Articles by: Mark Saleski

Vinyl

Robert Randolph and the Family Band – Colorblind (2006)

by Mark Saleski Inertia. Sure, it’s a physics thing, but I like to apply it to music every once in a while. I’m not talking career inertia; the rising star thing. No. It’s the music. You hear it and it has an energy that’s impossible to resist. You May AlsoRead More

Vinyl

Half Notes: Ron Wood and the First Barbarians – Live from Kilburn (2007)

by Mark Saleski Ron Wood was still a member of The Faces when he put out I’ve Got My Own Album To Do. This live recording (and DVD) is from that tour, featuring Wood on guitar, Faces buddy Ian McLagan, and even an appearance by Rod Stewart. Future Rolling StonesRead More

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Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, "Growin' Up" (1973)

I wrote a Friday Morning Listen that was a mashup of Joe Jackson, Bruce, Clarence, and Fellini. I was nervous about a bunch of things that day, not the least of which was the health of Clarence. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and theRead More

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The Friday Morning Listen: Sweet – The Best of Sweet (1993)

If I have anything to say about technology in this space, it’s usually negative. People who know me are aware of the contradiction: I’ve made my living writing software and spend a lot of time on the Internet, and yet consider myself something of a Luddite. You May Also Like:Read More

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Marc Johnson – Shades of Jade (2005)

If you’re at all familiar with jazz bassist Marc Johnson you surely know about his classic 1987 album Second Sight (by his group Bass Desires). On that record, Johnson teamed up with Peter Erskine (drums) and the phenomenal guitar duo of Bill Frisell and John Scofield You May Also Like:Read More

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New York Dolls – One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This (2006)

by Mark Saleski Hard rock records (or, records that rock hard) that I have loved all have one thing in common: they cause an almost inexplicable joy inside of me. You May Also Like: Why Todd Rundgren’s ‘Back to the Bars’ Remains So Powerful New York United – ‘New YorkRead More

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Seabrook Power Plant – Seabrook Power Plant II (2011)

It used to be that when we used the term “punk jazz,” we were referring to Jaco Pastorius. Let’s face it, the man was a jazz bass revolutionary. You May Also Like: Three-Layer Cake [Brandon Seabrook, Mike Pride + Mike Watt] – ‘Stove Top’ (2021) Brandon Seabrook, Cooper-Moore + GeraldRead More

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Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, "Blinded By The Light" (1973)

The summer of 1977 was spent buzzing around in my friend Billy’s parent’s blue Chevy Nova. There were girls and waves of haze and a pile of 8-tracks in a puffy vinyl box on the passenger side floor. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent andRead More

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Wasilewski, Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz – Trio (2005)

by Mark Saleski Back in the mid-1980s, the arrival on the jazz scene of a trumpeter named Wynton Marsalis marked the start of the so-called “young lions” period. You May Also Like: Marcin Wasilewski Trio feat. Joe Lovano – ‘Arctic Riff’ (2020)

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The Friday Morning Listen: Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (2011)

Recently, I’ve seen a lot of posts to both Twitter and Facebook gently reminding people that they might be able to change their lives if they do something about them rather than merely kvetch. You May Also Like: Denise LaSalle, Soul-Blues Belter (1939-2018): An Appreciation