by Mark Saleski To call Gottlieb a jazz singer is to miss the point. The problem is that that description brings to mind names like Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald and Abbey Lincoln. Those tremendous artists have their own fine voices but Ayelett Rose Gottlieb is not here to provide aRead More

At the end of last weekend, I watched Fellini’s 8 1/2. Turns out that might not have been the best idea for a Sunday evening. You May Also Like: Joe Jackson’s Rain underscored a complete modern-era return to form Why Joe Jackson’s Retro ‘Body and Soul’ Said So Much AboutRead More

by Mark Saleski From swing (“Bopsolete”) to smokey blues (and what self-respecting organ ensemble would sidestep the blues? Check out “Deep Blue,” killer guitar solo by Peter Bernstein on this one), this group knows how to have a good time. The title track gets in that groove and burns. AndRead More

by Mark Saleski There was a time when the purchase of a new album resulted in yours truly spending an insane amount of time locked into his bedroom, pouring over liner notes while rattling the walls with that most recent vinyl object of my affection. It’s records like this oneRead More

If you were tasked with listing the influences of JazzGuitaristPatMetheny™, some good entries might be Four and More (Miles Davis), Ornette Coleman’s Something Else!!! (Sorry, couldn’t resist), and Smokin’ At The Half Note by the Wynton Kelly Trio with Wes Montgomery. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny – ‘Dream Box’Read More

by Mark Saleski I have to purchase my Peter Brötzmann only very occasionally because it takes a while to get over the blatant intensity. Recorded at the Molde International Jazz Festival, this is really what European improvised jazz is all about. Well, maybe not all, but certainly a side ofRead More

I know what I like, but you won’t find me setting any rules. This is as close to a “philosophy of music” as you’re going to get out of me. That idea has been the driving force behind most of the stuff I write about, especially when there’s “musical evangelism”Read More

Before I get to the part of the article where I piss off the Ken Burns jazz fans, let me rant a little about something completely (well, almost) unrelated. You May Also Like: Brian Groder Trio – R Train on the D Line (2016)

On June 14th, guitarist Pat Metheny will release What’s It All About, an all-acoustic album that’s about as far as you can get, technologically speaking, from last year’s Orchestrion. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny, May 16, 2019: Shows I’ll Never Forget Pat Metheny Discovered Bold New Machine-Aided Freedoms WithRead More

by Mark Saleski Saxophonist Dave Rempis’ co-conspirator on drums, Frank Rosaly, lays down some solid grooves and textures. Nothing here is quite as chaotic as say, Interstellar Space, but the music isn’t exactly subdued either. Rempis displays some impressive extended technique on tunes like “How to Cross When Bridges AreRead More