Articles by: Sammy Stein

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Daniel Bennett Group – We Are the Orchestra (2018)

The album’s PR material describes ‘We Are the Orchestra’ as a “bold departure” for Daniel Bennett, but what strikes me actually is that it’s not.

New Orleans at 300: In Search of Jazz

New Orleans at 300: In Search of Jazz

New Orleans is a place where many cultures met in the past, and it continues to draw people from all over the world – including jazz lovers like me.

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Thelonious Monk – Mønk (2018)

The thought that this Thelonious Monk recording could have been lost is too much. ‘Mønk’ is amazing.

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Jimmie Smith – Live in Music City: Jimmie Smith Plays Jimmy Smith (2018)

Created as a tribute to one of jazz’s organ masters, ‘Live in Music City’ instead ends up showcasing the promise and potential of Jimmie Smith.

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Gideon King and City Blog, “Upscale Madhouse” (2018): Exclusive song premiere

Gideon King & City Blog are exclusively premiering their new song “Upscale Madhouse” here at Something Else!

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Gideon King and City Blog – Upscale Madhouse (2018)

With so many influences, Gideon King is always going to be compared to others. On ‘Upscale Madhouse,’ he is finally, definitively, coming into his own.

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Wilko Johnson – Blow Your Mind (2018)

‘Blow Your Mind’ doesn’t sound anything like what you might expect from someone who did a farewell tour not so long ago. This, in fact, is Wilko Johnson near his best.

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Debbie Gifford – Changes (2018)

Filled with a fizzy sense of self-realization, Debbie Gifford’s ‘Changes’ is delivered with song-by-song twists that are uniquely her own.

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Beverley Beirne, jazz singer: Something Else! Interview

Beverley Beirne joins Sammy Stein to discuss her entertaining new album ‘JJWTHF: Jazz Just Wants To Have Fun,’ and the role of coincidence in her art.

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Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective – Live (2018)

Terence Blanchard says ‘Live’ is an album “for these troubled times – yet it’s also an album filled with hope.” He’s right.