CD discoveries of the week. A couple of weeks ago I posted about vibist Charlie Shoemake. His most recent album is “Inside” (Chase). It’s spectacular!! Song choices include “Wow, The Scene Is Clean”, “Nica’s Tempo”.- particularly gorgeous melodies for the vibraphone. Charlie moves archly throughout the album and swings from start to finish. I also love how he lets the instrument ring just so and leaves breaks between mallet flurries. A perfect album.
- Marc Myers, JazzWax

Sophisticated Lady - Chase Music Group
Her rich voice and superb diction make one wish that she recorded more often. A most rewarding CD… - All Music Guide

Sandi Shoemake is the quintessance of laid-back West Coast cool… - Jazz Times

Sandi Shoemake is one of the undersung singers of the American songbook, content to enjoy the delights of Cambria away from the L.A. jazz scene. However, Sophisticated lady provides evidence for considering her as one of the premier song stylists currently recording… - Jazz Improv Magazine

She applies her smooth, silky voice and rich phrasing to an elegant repertoire of swingers and ballads… - Downbeat Magazine

Vibes Master - Chase Music Group
Voted One of the Top Ten Jazz Albums of 2003
by The All Music Guide.

Lands End - Chase Music Group
From 1966 to 1973, Charlie Shoemake made the essential contribution to George Shearing's groups, and the requirements to swing tastefully and freshly have sustained him in his own groups here. He has a shimmering, liquid sound and his neatly balanced lines swim in it as in a natural element… - Jay Harvey, The Indianapolis Star

West Coast players, even excellent ones like vibraphonist Charlie Shoemake, are, in terms of national recognition too often locked into a kind of geographical limbo. Because they're not based in N.Y.C - the jazz capital of the world - word about their talent doesn't travel all that well across the continent to the East Coast.

Shoemake has made a number of much respected albums, but is perhaps best known for his stint with George Shearing from 1966-1973.

With it's vital chamber jazz groove, his latest disc "Lands End" is a fine sampler of his skills as an improviser graced with an abundance of fresh ideas and a clear, crisp technique.

Throughout these small group tracks, Shoemake`s solos have a wonderful sense of architecture, thanks to his gift for thematic improvisation. More than just a resourceful soloist, he`s also first-rate at carrying on smart musical conversations with his collaborators.

Shoemake's performance shows that geographical location should be no measure of an artist`s worth. In his case, neither East nor West Coast is necessarily the Best Coast… - Owen McNally, The Hartford Courant

Lullaby In Rhythm - Chase Music Group
The repertoire consists of 11 standards, including some neglected gems and the interpretations are mellow and thoughtful. - Joel Siegel, Jazz Times

Uncrowned Kings and Long Lost Things - Chase Music Group
Charlie Shoemake's "Uncrowned Kings" are folks like tenorman Hank Mobley and trumpeter Kenny Dorham, giants to thier peers but mid-level to the general public. His "Long Lost Things" are tunes that have been forgotten or are simply obscure but deserve another airing. A bebop-bent vibes master, Shoemake is really an uncrowned king himself. On Dorham's "Minors Holiday", for example, the vibist wails a sweet song, pulling neatly crafted lines out of a seemingly inexhaustible imagination… - Stereophile Magazine, Records to Die For - 2001

Slowly - Discovery 889
She is known only in the Los Angeles area but with this entry Sandi Shoemake may increase her popularity enormously. She sings 11 songs extremely well and her different accompanists (Tommy Flanagan, Terry Trotter, Clare Fischer and husband Charlie Shoemake) are all impeccable. - Billboard Magazine

On "Slowly" Sandi Shoemake sings 11 songs with four different pianists. No bass, no drums, just piano accompaniment. Ms. Shoemake is an accomplished singer and she negotiates some difficult material (Pensativa, Daydream, Yardbird Suite) with grace and ease. Imagine a female David Allyn and you might get what she does. Fairly straight, but oh, so right! This is best taken one tune at a time because each tune is a real gem. - Bob Porter, Jazz Times

Stand Up Guys - Chase Music Group
California's Charlie Shoemake is a seasoned composer-performer-teacher whose improvising expertise is especially evident in the lucid, coherent construction of his solos. It is not uncommon to find in them, for example, a lengthy, complex phrase based on the unfolding development of a single motif. Taking advantage of an exact, precise sense of time, he also swings vigorously. - Bob Porter, Jazz Times

Incandescent - Discovery DS-904
Vibist Shoemake, if he continues to record albums as good as this one, might very well develope into one of the most popular mainstream artists on his instrument. He plays with a clean uncluttered sound and presents unhackneyed bop-inspired ideas with a joyous quality not unlike Hampton's in the 30's. - Jack Sohmer, Jazz Times

Blue Shoe - Muse 5221
As with Shoemake's earlier Muse release (Sunstroke Muse 5193) this is a straight ahead, no-nonsense bop date. Shoemake's vibes playing is characterized by a dry sound, coming from his almost vibratoless tone and conservative use of the sustain pedal. He obviously knows the bop vocabulary inside out.

A strong point of the album is the repertoire, which consists of mostly originals, often with unorthodox chord patters, but always with strong melodic content. - Per Husby, Cadence Magazine

Selected Recordings of Charlie and Sandi Shoemake
on Other Artists' Projects…