by Mark Saleski I’ve written about this before, the mystery of “Why do I like this?” The discussions that are apt to be generated can be enlightening. If you start at the very restrictive end of the scale, there’s the idea that beauty has some sort of objective element, supposedlyRead More

by Pico It must have been quite a journey for a life that started out in the wide open ranges of Montana and ended up in the hustle and bustle of the New York jazz scene, but trumpet player Jim Rotondi got there with an assist from the late, greatRead More

Music obsessives and “regular” folks alike know of the song/memory retrieval phenomenon — you hear a song and instantly remember where you were the first time you heard it. The speed and clarity of detail associated with the song can be quite amazing. There have been claims that odors produceRead More

Tonight’s “Paul McCartney: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in Performance at the White House” — premiering at 8 p.m., and then repeating all week on PBS stations — had us digging through the stacks, looking for favorites from throughout his career. (Click through the titles forRead More

by S. Victor Aaron It’s not that hard to discern the message behind the title of Billy Bang’s brand new album Prayer For Peace. And just in case you’re not sure, Bang clarifies beyond all doubt in the liner notes: We do not need war, any kind of war, especiallyRead More

by Pico Like Jamiroquai, Icognito is one of those British bands that’s faithfully carrying the torch for good ol’ American seventies-styled jazz-funk & soul better than anybody in the USA is doing these days. And Incognito, formed 31 years ago, is arguably the first of these so-called acid jazz outfitsRead More

by Mark Saleski After listening to certain Tom Waits songs, I get to thinking about what the man might have stored in his garage. Sure, it’s become sort of a cliché, doing a mental inventory of Waits’ collection of bullhorns and whatnot, but it sure is fun. Even more funRead More

News that the Beach Boys were contemplating a reunion to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary (or not?), got us to thinking … Think Beach Boys, and many remember a group perhaps irrevocably reduced by its tragicomic storyline. Admittedly distracting plot points, beyond the 36 Top 40 hits (most of anyRead More

by Mark Saleski There’s a lot of writing out there about where inspiration comes from. We’ve all read stories about the Muse and how fickle it can be and all of that. For me, the vanishing Muse has most often to do with life situations out of control. Stress showsRead More

by S. Victor Aaron It could be argued that Houston, Texas is one of the major gestation points for smooth jazz sax stars. Ronnie Laws and Kirk Whalum came from what Laws calls the Bayou City of the Future. Also, let’s not forget that Wilton Felder, Joe Sample and theRead More