More local-jazz CD faves

Here are some more of my favorite South Florida jazz recordings. Got some of your own? Respond to the blog or send 'em to me at Bobweinberg@mac.com.

6. Gary Keller: Blues for an Old New Age (Double Time). Saxophonist Keller pays the ultimate compliment to UM facultymate/mentor Ron Miller by recording a selection of his wonderfully evocative compositions. Doubling on tenor and soprano saxes, Keller leads an excellent crew — including pianist Kenny Werner, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Billy Hart — through Miller's tunes, which are redolent of orange blossoms and ocean air and draw the connection between the Florida sound and the music of Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

7. Jaco Pastorius Big Band: The Word Is Out! (Heads Up). Peter Graves helms this amazing group of South Florida players and special guests (Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Toots Thielemans) as they revisit the brightly hued compositions of Pastorius on this second outing. (The first recording, 2003's Word of Mouth Revisited, is a must-own, as well.) Rather than fixating on the bass, the recording puts the attention squarely on Pastorius' writing, featuring outstanding arrangements of classics such as "Cannonball," "Three Views of a Secret" and the delightful "Good Morning Anya." Packed with local greats such as saxophonists Billy Ross and Gary Keller, trumpeter Jason Carder, trombonist Dana Teboe, pianist Mike Levine, guitarist Randy Bernsen, bassist Jeff Carswell, percussionist Bobby Thomas Jr. and steel-drum master Othello, many of whom actually knew and played with Jaco, you could hardly find a more-fitting band to pay tribute to one of South Florida's most-influential musicians.

8. Don Miller: Dial M for Bass (High Life). Not to be confused with keyboardist-composer-UM professor Ron Miller, bass virtuouso Don Miller put together some stellar small ensembles on Dial M. The trio including pianist Felix Gomez and drummer Jonathan Joseph navigates noir era tunes such as "Street of Dreams" and "I Hear a Rhapsody," and takes on modern composers such as Shorter, Hancock and Benny Golson, as well. Another trio comprises pianist Brian Murphy and drummer Duffy Jackson, and Ira Sullivan adds tenor sax and trumpet (dig his cheerfully muted playing on MIller's own "S' Gettin' Better All the Time") on a couple of tunes.

9. John "Spider" Martin and Dr. Lonnie Smith: Live! From the Breakers of Fort Lauderdale Rooftop (Mirror Image). This is a true classic, sometimes spotted in the cut-out bins at used CD stores. Tenor saxophonist Spider Martin drives the action on a live set of bop and hardbop burners, leading a grooving band consisting of Hammond organ wizard Dr. Lonnie Smith, guitarist Jerry Byrd, drummer Ignacio Berroa and percussionist Tony Verdejo. A snapshot of the era (likely the mid '80s, as son Pookie, who sits in on drums, was just a tyke), this live session documents the late Martin at an artistic peak. Although it's somewhat muffled, the introduction is worth turning up the volume on your stereo for, as the unmistakable Bah-stahn accent of Blue Note record store owner Bob Perry briefly welcomes Spider and co. to the stage.

10. Scott Routenberg: Lots of Pulp (Denmaster). This 2003 recording from UM-trained pianist-composer Routenberg blew me away. While you marvel at the inventiveness of his sound-design — he sampled everything from the jingle of sacks of change to the thwuck of concentrated orange juice squeezed from its container — the masterful compositions and good humor win you over. Colors from violin, harp and cello to flute, sax and oboe add to the tonal pallette, mixing the organic and electronic in a very modern and satisfying way.