Road weary and dying for a day off, Chicago still manages to address both their jazz roots and rock and roll side in a single composition.

In some ways, the new Dream Syndicate album is understood less as a singular release and better in the context of Steve Wynn’s overall career.

It’s obvious Damfino had a ton of fun in the studio, and their enthusiasm spills right out of the speakers.

“Big Generator,” the title track from Yes’ 12th studio album, seems desperate in its need to sound modern.

For ‘Masonic Lawn,’ Hammond uses Resonator guitars to hold an extemporaneous musical dialogue with Bafus.

The Beatles’ “Only a Northern Song” may be “a little dark and out of key,” as George Harrison proclaims, but only in the most intriguing sense.

After the septet outing ‘Loafer’s Hollow’, Moppa Elliot makes “less is more” the mantra for the trio feature ‘Paint’. Which only goes to show that size really doesn’t matter with Mostly Other People Do The Killing; only gumption does.

Chicago’s “Anyway You Want” sounds like Peter Cetera dashed it off in five minutes. And this is the lead-off song for ‘Chicago VIII’?

Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition’s the original mission of melding modern group-level stream-of-consciousness with contemporary raga remains intact, ‘Agrima’ builds on those original ideas, too.

Chris Comb’s ‘Combsy’ is strongly recommended for those who like the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, but this fuller impression of Combs’ offbeat musical personality is a treat all unto itself.