Category: Bentleys Bandstand

Marcia Ball, Shine Bright. This woman must have a fountain of youth flowing through her backyard, because after a half-century of ripping and running up and down the highways of America and beyond, Marcia Ball sounds more full of fire than ever. Maybe that’s because she’s discovered such a seemingly endless well of righteous songs...

David Byrne, American Utopia. In rock & roll, David Byrne has long been the King of Quirk. That’s a high compliment, too. Over 40 years since Talking Heads first rolled into CBGB’s to start their run, nobody has outdone Bryne in roping in more influences to fuel his creativity, and trolling world music at the...

Bing & Ruth, No Home of the Mind. As those moments arrive when the only sure-thing bet for a psychic lift is music that turns sound into prayers, Bing & Ruth hear that call. Led by pianist David Moore, this aggregation reaches the heavens with such artful ease there must be some kind of divine...

Ella Fitzgerald, Ella at Zardi’s. As part of the centennial celebrating Ella Fitzgerald’s birth, the lady’s record label went all out with reissues of every stripe and selection. Quite possibly they saved the best for last, when this live album (recorded in a Hollywood nightclub in 1956) was released in December. Oddly enough, it has...

Peter Bernstein, Signs LIVE! At the end of a long and discombobulating year, what could be better than a sheer blowing session by what is surely one of the most knocked-out jazz aggregations on earth. Guitarist Peter Bernstein, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Gregory Hutchinson need no introduction whatsoever. They just happen...

Lynn Castle, Rose Colored Corner. Talk about a marvel of modern determination: singer-songwriter Lynn Castle walked right up to the precipice of stardom in the ’60s and had to watch it remain just out of her reach. Still, the young Los Angeles lady never blinked. She continued to wish upon a star, talk to the...

Amy Black, Memphis. The sign on the front door of the African-American motorcycle club in Memphis said “Rattlesnakes do not commit suicide.” Makes sense. Bluff City can be a tough road, but once the deep soul of the place reveals itself to visitors, there is no turning back. Singer Amy Black’s last album was made...