Recommended New Releases

Steve Hobbs Vibes, Straight Up (Challenge) It's so rare to hear a vibraphonist with as much soul at Steve Hobbs.  Listen as this North Carolina native tackles songs from or associated with his native South.

John Stein Raising The Roof (Whaling City Sound)

Guitarist John Stein is a Professor of Music at Berklee College of Music in Boston, but this CD is no sterile academic exercise.  During the recording session, Stein and his quartet ripped through standards and originals with such glee, energy and teamwork that an observer remarked that the group was Raising The Roof" of the studio.

Babik American Gypsy (Babik Productions) Based on the number of new Gypsy Jazz Bands to surface in the last few years, the spirit of Django Reinhardt is alive and well in 2010.  This Buffalo N.Y. is one of the finest we've heard in the last few years.

Roni Ben-Hur Fortuna (Motema)

Ben-Hur has been one of the pre-eminent jazz guitarists of the past decade with a number of critically acclaimed releases.  On Fortuna, Ben-Hur uses a quintet of stellar players to give this recording a rich, full sound.