Going from unknown two years ago to co-leading a duet record with Matthew Shipp is a meteoric rise in the avant jazz world, much less any world, but that’s just what alto saxophonist has accomplished in this short time frame. You May Also Like: Matthew Shipp – Zero (2018) MatthewRead More

Here’s an early indication that Steely Dan wasn’t going to dwell on romantic themes in their lyrics.

As I type this review, I’m listening to not necessarily All Wrapped Up, the new record by organist Jared Gold, but also Unity by Larry Young. I know, it doesn’t make sense, since it’s Gold’s record being reviewed here, not Young’s. But something struck me about All Wrapped Up whenRead More

A young guy who hails from a small town north of London armed with photo-friendly mop top looks, an acoustic guitar and a soulful voice, Lee MacDougall might be the next in a wave of male British singer-songwriter sensations You May Also Like: Lucas Lee – ‘Lowered Expectations’ (2018)

Rhys Chatham: The Man With The Horns. Many, many horns. It might be only the third Stacks so far this year, but it’s a much overdue one. There’s a whopping seven 2011 releases discussed here You May Also Like: Michel Petrucciani, with Gary Peacock + Roy Haynes – ‘One NightRead More

Some of the earlier Steely Dan tunes sound a little like they were meant for a different act. “Dirty Work” is like that.

Pardon me as I continue on the topic of Bill Frisell The Sideman on an interpretation of a Miles Davis fusion deep cut You May Also Like: Bill Frisell’s Timeless ‘Live’ Opened Up a New Musical World for Me Cuong Vu 4Tet with Bill Frisell – Ballet (2017) Bill FrisellRead More

One was a teenaged hippie hobo who once toiled at an organic farm in Maui, the other a finance grunt for a white-collar firm. But a shared desire to create and play music brought Kenny Liner and Cris Jacobs together from polar opposite worlds to form The Bridge. You MayRead More

Posi-Tone Records, the label that has done more than anyone else lately in putting out records by the brightest new talent in mainstream and modern jazz, introduced the pianist and composer Noah Haidu to the world last week. Slipstream went on sale March 22, a debut that doesn’t present mereRead More

Steely Dan explore the idea of people succumbing to their worst tendencies again and again, a theme that will get many return visits.