He’s not the guy from the famous video anymore. Nobody’s shouting “Science!” on Thomas Dolby’s latest work, this trickling, crystalline ride through a melancholic memory.

With a tone resembling Kurt Rosenwinkel‘s but with the soft touch of Jim Hall, Brent Canter’s soulful maneuverings display the lessons he learned first hand from Kenny Burrell. And by the way, who won this year’s ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award? That’s right, Brent Canter.

Guitarist and vocalist Steven Wilson seems to have split his pop sensibility off from his “other” band, Porcupine Tree, so they could focus more on delving into darker subjects with heavier music. Blackfield, his project with Israeli singer Aviv Geffen, is more of an outlet for his more, um … “upbeat” material. I say upbeat in quotes because it’s hard [...]

The Tom Fuller Band doesn’t hide its influences. In fact, they strut around in them, like bell-bottomed 1970s throwbacks.

by Mark Saleski Big ears: usually a none-too-nice description of some poor kid on the elementary school playground. In the jazz world, “big ears” is a good thing.