Author Archives: Mel Minter

Celebrating Uncle Mike (aka Guitarist Michael Anthony)

Michael “Uncle Mike” Anthony

Even if you’ve never heard the name Michael Anthony, it’s very likely that you’ve heard him. A first-call fixture in Los Angeles studios for 15 years, the guitarist has played on hundreds of TV and film soundtracks, including seven years on the Carol Burnett Show, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and more than 250 Hanna-Barbera cartoons. On recordings, he’s backed stars ranging from Tony Bennett to the Beach Boys.

Since relocating to Albuquerque in 1980, Anthony has become a respected figure on the jazz scene and a venerated teacher, affectionately known to his students as Uncle Mike. The moniker perfectly captures his avuncular contribution, musical and otherwise, to his students’ lives. Two of those students, John Maestas and Claudio Tolousse, who have built successful careers as professional guitarists on the foundation of Anthony’s lessons, will honor him this Saturday evening when they present Michael Anthony: The Lineage Concert at the Outpost. Continue reading →

New Releases: Edward Simon and Zoltán Székely Entwine Multiple Traditions

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Both Venezuelan pianist/composer Edward Simon and Hungarian-American singer/songwriter Zoltán Székely combine different musical influences into a unique voice, but with very different results. Continue reading →

Hersch and Vloeimans (Yes, Again, and with Good Reason)

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I had been hesitant to review these two albums—Live in Europe from the Fred Hersch Trio and Eric & Will from Eric Vloeimans and Will Holshouser—because both Hersch and Vloeimans have been featured on this site numerous times in recent months. However, after giving both a close listen, I think it would be a disservice to you, gentle reader, not to alert you to these remarkable recordings. Continue reading →

New to Me

Marike van Dijk. Photo by Kees Muizelaar.
Adrean Farrugia and Joel Frahm

Two new releases introduced me to several musicians I had not previously encountered and whose acquaintance I am happy to have made. On The Stereography Project, Vol. 2,* Dutch saxophonist and arranger Marike van Dijk presents the songs and voices of singer/songwriters Jeff Taylor and Katell Keineg in gorgeous arrangements for two pop chamber orchestras. On Blued Dharma,* pianist Adrean Farrugia and saxophonist Joel Frahm, new to me as leaders, offer an accessible and satisfying lesson on jazz duo performance. Continue reading →

Bass Clarinetist Todd Marcus Offers a Stirring Portrait of the Streets

Todd Marcus

Todd Marcus
On These Streets (Stricker Street Records)
A review
For the past 20 years, bass clarinetist Todd Marcus, voted a Rising Star in Downbeat magazine’s Annual Critics Poll, has lived and worked in west Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood at the community-based nonprofit Intersections of Change, alongside Reverends Elder C.W. and Amelia Harris. Together, through a variety of “programs that enrich the economic, social, and spiritual lives of those dealing with poverty-related issues,” they’ve helped transform blighted inner-city streets, abandoned buildings, and vacant lots into a once-again vibrant neighborhood.

Galvanized by the unrest following the death of neighborhood resident Freddie Gray while in police custody in 2015, Marcus undertook a musical portrait of Sandtown-Winchester. On These Streets (a Baltimore story)* offers a look at the neighborhood’s gilded past, its recent challenges, and its determined hope for the future. Five of the eight related tracks are preceded by commentary from neighborhood residents, and one is introduced by the sounds of police helicopters and radio. (A ninth track celebrates Marcus’s native New Jersey.) Continue reading →