No, there’s no guitar on the Mar-Keys’ Top 5 pop and R&B hit “Last Night.” But yes, Steve Cropper was part of that seminal 1961 Stax side — playing a completely different instrument the old-fashioned way. You May Also Like: Birth of Booker T. and the MGs has an intriguingRead More

Somehow, Ray LaMontagne lost his mojo. A year went past after the release of his Grammy-winning God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise project. Then two. Then four. Other than the stand-alone track “Empty,” LaMontagne simply walked off the musical map. You May Also Like: No related posts.

Eric Reed, who rose to fame in the early 1990s with Wynton Marsalis, has discovered a well spring of inspiration in the music of Thelonious Monk, as “Gallop’s Gallop” heralds his third tribute album to the offbeat jazz genius. You May Also Like: Gregory Lewis, with Marc Ribot – OrganRead More

Richard Barone, the ex-Bongos leader, imbues this Velvet Underground gem with a newfound sense of sad reverie. Whereas the nihilistic Nico, on the original 1967 version, stood apart from the conviviality, a distant observer, Barone finds the nostalgia, the very real need for attachment in the Lou Reed lyric. YouRead More

Glass Hammer returns never sounding so much like itself, even as the band boldly expands its vocabulary — musically and quite literally. “Crowbone,” for instance, includes an invigorating guest turn by violinist David Ragsdale of Kansas fame You May Also Like: Philip Glass Transcended David Bowie’s Towering Influence on ‘LowRead More

Given an expectation that the young Sam Coulson, who’s taken over for long-time guitarist Steve Howe, was going to provide a bit more of a metallic crunch to the proceedings, Asia’s opening statement on the forthcoming Gravitas couldn’t be more surprising. You May Also Like: John Wetton, Geoff Downes sayRead More

George Mizer, Peter Banks’ long-time manager and friend, is sharing a touching tribute video honoring the founding Yes guitarist on the one-year anniversary of his early passing. Stream it here! You May Also Like: Flash [Featuring Yes Co-Founder Peter Banks] – ‘In the USA Live 1972-73’ (2022) David Cross andRead More

Brian Blade commences with a quiet pulse on “He Died Fighting,” setting the stage for an appropriately militaristic opening statement. But as the rest of his long-standing Fellowship Band gathers around, the track opens up into a vista of astonishing emotional complexity. You May Also Like: Brian Blade & TheRead More

A previously unreleased trio recording from Pat Martino provides new insight both into his obvious debt to Wes Montgomery and Grant Green — but also how his burning, blinding speed outstripped anything those old masters ever attempted, even as the guitarist opened a door for fusion’s looming ferocity. You MayRead More

Don Airey, who had a vibrant career of his own prior to Deep Purple, has provided a ringing farewell for his old bandmate Gary Moore — with a final assist from the too-soon-gone guitarist himself. You May Also Like: Ian Gillan picks the classic track Deep Purple should play: ‘ItRead More