by Pico Wow, I nearly missed this one. For years now, I’ve been a fan of the man from Memphis for his undiluted brand of deeply rooted electric blues and for his harmonica that currently has no peer with the recent passing of Carey Bell. After Musselwhite’s highly acclaimed SanctuaryRead More

NICK DERISO: Skid past the first few tracks — an overcooked original, then a couple of snoozers that are just too obvious in their modern cliche — and Dave Kikoski began to live up to his producer’s persistent tips of the hat. That would be Steely Dan guitarist Walter Becker,Read More

Jaco Pastorius dubbed this all-star pairing the “Trio of Doom.” It became more fittingly the “Doomed Trio.”

James McMurtry, we know now, had only just begun making steel-toe tapping records that take a while to sink in.

The long-lost 8-track of Little River Band’s ‘Diamantina Cocktail’ has been playing in my mind, repeating the third song over and over again.

by S. Victor Aaron The classic record showcasing the masterful piano of a just-maturing Bill Evans is back. More to the point, it returns in 24-bit remastered form as part of Orrin Keepnews’currently running “Keepnews Collection” reissue campaign, straight from the original producer of such notable jazz records by ChetRead More

by Pico Joey deFrancesco. Tony Monaco. Larry Goldings. Barbara Dennerlein. All at the forefront of the current generation of jazz organists and heirs to the mantle of Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland and Jack McDuff. Oh yeah, there’s one more notable: Sam Yahel. But with the release this week of hisRead More

Tony Joe White is one of us, pure and simple. Earthy and plain-spoken. Southern and proud. With all the contradictions.

Ed Williams, a good-time throwback, is as much bluesman and blue blood — his uncle and musical mentor was the great slide guitarist J.B. Hutto — so it’s certainly no surprise that he strikes a determined retro stance on “Rattleshake.” What’s cool is that he keeps pulling it off. MatureRead More

Familiar band, not-so-familiar song. But perhaps Aerosmith’s “Seasons of Wither” should be more familiar.