John Coltrane’s “Naima” is very likely his most covered song, and for good reason. The term “tone poem” gets tossed around a lot in the vicinity of any pretty, graceful melody, but this composition is the epitome of that term, and the beauty of it is evident in every coverRead More

One of the striking features of the current crop of jazz stars poised to dominate the scene is how so plugged in they are with their contemporaries on the rock, RnB and hip-hip side of music. You May Also Like: Christian Scott Confirmed His Vision for Jazz With ‘Live atRead More

As like-minded practitioners of traditional jazz, pianist Ehud Asherie and tenor saxman Harry Allen have gotten together to play duets in NYC’s famed jazz clubs such as Small’s. You May Also Like: Eric Revis – Sing Me Some Cry (2017)

Hadden Sayers, the hard luck Houston, Texas bluesman, made an inspired comeback after a series of personal setbacks made him all but retire from the music business by the late 2000s. You May Also Like: Rolling Stones – Blue and Lonesome (2016)

Sometimes, a good thing is worth repeating. In 2010, Weiss released Snuck In, a souvenir from a club date in NYC two years earlier (additional tracks from that gig were issued the following year as Snuck Out). You May Also Like: David Weiss and Point of Departure – Wake UpRead More

When I attended a Pat Metheny Unity Band concert last October, I often focused on what the drummer Antonio Sanchez was doing. Not so much when he soloed but his drumming from behind the front lines. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny, “You Are” from ‘From This Place’ (2019): OneRead More

The genius of Rob Mazurek doesn’t necessarily lie in all the musical ideas he has; it’s the modular approach he takes to those ideas. You May Also Like: Rob Mazurek’s Black Cube Marriage – Astral Cube (2017) Rob Mazurek – Chants And Corners (2017)

The real charm of 11 Tracks of Whack is not how much it sounds like classic Steely Dan, but how much it distances itself from it. You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “Cringemaker [Swamp Version]” (circa 1994) Walter Becker, “Medical Science [Demo]” (1994): Steely Dan Sunday Steely Dan, “Hey Nineteen”Read More

Amazon.com Widgets Charles Lloyd, the jazz legend hidden in plain sight, is as productive and vibrant coming up on his 75th birthday as he’s ever been. You May Also Like: Richard Lloyd Giddens Jr. – Mimosas (2017) David Garfield, “Sir Charles” from ‘Stretchin’ Outside the Box’ (2020): One Track MindRead More

Next week, the progressively minded jazz clarinetist Ben Goldberg will treat us to not one but two new albums, each by nearly entirely different supporting musicians. You May Also Like: Dan Blacksberg – Radiant Others (2017) Ben Goldberg School – Vol 1: The Humanities (2017)