In the jazz world, I’ve found that the long-established artists, especially the ones who play in the well-established styles, get the bulk of the buzz.

A couple of guys about a half generation apart but both a full generation or two after the ones who created the sweetly swinging jazz they thrive on, Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen carry the torch for the original great tenor sax masters You May Also Like: Tyler Mitchell featuringRead More

Part 2, Mainstream and Modern Jazz >>> For the sixth straight year, it’s time to look back on the year in music to recollect which albums I really, really liked this year and make a list. You May Also Like: Were the White Stripes Actually a Bad Thing for JackRead More

<<< BACKWARD (“Tomorrow’s Girls”) ||| ONWARD (“On The Dunes”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** When the Doobie Brothers had released One Step Closer in 1980, I eagerly snapped up the album looking forward to another Minute By Minute, but the album was largely a disappointment to me. YouRead More

Damn … damn! That’s the kind of reaction I have when hearing an artist who left us with still a lot remaining to give. You May Also Like: Vincent Meissner Trio, “Young Folks” from ‘Wille’ (2023): One Track Mind Nils Landgren Funk Unit – ‘Funk Is My Religion’ (2021) MatthewRead More

Formally trained as both a classical and jazz guitarist, DiVito has a passion for music that extends broadly beyond that (one of his gigs is leading a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band), and is deeply into music education. You May Also Like: The David Cross Band – ‘Ice Blue,Read More

Just when you think you’ve heard it all — literally — some really crafty cats come along and create sounds that hadn’t quite been previously contemplated. A couple of such musicians from Philadelphia’s fertile experimental music scene banded together to create some of this alien but strangely alluring noise. YouRead More

Mort Weiss, the old-school bop clarinet player with youthful exuberance and energy, had just this month banged out his tenth album since 2001, I’ll Be Seeing You. You May Also Like: Dan Weiss Trio – ‘Dedication’ (2022) Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio – ‘Cold as Weiss’ (2022)

Fabrizio Sferra is a favored drummer of fellow Italian Enrico Rava, having appeared on Rava’s Full of Life (2003) and last year’s Tribe. In evaluating Tribe, Sferra stood out to me You May Also Like: Walt Weiskopf European Quartet – ‘Diamonds and Other Jewels’ (2022) Doogie White – ‘As YetRead More

Given his astonishingly varied and accomplished music career, the kickoff track from Jeff Babko’s fresh new release Crux can be just about anything, and it’d likely be good. You May Also Like: Jeff Babko: The Albums That Shaped My Career Jeff Lorber Fusion – ‘The Drop’ (2023)