Archive for July, 2008

Vinyl

Roy Hargrove Quintet – Earfood (2008)

My, how time flies. It didn’t seem so long ago when Wynton Marsalis spotted this young trumpet talent at a Dallas high school in the mid-eighties. Since then, Roy Hargrove has recorded fourteen albums as a leader, and another co-led with Herbie Hancock and Michael Brecker. For these efforts, he’sRead More

Vinyl

Something Else! Interview: Country singer Andy Griggs

So, you’re Andy Griggs, a sugar-sweet pop-country singer from West Monroe, La. And you’re standing in the lonely bull’s eye of center stage, guitar in hand. There are hundreds and hundreds of pairs of eyes looking back. “The adrenaline!” you say, whispering. “There’s a difference between 1,000 people and 15,000.Read More

Vinyl

One Track Mind: Crosby Loggins & The Light "Man In The Middle" (2007)

It should probably be no surprise to anyone who is remotely familiar with us, but we here at Something Else! are not what you’d call avid watchers of MTV. Evidently, neither is Crosby Loggins; he was asked to be a contestant on their show Rock The Cradle three of fourRead More

Vinyl

Quickies: Three From ESP-Disk Records

 In 1966, attorney Bernard Stollman founded the ESP-Disk label in New York City. Less than three years later, with orders dried up from established record labels bootlegging their better-selling records, the label was driven out of business. This is a familiar story followed in some variation by thousands of start-upRead More

Vinyl

Quickies: Mike & The Ravens, Pete Levin, Antonio Ciacca Quintet

This installment of “Quickies” starts with the rowdy but eventually settles on the refined. A rocker, followed by a groover, concluded with a swinger (no, not that kind of swinger). They’re all from guys you might not have heard of but in their own way have quietly made significant contributionsRead More

Vinyl

Steve Allee Trio – Dragonfly (2008)

Last year we touched on a solid release by Steve Allee, Colours, where the seasoned Indianapolis-based pianist found delight in turning from crossover jazz to honest-to-goodness straight trio jazz. Allee must have really enjoyed making that record, because here we are less than a year later discussing another new SteveRead More

Vinyl

Forgotten series: Duke Ellington and John Coltrane (1962)

To take the old-school harmonic brilliance of Duke Ellington into the realm of John Coltane — soon to establish himself as the picture of avant garde, stimulatingly free, out there in such a way as to legitimately draw comparisons with the spiritual — was, you imagine, a challenge of equalRead More

Vinyl

One Track Mind: Grant Green "It Ain't Necessarily So" (1962)

Have I really gone this far without shining a spotlight on Grant Green? Wow. Grant Green is an all time favorite guitarist of mine. He was one of the few out there who was technically amazing and could squeeze so much soul out of each note at the same time.Read More

Umphrey’s McGee – ‘Jimmy Stewart 2007’ (2008)

Umphrey’s McGee – ‘Jimmy Stewart 2007’ (2008)

Extended improv sections of songs oftentimes turn into what Umphrey’s McGee calls a “Jimmy Stewart.” So what exactly is a “Jimmy Stewart?”

Vinyl

The Homemade Jamz Blues Band – Pay Me No Mind (2008)

Ten years ago, Hanson caused a stir in the pop world by delivering catchy tunes that were self-performed and largely self-penned, by siblings who were still just kids. Today, the blues has its own version of Hanson, and the name of this family affair is The Homemade Jamz Blues Band.Read More