Photo by Jimmy Katz by Mark Saleski You might wonder, if you’re the curious/skeptical sort, why the late 1800’s concept of the orchestrion needs a modern update. Aren’t we headed toward the inevitable, all-digital future? What’s with all of these “new” instruments with their pesky & outdated moving parts? ToRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Even if you’re into experimental music you might not have heard of Richard Pinhas, but he’s kind of a big deal in his native France. This guitarist led the art-rock band Hedron in the mid 70s, during which time they made seven albums. Pinhas went onRead More

by Mark Saleski Jazz fans tend to have a love/hate relationship with pop music covers. On the one hand, there are examples like Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” that are sort of hard to argue with. Face it, reinterpretations like that not only put a new spin on an old favorite,Read More

by S. Victor Aaron Recently, Wilco lead guitarist Nels Cline reconvened his scary good Nels Cline Singers and last spring the group released Initiate, an ambitious, 2-CD affair. So what does Cline do next? Why, he follows up today with another 2 CD release that’s pushing the boundaries even furtherRead More

Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter was a man of sweeping appetites, for songs, for drink and for life. This made his music rugged and true, but also got him into his share of big trouble. Very big. Ledbetter, born on Jan. 29, 1885 on the Jeter Plantation near Mooringsport, La., wouldRead More

It’s ritual groove music time again. The Swiss pianist and bandleader Nik Bärtsch has broken musical ground with his Ronin outfit, pioneering jazz that’s melodically sparse and rhythmically robust. Not dance music but very funky, not piano bar jazz but very soothing, Bärtsch and his crew create paradoxes that resolveRead More

With each layer of studio gimmickry that falls away, we hear more distinctly the way John Lennon was coming to terms with middle age.

by Mark Saleski I remember exactly where I was when I found out. I was hanging out in a friend’s first floor dorm room in Aroostook Hall at the University of Maine. The only things I can remember about him are that his name was Fred and he was fromRead More

by S. Victor Aaron When we last visited a George Benson recording, it was about his remake of the still fresh-out-the-oven Abbey Road. Fast forward seven years later, to 1976: Benson had just ended his long and artistically successful stint with CTI Records, having been enticed back to the majorsRead More

photo by Todd Roeth by Mark Saleski I have proclaimed, on more than one occasion, that the world needs more sincerity. Just think of what it would do for politics: the black hole of sincerity. OK, it would destroy it! Never mind. Seriously, it has always bothered me when wordsRead More