By Mark Saleski Clearly I have been spending an awful lot of time with Darkness on the Edge of Town this week. Too much time maybe? What does that mean? It’s an interesting question and, as it turns out, it doesn’t have meaning…at least not for me. Last weekend, meRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Although she’s made bop-oriented records for over twenty years, Holly Hoffmann is not as well known as she probably should be. A flautist of the first order, she’s the logical heir to Frank Wess’ legacy. Bill Cunliffe is accomplished in the jazz world himself, having wonRead More

by Mark Saleski The Darkness on the Edge of Town tour has taken on a sort of mythic quality, mostly because there has been scant video evidence. This “bootleg” tape unearthed by Camp Springsteen confirms what fans lucky enough to have seen one of the shows have known all along:Read More

In a time of buttoned-down, procedural rock records, Alex Hirsch is still admirably working toward one of those old-school Grand Statements that defies category. Hirsch, whose dad is television and Broadway star Judd Hirsch of “Taxi” fame, brilliantly races through musical subgenres – and personas – on Naturally. That makesRead More

by Mark Saleski It is perhaps too easy to dismiss the work of celebrities. In the case of Bruce Springsteen, there has been much vitriol expressed over his “supposed” blue collar leanings, as if success can (no…must) wipe out your roots. If you look back at this documentary on theRead More

by Mark Saleski To call this group of songs “The Lost Sessions” is to put a slightly misleading spin on things. We all know the story, the one of the huge volume of music that Bruce wrote post-Born To Run with some songs ending up on Darkness On The EdgeRead More

This world of digital sound can be quite tricky. The original line about CDs was that they would provide “perfect sound forever.” Yeah, sure. In their haste to get product to market, the early mastering jobs produced less than stellar results. In the intervening years, we’ve learned a lot aboutRead More

A coworker kept insisted that I have to see Old School, that it was just the funniest movie in ages. The day it came out he rushed out to buy it, watched it immediately, and has been quoting lines from the movie ever since. I should know by now, havingRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Here’s the setup: a successful real estate tycoon suddenly decides to revisit his original passion, music, and pulls in three of Canada’s most prestigious jazz musicians and a top-notch producer to make his first record, one full of done-to-death standards. And you’re thinking, this is probablyRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Bands led by horn players tend to work well if there’s a lot of rapport between the horn players. That’s not an issue for The Britton Brothers Band, whose trumpet player (John) and saxophonist (Ben) have the same parents. For this debut, these young cats builtRead More