One of the subgenres of jazz that’s become an underground hit over the last ten years or so is klezmer jazz. Klezmer itself, as described by AllMusic Guide, is “a Yiddish term for musician and refers primarily to a tradition of Jewish folk music with deep German and Eastern European roots.” With many outstanding jazz artists being of Jewish heritage, [...]

by Pico Exploring the wonderful world of whack jazz can be both frustrating and fun. Frustrating because even some of the more influential artists of this genre lack good publicists—through no fault of their own—and fun because when you finally stumble across one of these important figures it’s like you found a treasure trove of music that sounds nothing like [...]

NICK DERISO: “Guess Who I Saw Today,” from Nancy Wilson’s second Capitol Records recording “Something Wonderful,” always stops me in my tracks. “You’re so late getting home from the office,” she begins. “Did you miss your train? Were you caught in the rain? No, don’t bother to explain.” And so begins a delicate yet devastating theme of betrayal and comeuppance, [...]

by S. Victor Aaron Wednesday night I noticed a tickle in my throat; it was sudden, unwelcome cascade of post-nasal drip. “I am not getting sick” I told myself and went to bed successfully ignoring this minor distraction. Thursday night the symptom was still persisting, but I felt fine. As a precaution, I started taking Zicam. “I am NOT getting [...]

NICK DERISO: None of them were better apart, but never was this more true than with Ringo Starr. See, the other Beatles, in turn, could typically find the pitch-perfect note for Ringo — and his best work, within the band and without, always had their fingerprints on it: The aptly titled “With A Little Help From My Friends” (McCartney), of [...]

by Pico Earlier in the week we introduced in this space the topic of “Nu jazz” that’s all the rage in Europe, and has represented one of the frontiers of fusion jazz these days. One of the pioneers of this collision of acoustic jazz and electronic music is the Norwegian keyboard player, composer and record company mogul by the name [...]

by Pico Just because I haven’t written a whole lot about John Coltrane up to this point doesn’t mean I don’t seriously revere the man’s music. But what is there left to be said about Coltrane that hasn’t already been said with much more eloquent words than I can muster? There are, however, a few Trane tunes I love that [...]

by S. Victor Aaron On prior columns I’ve made no bones about my affinity for early Chicago songs. Danny Seraphine’s comeback album is a triumph because the band’s founding drummer brought back the spirit of his old band. And singer/keyboardist/songwriter Robert Lamm’s openness for melding complex jazz with straightforward blues and rock made for some of the more simultaneously catchy [...]

by Pico Covering High And Mighty about a year and a half ago gave me a convenient excuse to pull out and listen to some of the prior Gov’t Mule CDs. Out of the one just prior to this one, Déjà Voodoo, came a tune that has lately been the perfect ear food for the testosterone-charged seventies kid in me. [...]

by S. Victor Aaron Jazz trios that push the envelope are a lot of fun to listen to. With only two other players to be accountable for, each member gets to take more chances than they might be able to get away with in a larger setting. And when it’s an unconventional getup, like say, a sax, drums and accordion, [...]