As an example of extraordinary beauty emanating from simplicity, it’s hard to top “Sueño con México.” In my mind, it nestles quietly alongside pieces such as Miles’ “So What” and Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” You May Also Like: Why Pat Metheny’s ‘New Chautauqua’ Still Provides an Important Refuge Pat Metheny,Read More

I used to have this ridiculous habit of obsessing about what music should be playing when a person comes to the house for a visit. Hours might be spent standing in front of the giant rack of CDs (and before that, LPs) in the search for the “perfect” recording. YouRead More

You might be asking yourself, “Self, what does a cow’s uterus have to do with music? And what does this have to do with Andy Warhol?” You May Also Like: ‘Danny Says: A Documentary on the Life and Times of Danny Fields’ (2016): Movies

John Lurie is a musician, a composer, an accomplished painter, and an actor. For good measure, toss in raconteur and all-around Internet wise guy. You May Also Like: Of All the Tom Waits Albums, ‘Real Gone’ May Be the Tom Waits-iest Tom Waits Challenged Our Preconceived Notions (Again) With ‘GlitterRead More

For non-musicians, the creative process can be something of a mystery. The composer has all of that training about melody, harmony, scales, time signatures, and chord progressions — and out of that the musical ideas are born…somehow. The truth is that while the process can indeed be opaque (sometimes evenRead More

The musical palette employed during “Worlds Apart” — the tablas and the vocals delivered by Asif Ali Khan and Haji Nazir Afridi — was almost shocking. This is a Bruce Springsteen song?! You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’

For many years, I longed for those early Pat Metheny concerts, when “Phase Dance” was always played. OK, I still do, but there have been a few instances where the song has popped up You May Also Like: Pat Metheny, May 16, 2019: Shows I’ll Never Forget Why You ShouldRead More

In the approximately 40 years since I bought my first long-playing vinyl record-type album thing, a whole lot has changed about the way the average person consumes music. This is pretty obvious stuff. You May Also Like: ‘All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records’ (2016): MoviesRead More

When somebody says that a piece of music is “out there,” you’ve got to consider the source. If said person only listens to mainstream music (pop music from the radio, for example) then it wouldn’t take a lot to push them out of their comfort zone. You May Also Like:Read More

“Empty Sky” again takes up the themes of loss, anger, and retribution from both the personal and broader perspectives. You May Also Like: Night Songs by Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, others: Odd Couples Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’ Wilco’s ‘Sky BlueRead More