News

We have started making vinyl LPs for some of our releases. These are 180 grams and sound GREAT!!
We have two of our newest releases available:
Dr. Lonnie Smith - SPIRAL
Fred Hersch Trio - Whirl

We are updating our site in order to accomodate this new/old configuration, so in the meantime if you want to order directly from Palmetto you'll have to call our 800 number, 800-PALMCDS (725-6237).
Call Monday through Friday, 10AM-6PM EST. If you can't get through leave a message and we'll get right back to you.

allaboutjazz.com
The gifted Ohio native Fred Hersch's love for jazz established him in New York as a sideman for saxophonists Stan Getz and Joe Henderson and flugelhornist Art Farmer, and then as solo artist who released a number of exceptional recordings, from Saraband (Sunnyside, 1986) to Stories Without Words (Nonesuch, 2001). But he was known to the non-jazz world as the heroic artist stricken with HIV, who miraculously emerged from a coma that threatened to silence his near supernatural skills. As his new, deep, dancing and durable disc shows, Hersch—backed by excellent support by drummer Eric McPherson and bassist Jon Herbert—delivers an inventive and evocative 10-track CD that represents the full-flowering of his pianistic and interpretive genius.

Hersch's touch is reminiscent of Bill Evans' and his pulse is similar to Ahmad Jamal's, and those attributes pulsate the Latinized opening track by Harry Warren, and the habanera motored "Mandevilla." Hersch's moving slow numbers show why he's one of the greatest balladeers of his generation; and his take on his mentor Jaki Byard's "Mrs. Parker of K.C." proves that he can play the blues with the best of them. The spirited title track, dedicated to ballerina Suzanne Ferrell, showcases Hersch's composition chops, which focus more on telling stories than technique for technique's sake.

JazzTimes.com
Matt Wilson Band Plus Strings: Live
Iridium, New York City on May 20, 2010
By Bill Milkowski

Over the past 15 years or so that he has been gigging around New York as a drummer and bandleader, Matt Wilson has never failed to bring an element of surprise and unabashed joy to the bandstand, along with an irrepressible, goofy smile that always conveys to the audience that he is indeed having big-time fun up there on stage. A serious artist with a wacky sense of humor, Wilson respects the jazz tradition and pays sincere homage to its elders. And yet, he is not above placing wind-up toys on his snare or blowing little plastic horns or slide whistles (no doubt borrowed from one of his triplet boys – Henry, Max, Ethan -- or his daughter Audrey) when the irreverent mood strikes.

Just back from a tour of Australia, where he played wide open trio gigs in the spirit of Sonny Rollins’ pianoless trio recordings from 1957 (Way Out West, A Night at the Village Vanguard) with bassist John Hebert and tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger, Wilson unveiled an expanded edition of his group comprised of his working quartet (Jeff Lederer on tenor sax and clarinet, Kurt Knuffke on cornet, Chris Lightcap on bass) and augmented by a flexible string quartet featuring his wife Felicia Wilson on violin, Skye Steele on violin, Nicole Federici on viola and Alisa Horn on cello. This inspired marriage of freewheeling jazz and chamber-like precision – Igor Stavinsky meets Ornette Coleman -- made for one of the more exhilarating and rewarding performances that I have attended this year. And there were plenty of surprises along the way.

They kicked off their exuberant set with “The Gathering Call,” a sing-songy “Dancing in Your Head” fanfare marked by a repeated motif with some subversive skronking from the strings and a rolling free jazz pulse underneath provided by Wilson. Lightcap is especially adept at this kind of Charlie Haden-esque bass playing, which is full of deconstructionist half-time phrasing against Wilson’s frantic pulse. Lederer blew with gale force on his tenor solo here while Knuffke contributed bright, original ideas with bristling energy and bold conviction. At one point in the whirlwind proceedings, the whole band dropped out as the inventive drummer launched into a dramatic solo, exhibiting masterful stick control and melodic ideas on the kit in the tradition of his drumming heroes Max Roach and Billy Higgins. (At one point he actually quoted from the melody to “Here Comes the Bride,” which elicited all-knowing grins from his wife Felicia).

“Raga,” an East Indian flavored number from Wilson’s 2003 album Humidity, opened with all the members of the quartet playing hand bells to create a gentle, meditative zone. As the zen-like piece progressed, they were joined on stage by the band’s former alto saxophonist Andrew D’Angelo, who began by playing his horn from his seat in the back of the room, then gradually made his way to the stage while continuing to blow on top of the insinuating drone, which was enhanced by Lightcap switching from upright to electric 8-string bass. D’Angelo had been MIA all through 2008 after two operations to remove a malignant brain tumor. Judging by the intensity of his cathartic blowing on this piece, the charismatic and iconoclastic saxophonist is in full recovery now. At the ecstatic peak of his solo, Wilson let out with whoops and shouts of encouragement from his kit. It was a triumphant moment, as purely spontaneous and audacious as the time I witnessed D’Angelo stage-dive with his sax at an IAJE convention during a rendition of Wilson’s edgy “Schoolboy Thug.”

“Lucky” (co-written by Lederer and his daughter Maya) was a beautiful chamber-like piece underscored by Wilson’s relaxed brushwork and featuring Lederer on clarinet. Picture the late, great Ed Thigpen embellishing an Aaron Copland piece. The gentle piece segued to a collective improv interlude with the strings offering spiky commentary. As the piece developed, Wilson stepped from behind his kit to recite the Carl Sandburg poem “Bubbles,” which he dedicated to D’Angelo:

Two bubbles found they had rainbows on their curves And they flickered out saying, “You know, it was worth being a bubble just to hold that rainbow for 30 seconds.”

Another daring experiment that paid off with stunning results was a mash-up of Mozart’s “Dissonance Quartet” (played by the strings) and Ornette Coleman’s pensive ballad “What Reason Could I Give.” From there, they segued neatly into Ornette’s “Broken Shadows” featuring guest vocalist Mary LaRose. And they closed with Wilson’s quirky little love song, “Getting Friendly.” Each of the four sets that the expanded Matt Wilson ensemble played during their two-night engagement at Iridium was unique. I felt lucky to have caught this inspired second set on Thursday night.

Vitality and age might be normally be at odds with one another, but not when discussing Dr. Lonnie Smith—the inimitable organ shaman of the modern soul-jazz epoch. Whether turning in clever takes on the music of indie rocker Beck, recasting familiar standards in his organic organ mold or shaping his own compositions to his liking, Smith never seems to be short on ideas. He furthers the traditional role of the organ in small-group jazz and puts a modern slant on things, giving the music a unique character that is also immediately accessible. After meeting with some creative Crescent City natives like saxophonist Donald Harrison and drummer Herlin Riley on Rise Up! (Palmetto Records, 2009), with Spiral Smith is back to the organ/guitar/drums combination that's worked so well for him in the past. While some prior albums have added a rhythm guitarist to the mix, Smith rides this one out with his current touring band mates, guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Jamire Williams. This eight-song program touches on everybody from Harold Mabern and Rodgers and Hart to Slide Hampton, giving the trio a chance to put its stamp on a wide range of music. A performance of "Mellow Mood," written by organ great Jimmy Smith, begins with some funky drumming and Kreisberg's lithe, steady solo lines contrast nicely with Smith's mixture of space and speedy runs in his own soloing. Williams uses brushes at the breezy beginning of "I've Never Been In Love Before," but moves to sticks when he wants to create a firm swing feel. Smith's electrifying, skittering chords during his solo are the highlight here. Hampton's "Frame For The Blues" slowly strolls along, but the musicians bring back the energy for "I Didn't Know What Time It Was." Kreisberg's insistent rhythm guitar riffing screams for a samba-centered drum groove, but Williams doesn't bite. Instead, he takes a funky approach, owing as much to Questlove of The Roots or David Garibaldi from Tower of Power as it does to modern jazz drumming. Kreisberg crafts some tasty solo lines here and Williams' cymbal work becomes busier and more aggressive as the track progresses, culminating with his solo, over a rumbling organ bottom. "Sweet & Lovely" lives up to its name and, on many other tracks here, Smith charmingly moans along with his own lines. "Spiral" begins with a sense of hushed intrigue and mystery. Kreisberg's noir-ish lines slink along as Williams tiptoes behind him, and here the guitarist proves to be a moodier soloist than Smith. Mabern's "Beehive" came across as modern-leaning, aggressive post-bop when Lee Morgan performed it in the early 1970s, but Smith gives it more of a fusion slant here. While this one is the edgiest performance on the album, Smith chooses to end things in a more peaceful, worry-free vein with "Sukiyaki." With Spiral, Dr. Lonnie Smith continues to dole out funky, soulful and original musical prescriptions for the people.

With never a thought of retooling tunes a la Carrothers, the maestro of the Hammond B3 organ nonetheless ventures well beyond conventional organ trio clichés. He continues to produce CDs whose swing and good feeling compelLonnie Smith Spiral.jpg smiles and the rhythmic employment of pedal extremities. Smith is, however, considerably more than a party music organist, as he demonstrates with the moodiness and surprise chordal turns of his minor-key title tune, the rhythmic variety in "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and the apiary atmospherics of his interpretation of Harold Mabern's "Beehive." His swing is irresistible in "I've Never Been in Love Before" his bluesiness profound in Slide Hampton's "Frame for the Blues." Guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Jamire Williams are admirable in support. In his 68th year, the Dr. is in.

Frank Kimbrough

Jazz recordings are often described as snapshots, faithful reflections of a moment in time. That’s never the whole truth, but it’s truer than usual on “Rumors” (Palmetto), a casually sumptuous new album from the pianist Frank Kimbrough. Recorded at a Midtown studio with less than 24 hours’ notice, the album features Masa Kamaguchi on bass and Jeff Hirshfield on drums, musicians with whom Mr. Kimbrough had just reconnected after a long hiatus. Their rapport is relaxed, open ended, effortlessly deep.

Mr. Kimbrough has a taste for melodic inquisition and mutable, gluey tempos, and he puts an oblique spin on the album’s seven originals, and on one piece by Federico Mompou. “TMI” is bluesy abstraction in a Paul Bley vein; “Forsythia” is a billowing ballad, noble and dry. The melodies are songlike even at their most ambiguous, and Mr. Kimbrough uses his bright, percussive touch to keep them grounded.
Nate Chinen

From allaboutjazz.com - Dan Bilawsky

Timing is everything, whether discussing music, sports or life in general, and this certainly proves to be the case with the recording of Rumors. In September of 2009, jazz photographer and occasional producer Jimmy Katz made a last minute offer to record pianist Frank Kimbrough in a setting of his choice. Kimbrough, having just played with bassist Masa Kamaguchi and drummer Jeff Hirshfield at the Kitano in New York City, yearned to connect with these musicians again before Kamaguchi returned to his home in Barcelona. The timing proved to be perfect and the chemistry between these three musicians is on full display across these eight tracks.

While seven of these pieces come from Kimbrough's pen, the album starts off with "Six," written by Catalan composer Federico Mompou and unfolding with Hirshfield's slow cymbal dance. Kimbrough's delivery shows an uncluttered sense of melodic brilliance, making this an engaging performance. "TMI," no doubt referencing the popular abbreviation for "Too Much Information," betrays Kimbrough's fondness for piano visionaries like Thelonious Monk, Andrew Hill and Herbie Nichols. Quirky, sea-sawing melodic snippets collide as the trio shows off its elastic sense of time. While performing as one interactive entity on this song, "Hope" begins as a showcase for Kimbrough. Kamaguchi and Hirshfield enter this performance with a fragile sense of being, and support Kimbrough during his comforting and consonant travels. Eventually, bass and piano converse and create some touching musical moments.

The title track begins with some slight hints of the Far East. As the music grows, Hirshfield's ride cymbal work becomes more furious and he rains down on the group with a percussive storm. Kamaguchi's pulsing, insistent bass presence helps to provide a sense of consistency in these stormy moments. Kimbrough creates a two-handed dance on "Sure As We're Here," with Hirshfield providing some skittering brushwork. "Forsythia"—a plant that often signals the arrival of spring—shows deep, beautiful, organic musical growth. An expansive and open feeling pervades this piece, with Kamaguchi blending well with Kimbrough, and the clear ring of the bass and piano seeming to linger in the air.

"Over," with its spiky, jagged beginning, starts off like a three-way boxing match. Each man jabs and prods with his instrument, but things change when Hirshfield takes over, owning the music until Kamaguchi gets his turn. A shower of notes seems to descend from all places as the piece tumbles toward its conclusion. "For Andrew" is six minutes of solemn, absorbing sound. Sensitivity and reverence travel through this piece, as each musician adds to the emotional impact and flow. This recording session might have been coordinated at the last minute, but it's hard to imagine finer musical conversations being crafted with all the planning time in the world.

The New York Times Sunday Magazine featured Palmetto Records artist Fred Hersch in a 6 page spread on January 31st. Click here to go to the NY Times site.