Archive for April, 2016

Vinyl

Ethan Keller wants to release FIVE albums this year…but needs your help!

Milwaukee hero Ethan Keller will issue five albums this year with just a little help from you.

Mott the Hoople – The Hoople (1974): Shadows in Stereo

Mott the Hoople – The Hoople (1974): Shadows in Stereo

The hard-to-accept fact is simply that although Mott the Hoople had a number of good albums, they never really had any great ones.

Vinyl

Tomas Fujiwara, Ben Goldberg + Mary Halvorson – The Out Louds (2016)

Featuring Tomas Fujiwara, Ben Goldberg and Mary Halvorson, the Out Louds aren’t always necessarily loud – but they are sure enough ‘out.’

Vinyl

Flotsam and Jetsam, “Iron Maiden” from Flotsam and Jetsam (2016): One Track Mind

As with the last two albums, Flotsam and Jetsam gives us something a little different here – providing a tasty tribute to metal legends Iron Maiden.

Vinyl

Jake Hertzog – Well Lit Shadow (2016)

Jake Hertzog’s ‘Well Lit Shadow’ is perfectly cast, as it delivers the unexpected and leaves the listener aching to hear more.

Chicago, “Beginnings” from Chicago Transit Authority (1969): Saturdays in the Park

Chicago, “Beginnings” from Chicago Transit Authority (1969): Saturdays in the Park

One of Chicago’s crowning achievements, “Beginnings” boasts a near-perfect arrangement only marred by a good but too-long coda.

Vinyl

David Krakauer and Ancestral Groove – Checkpoint (2016)

Starting perhaps around the time Ben Goldberg assembled his New Klezmer Trio and The Klezmatics was formed, the clarinet went from being a meek instrument associated with the traditional and archaic — like trad jazz and Polish weddings — to becoming You May Also Like: Ben Goldberg School – VolRead More

Vinyl

Walt Weiskopf – The Way You Say It (2016)

No matter how much saxophonist Walt Weiskopf mixes things up for the vibes and organ-powered jazz ‘The Way You Say It,’ the craftsmanship shines through.

Yes, “Close to the Edge” from Close to the Edge (1972): YESterdays

Yes, “Close to the Edge” from Close to the Edge (1972): YESterdays

A high water mark for Yes, the title track from 1972’s ‘Close to the Edge’ was the result of a slightly different approach.

Yes, “Heart of the Sunrise” from Fragile (1971): YESterdays

Yes, “Heart of the Sunrise” from Fragile (1971): YESterdays

Is “Heart of the Sunrise” about the power of the sun – or being lost in a city? Whatever the concept, this represents Yes at the peak of their powers.