Everytime I’ve examined a Jerry Granelli record, like Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing or News From The Street, I’ve marveled at how a guy who drummed for all those Charlie Brown children’s TV specials with Vince Guaraldi ended up being such a creative risktaker as a leader. YouRead More

As far as I can tell, Chicago bassist Harrison Bankhead doesn’t have a publicist or a website, and he hasn’t hauled a large band around Europe playing Curtis Mayfield songs. He does, however, have a record out at long last. You May Also Like: Harrison Bankhead and Paul de JongRead More

Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Alvin Lee, Robin Trower and the late Gary Moore … all part of British blues guitar legacy. But try to name someone who came of age after the 1960s and belongs in that company? Matt Schofield may be the one who should be the first mentioned.Read More

Boston-based guitarist Eric Hofbauer penned the liner notes to his new album out today, Level, beginning it with the testimony that “the music on Level … explores the human condition using sound to tell stories You May Also Like: Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Lionel Loueke, Eric Harland – Aziza (2016)

When pianist Aaron Goldberg set out to do this record, he wanted to mix things up with the compositions and arrangement You May Also Like: Ben Goldberg – ‘Everything Happens To Be.’ (2021) Michael Coleman + Ben Goldberg – Practitioner (2018) Ben Goldberg School – Vol 1: The Humanities (2017)

A singer referenced in this Steely Dan song was best known for ‘Stripsody,’ where she used her voice to mimic comic-book sounds.

If there’s one song I am drawn to by the message alone, it’s this one. The cheesy late-eighties production and the plain melody does not bother me one bit. You May Also Like: How Mike and the Mechanics’ ‘The Living Years’ Helped Bridge an Emotional Gap

Remember last month when I said I have more examples of weird-assed trios coming up? Here’s another one. Inspired by the long running Ray Anderson-led BassDrumBone trio, Brainkiller has Brian Allen manning the trombone and Hernan Hecht on drums, but substitutes the bass for keyboards and effects by Jacob Koller.Read More

Out of Atlanta comes a large band of a very different kind: a ten-piece group that is built on the idea of combining afrobeat and klezmer music. Though they are more of a local outfit, they’ve gotten the attention and praise of musical tastemakers all over America and even acrossRead More

Three of the most gifted improvisers in free jazz today released this week a studio follow-up from their well-received 2009 live debut. As fellow giants of the NYC downtown scene, William Parker, Craig Taborn and Gerald Cleaver know each well musically and personally (as noted before, Cleaver and Taborn goRead More