They came, they saw, they scatted … er, musically speaking. And with the final notes of Poncho Sanchez and Ray Vega drifting into the night air on Sunday, the curtain closed on the 30th annual Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. ... Read more

(Música Para Locos Records, CD, LP, digital download)... Read more

(Self-released, CD, digital download)... Read more

So many records, so little time. Seven Days gets more album submissions than we know what to do with. And, given the ease of record making these days, it’s difficult to keep up. Still, we try to get to every local release that comes across the music desk, no matter how obscure.

To that end, here are four Vermont recordings that likely flew under the radar of the average Vermont music fan. In some cases, they represent the outermost boundaries of local music. Others simply slipped through the cracks. But each deserves a listen.

Dick Japhet, Karma

Jeez, you people are slipping. After last week’s — admittedly mostly tongue-in-cheek — admission that I was having a hard time getting worked up for the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival this year, I expected the usual flood of emails from prickly jazz heads accusing me of anti-hepcat bias. But my inbox remained eerily quiet, suggesting you’ve either stopped reading this column (uh-oh) or, perhaps worse, you were feeling the same way. ... Read more

(Simian Records, CD, digital download)... Read more

(L.B. Records, CD, digital download)

On her debut album, Audrey Bernstein Loves Blue, local jazz singer Audrey Bernstein delves into the songbook of popular American jazz and regales us with a few of her favorite things. Though she doesn’t break new ground, Bernstein’s treatment of tunes by great composers such as George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Cy Coleman is an amiable listen and adds a welcome new voice in Vermont jazz.... Read more

New Orleans’ Dumpstaphunk are an all-star band of sorts, featuring a funkdafied gumbo of ace Crescent City players, including drummer Nikki Glaspie (Jay-Z, Beyoncé) and the two-pronged, low-end thump of bassists Tony Hall (Dave Matthews) and Nick Daniels III (Neville Brothers, Cyril Neville). It also boasts a pair of Nevilles, guitarist Ian and keyboardist Ivan — the sons of Art and Aaron Neville, respectively.... Read more

Maybe it’s because I’ve been rather immersed in jazz-related preparations these last few weeks and haven’t come up for air. Or maybe it’s because I’ve recently been moonlighting covering the comedy beat. Or maybe it really is hard to hold a candle in the cold November rain — especially when it comes over Memorial Day weekend. But for whatever reason, I’m having a hard time getting excited for the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival this year. ... Read more

(Self released, CD, digital download)... Read more