by Mark Saleski The music starts playing and every little bit of you pays attention. This is a musical connection. You May Also Like: Wadada Leo Smith – Najwa (2017) Wadada Leo Smith and Orange Wave Electric – ‘Fire Illuminations’ (2023) Deerhoof, feat. Wadada Leo Smith – ‘To Be SurroundedRead More

by Tom Johnson Bill Frisell has become one of the most easily recognizable guitarists in jazz, and it’s not without an effort to incorporate himself into as many styles as one person could in a lifetime. Few guitarists in any genre could pull off the feat of having played inRead More

by Mark Saleski Over the years I have spent many pen scrawls, pencil swipes, and keystrokes trying to describe what it is about ‘out’ music that moves me so much. Sometimes it’s pretty easy You May Also Like: Matthew Shipp – Zero (2018) Matthew Shipp – ‘The Intrinsic Nature ofRead More

A band suspended forever between the formalism of Dennis DeYoung’s Broadway pretensions and the harder-edged banalities of James Young and Tommy Shaw, Styx sounded different every time it came on the radio. Yet, critics insisted, somehow the same: Mediocre. You May Also Like: Inside the classic pre-Tommy Shaw moment thatRead More

by Tom Johnson First impressions . . . you know what they say about that. They’re always right. Unless they’re not. You May Also Like: Nick Cave, “Avalanche” from Black Sails on Starz (2015): One Track Mind Tony Malaby’s Sabino – ‘The Cave of Winds’ (2022)

Enough with the ‘Silk Degrees’ already. Let’s explore elsewhere in Boz Scaggs’ lengthy catalog.

by Mark Saleski There are two things that can be counted on when cracking open a new Carla Bley Big Band record: 1. many, many interesting and twisty passages of musical architecture and 2. volume. Oh yes, the horn section is enormous You May Also Like: Riverside [Dave Douglas, ChetRead More

In a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career dating back to the early 1950s, the Isley Brothers stayed on the move — transforming themselves from gospel shouters to doo-woppers to early rock ‘n’ rollers to nasty funksters to lover-man balladeers. You May Also Like: How the Isley Brothers MadeRead More

by Tom Johnson Tortoise alum Rob Mazurek had a big concept behind this project. As we all know, sometimes big concepts pay off, sometimes they simply lead to big letdowns. You May Also Like: Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra – ‘Lightning Dreamers’ (2023) Rob Mazurek Quintet’s hypnotic, diverse SoundRead More

by Tom Johnson Alien was once the only Alien film I had not seen in the theater. Yes, I actually paid (and dragged my wife along) to see the unfortunate Alien Resurrection. What a stupid concept: Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) having flung herself into flaming, molten metal at the end ofRead More