Patrick Cress’ brainchild Mercury Falls is back again three years after they debuted with a project I previously opined that in their alchemy of jazz and alt-rock, “these guys figured it out right from the start.” You May Also Like: Ivo Perelman, Mark Helias + Tom Rainey – ‘Truth Seeker’Read More

<<< BACKWARD (“Bodhisattva [Live]”) ||| ONWARD (“Josie [Live]”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** Going back to Skunk Baxter-era material with “Bodhisattva” was cool to hear from the 90s Steely Dan band, but the first real surprise on Alive In America came on the following track. You May AlsoRead More

The turn of the millennium was a time of artistic resurgence for UK guitar lord Allan Holdsworth; with its stripped down arrangements and group improvisational freedom, Holdsworth got more from less out of Sixteen Men of Tain (2000). You May Also Like: Allan Holdsworth – Tales From The Vault (2016)Read More

Last month we got a taste of UK acid jazzers The Brand New Heavies’ first release since 2006’s Get Used To It, and the advance single “Sunlight” signaled a pretty decent return. You May Also Like: Brand New Heavies’ self-titled debut defined a now-lost acid-jazz cool Biscay – Burnt MementosRead More

I’m not saying that trumpet player Leif Arntzen has been around a while, but he has a son, drummer Miles, who’s making a name for himself in the afrobeat arena. Nowadays, though, ol’ Dad’s been making his own mark in jazz. You May Also Like: Ryan Blotnick – Kush (2016)Read More

The best peace, love and harmony anthem of 1985 didn’t come from the composing pen of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, wasn’t produced by Quincy Jones and not sung by hordes of rock music’s biggest stars. You May Also Like: How the Isley Brothers Made Seals and Crofts’ ‘Summer Breeze’Read More

Vimeo. Matt Parker’s debut album Worlds Put Together is appealing, but in an odd way. Perhaps that’s because on this record, the tenor and soprano sax practitioner is a paradox. You May Also Like: Matt Parker Trio – Present Time (2016) Evan Parker + Matthew Shipp – ‘Leonine Aspects’ (2021)Read More

Steve Jenkins may be a bassist, but he’s seemed to have learned a lot from guitarists with which he’s worked, like, say, Vernon Reid and David Fiuczynski, in how to craft music around his chosen instrument and his style of playing it. You May Also Like: ‘Daisy Jones and theRead More

1989 Monk Competition winner Bill Cunliffe is a diversely skilled pianist who puts his range to use in a variety of settings, from Latin jazz, to fusion to fruitful collaborations of straight ahead jazz. You May Also Like: Pearcy / Gratzmiller Jazz Quintet – ‘Over the Edge’ (2018) The WoodRead More

A long time ago, I was with my cousin at some guy’s apartment and this guy pulls out an old Sarah Vaughan record, puts it on the turntable and the song he played just blew me away. You May Also Like: Jimmie Vaughan reached back for ’50s-style cool on PlaysRead More