by Tom Johnson Even before Guided By Voices split on New Year’s Eve 2004, some fans were pining for the old days — back when Robert Pollard and company crudely recorded in a basement on cassettes into a boombox, throwing caution to the wind and making lo-fi masterpieces that confoundedRead More

You’d think that a guy who possess impeccable tone and technique on the alto sax, has starred in the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra and the Mingus Big Band, has led solid straight ahead records of his own for almost 25 years would be a household name in jazz circles. YouRead More

by Tom Johnson Our oldest daughter is preparing for her first days of first grade. Supplies have been bought, some in ridiculous quantities (seriously, 36 pencils for the first day alone?!) You May Also Like: No related posts.

by Mark Saleski Vertical Vision would remind me of Weather Report even if it didn’t contain a smokin’ reading of “Boogie Woogie Waltz.” Honest!! You May Also Like: Gerry Gibbs & Thrasher People – Weather Or Not (2017) ‘Elegant People: A History of the Band Weather Report,’ by Curt Bianchi:Read More

by Fred Phillips This is the song that should have been Warrant’s defining moment. You May Also Like: Left Lane Cruiser’s Bring Yo’ Ass to the Table amped up North Mississippi blues Richard Turgeon, “Learning to Fly” (2020): One Track Mind

Pianist Vincent Lyn puts a groove into Oliver Nelson’s classic lead-off number from his Blues And The Abstract Truth masterwork. You May Also Like: Vincent Meissner Trio, “Young Folks” from ‘Wille’ (2023): One Track Mind Joe Sofra, “One of Those Things” (2020): One Track Mind

Dwight Yoakam, even if you typically don’t like this kind of music, is country-mile cool

As much as famous folks like Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. have burnished the city of New Orleans’ role in jazz, they didn’t do it by playing in the style that made the city famous. Enter Michael White You May Also Like: New Orleans at 300: In Search ofRead More

A band reunites, and fans complain that the results don’t really sound like their older material. This time, Living Colour almost sounded too much like it.

Ben Monder is one of the more talked about guitarists in New York due to his impalpable, impressionistic approach that’s uncommon outside of Bill Frisell and has made him a favorite for progressive-minded leaders from Marc Johnson and Maria Schneider to Donny McCaslin and Guillermo Klein. He’s also been aRead More