Articles by: S. Victor Aaron

Vinyl

Half Notes: Farmers By Nature – Out Of This World Distortions (2011)

Three of the most gifted improvisers in free jazz today released this week a studio follow-up from their well-received 2009 live debut. As fellow giants of the NYC downtown scene, William Parker, Craig Taborn and Gerald Cleaver know each well musically and personally (as noted before, Cleaver and Taborn goRead More

Vinyl

Orrin Evans – Freedom (2011)

You might say that top-notch jazz pianist Orrin Evans has become a fixture here at SER. It all got started four years ago when we noted his participation in Robin Eubanks’ EB3 unit that made the phenomenal double-CD Live, Vol. 1 of 2007. Early last year we salivated over Evans’Read More

Vinyl

Half Notes: Monty Alexander – Harlem-Kingston Express: Live (2011)

Pretty much for the last twenty years, there have been two types of Monty Alexander records: one that features exuberant, evocative mainstream New York jazz and one that showcases Alexander’s unique Jamaican-styled jazz. Earlier this year, the Kingston piano great released the straight-up jazz trio live chronicles Uplift, a tremendousRead More

Vinyl

Black Country Communion – ‘Black Country Communion 2’ (2011)

Black Country Communion may not invented any new formulas but they are executing the old ones closer to perfection than anyone else.

Steely Dan Sunday, “The Boston Rag” (1973)

Steely Dan Sunday, “The Boston Rag” (1973)

There aren’t a whole lot of lyrics to this Steely Dan song, but I’ve never been quite able to decipher them. No one else seems to be too sure what they mean, either.

Vinyl

Half Notes: Nilson Matta and Roni Ben-Hur – Mojave (2011)

Israeli-born guitarist Roni Ben-Hur and Brazlian-born bassist Nilson Matta head a date with percussionist Café (another Brazilian) and American drummer Victor Lewis in tow, called Mojave. While the title might conjure up images of the American Southwest, pay closer attention to the native country of both the bass player andRead More

Vinyl

Something Else! sneak peek: Black Country Communion 2 (2011)

On Tuesday, the hard-rock supergroup Black Country Communion’s 2 drops, and you best believe it’s gonna get the SER Lowdown You May Also Like: How Black Country Communion’s Debut Brought Back ’70s-Style Hard Rock Black Sabbath – ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970): On Second Thought David Philips, “Home” from Winter (2017): SomethingRead More

Vinyl

One Track Mind: Jeff Crosby, "Too Many Walls" (2011)