This week, Boston’s Berklee College of Music hosted the Rethink Music Convention. The official conference subtitle was “Creativity, Commerce, and Policy in the 21st Century.” An NPR segment on the conference featured a terrific quote You May Also Like: Matthew Shipp, Mat Maneri – ‘Conference of the Mat/ts’ (2018) RodRead More

by Mark Saleski Why do people hit a musical wall at a certain point in their life? They stop listening to anything put out after their high school (or college) years. Worst of all: they just stop listening. Music is no longer a part of their life. You May AlsoRead More

Author Jonathan Franzen (The Corrections, Freedom) was feeling sort of burned out and overexposed after spending several months book touring, with his personal history a constant subject. His solution was to travel to a remote island You May Also Like: Why You Should Give Pat Metheny’s ‘Rejoicing’ Another Listen ‘ElegantRead More

Tomorrow is Record Store Day, that annual event reserved for the celebration of that seemingly dying breed of retail outlet. I’ve written plenty about the future of digital music (mostly my lack of interest in it), but Record Store Day transcends You May Also Like: ‘All Things Must Pass: TheRead More

Interplay. Whether I’m taking in straight ahead, bebop-style jazz or more out-there stuff, it’s all about listening You May Also Like: Darren Barrett – ‘The EVI Sessions: Mr. Steiner’ (2019)

It’s been a weird week, one saved by a few completely unrelated events. Saved from what? Let’s call it a dark mood You May Also Like: Chad Bradford, “Friday Morning Rain” (2015): One Track Mind

by Mark Saleski I had forgotten just how crazy Lester could be. I would often finish with one of his reviews in Creem (ah, those were the days) and wonder if the danged magazine was trying to pull a fast one on me. Nope. They were not. What I wasRead More