” was a collection of Webb classics performed by a plethora of guests, and its follow-up, “SlipCover” from 2019, found Jimmy playing other composers’ gems on a piano. That’s why the veteran’s forthcoming offering “Yours For The Taking” – subtitled “The Found Songs” – feels so welcome.
Drummers’ communions are rarely special – unless the players are extraordinary and bent on experimentation. Such was the case with gatherings in former KING CRIMSON skin-hitter Michael Giles‘s studio, involving its host and other outstanding percussionists, Jamie Muir, of the same band’s fame, and Morris Pert, whose CV included BRAND X and Kate Bush. Both of his colleagues passed away, so it’s about time Giles issued their sessions – the gems caught on tape at different times and separately.
Four studio albums in fifty years may not seem like a great work rate for a rock band who never officially broke up, even briefly, but that’s what makes every ZEBRA record count. Still going as the original trio of singing guitarist Randy Jackson, bassist Felix Hanemann and drummer Guy Gelso, this ensemble take pride in their first three platters, all issued in the ’80s, with the collective’s eponymous, Jack Douglas-produced 1983 debut going gold, and “IV” from 2003, released 17 years after its predecessor, didn’t disappoint either. Since then, there’s been nothing new, though, despite reports from 2017 of the group starting on their next endeavor – and, eventually, the veterans are ready to deliver.
