by Pico Phil Upchurch is a guitarist I’ve known about for a long time, from his stint in George Benson’s band in the late seventies. Even though he was the rhythm guitarist in a band that was fronted by one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, Upchurch managedRead More

by Mark Saleski Dan Ho wants to liberate you from your own house. From the many unnecessary items, chores and other stuff that in theory makes your life “better.” And just how would he know anything about this? Oh believe me, he knows. Dan and his wife were, as theyRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Last year we spotlighted a trio of CD’s that made up the maiden releases by a new record label, the artist-run collective Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records. A year later last June, there were three more BJU records to examine. And here we are less than sixRead More

by Pico To say Anson Wright is diversely multi-talented is like saying that the sun is hot. This true rennaisance man who graduated from Princeton has drove taxis, built cabinetry, run a trucking company and written published novels and poetry. He also knows a thing or two about playing aRead More

Some might see the acoustic guitar as an apparatus for playing folk, blues, soft rock, and anything that’s smooth and gentle. Duck Baker prefers to see it as an instrument of limitless possibilities. Sure, Duck might have started out playing those predictable styles of music when he embarked on aRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Steve Smith is a man with a common name and an uncommon ability to beat the skins. Looking back at his entire career, that 1978-85 stint with the superstar arena rock group Journey during its classic period looks like an aberration to Smith, who has madeRead More

by Pico It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled… -Led Zeppelin What can I say, I’ve let a lot of release dates on the mainstream side go by without any mention. And so, it’s catch-up time. Three major acts, plus an act with a major cause. NoRead More

by S. Victor Aaron After forty years in the business, ECM remains one of the busiest jazz labels around, and if anything, they’ve been picking up steam lately. That might be because they continue to bring on exciting new artists while continuing their amazing ability to retain so many ofRead More

by Pico Last October 20, the up-and-coming violin wizard from Copenhagen Mads Tolling put forth his second CD The Playmaker, a celebration of the kindrid spirit shared by musicians and athletes. Yes, that’s right, the connection between people who make music and people who make plays. As Tolling correctly pointsRead More

by Tom Johnson I have been mulling over how to properly review a film like Rivers and Tides, a documentary that follows sculptor Andy Goldsworthy as he creates his mind-boggling artwork. It almost seems cruel to attempt to judge a film like this, so beautiful, so gentle, and so mesmerizing,Read More