by Tom Johnson Every genre seems to get reinvented every so often. Jazz had its renewal a few years back, and now the blues seems to be burbling under again, beginning into the early 2000s with the success of the White Stripes. But the White Stripes got nuthin’ on thisRead More

Even in Steely Dan’s misfires, there was a high level of sophistication and craftsmanship. But I still don’t care much for this song.

A great groovy mess, Baby Brother combines roots rock and punk in the most intriguing of ways. The result, Strange Things, lives up to its title, and that’s not a bad thing. You May Also Like: Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, “Big Brother, Little Brother” (2016): One Track Mind

By Mark Saleski Like mystery novels, poetry, or any other form of art, music has a lot of uses. We’re sad and pull out those old Son House records. Happy? How about some Speaking In Tongues-era Talking Heads? Is romance in the air? You May Also Like: No related posts.

Recently, there’s been some talk about the latest date purportedly marking the End Of Times, and if I remember correctly, that day is today. So if the biblical calculations are correct this time, this will be my sign-off post. Hey, it’s been real. You May Also Like: decker., “Matchstick Man”Read More

Stephane Grappelli’s ‘Plays Jerome Kern’ wasn’t a rethinking of the legendary American Broadway composer’s work, so much as a deeply romantic, light jazz/classical aside.

We love these songs. The words become a part of us. Does that mean we “know” the artist? When Bruce Springsteen appeared on VH1’s Storytellers, a fan asked him that very same question. Bruce’s response was a resounding (and laughter-infused) “Nope!” It makes sense really You May Also Like: GregRead More

I took a quick survey of pianist Bruce Barth’s discography, and the album titles go like this: Home: Live in Columbia Missouri, Live at Café Del Teatre, Live at The Village Vanguard, Hope Springs Eternal, Live. So when New York’s legendary Small’s jazz club asked Barth to make a liveRead More

Washington D.C. percussion specialist Nasar Abadey has earned his stripes over decades performing with some of jazz’s towering figures like Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Pharoah Sanders and Sonny Fortune. You May Also Like: Chicken Diamond – The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (2016) Chicken Diamond – Skeleton Coast (2018) DiamondRead More

by Tom Johnson A definitive entry in the Talking Heads’ catalog this was somehow out of print at one point for, what, nearly two full decades? I was lucky enough to stumble upon a bootleg copy of the vinyl a while back but the sound quality was pretty rough; thereRead More