Articles by: S. Victor Aaron

Vinyl

One Track Mind: Marco Benevento "Friends" (2009)

Last year, keyboard whiz Marco Benevento caused a stir with his very first studio effort Invisible Baby. That record presented Benevento as a post-rocker who likes to mingle melodic acoustic piano with edgy electronic effects used to create a unique sonic presence; a sort of indie-minded Jim Brickman. Just oneRead More

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Chick Corea & Hiromi – Duet (2009)

You May Also Like: Chick Corea (1941-2021): An Appreciation Chick Corea – ‘The Montreux Years’ (2022) The Chick Corea + Steve Gadd Band – Chinese Butterfly (2018)

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Mike Clark – Blueprints Of Jazz, Vol. 1 (2009)

by Pico Mike Clark assured his place in jazz history for the severely funky rhythms he laid down all over Herbie Hancock’s 1974 fusion classic Thrust. His knotty beats managed to make me forget about his Headhunters predecessor Harvey Mason and they probably should have been patented. If you hadn’tRead More

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A Special Benefit Concert In Memory of Sean Costello

by Pico In the last year I’ve written here to first sing the praises of Sean Costello’s new We Can Get Together album, then bereave his sudden death a mere month later, and finally, recognize his album again at year-end evaluation time. And now, I’m back to discuss Sean onceRead More

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Enrico Rava – New York Days (2009)

by S. Victor Aaron Last year brought the welcome return of Enrico Rava’s 1975 masterwork The Pilgrim And The Stars to American shores for the first time in CD form. Only a few months later, we’re getting treated to a new set of recordings by Italy’s foremost jazz musician. NewRead More

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Chuck Bernstein – Delta Berimbau Blues (2009)

by Pico A berim-what??? Yeah, that’s right, a berimbau. Indigenous to the northeast region of Brazil, this bad boy is a single wire-stringed percussion musical instrument that’s sort of like a bow with a hollowed-out gourd on the bottom of it and played with a wooden stick, with the toneRead More

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Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette – Yesterdays (2009)

by Pico On January 27, ECM Records presents yet another recording of Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack deJohnette in concert. This will make it the fourth one…from 2001 dates alone. Prior to this performance in Tokyo, The Out-of-Towners, Always Let Me Go and one we’ve covered here previously, MyRead More

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XTC, ‘Playground’ from ‘Wasp Star [Apple Venus, Pt.2]’ (2000): One Track Mind

XTC was a band that gave pop music a good name. Since their bare, new wave/punk beginnings, melody always mattered.

The Sweet, "Love Is Like Oxygen" (1978): One Track Mind

The Sweet, “Love Is Like Oxygen” (1978): One Track Mind

The Sweet brings back memories of a time when a pop song could be ambitious, melodic – and still be popular.

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One Track Mind: Jeff Beck/Tal Wilkenfeld, "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" (2008)

by S. Victor Aaron Jeff Beck has long been at or near the top of a lot of people’s greatest guitarists lists and it’s not hard to see why. He’s a master technician, and possesses a highly unique, blues-based style that no one has even really come close to duplicating.Read More