NICK DERISO: Cuban sensation Gonzalo Rubalcaba entered the U.S. not yet a legend, but discovered by one, Dizzy Gillespie. Rubalcaba (very Corea, but with some Hancock mixed in) made a splashy debut on both the Blue Note and Messidor labels in the early 1990s — reinvigorating the Afro-Cuban jazz movement.Read More

The ongoing summer reunion tour by the Police — which included last night’s appearance as part of the Live Earth concerts — got me to thinking about Sting’s solo stuff, an often too-precious group of records that has nevertheless had its undeniable moments of transcendent beauty. You want to likeRead More

NICK DERISO: One of the first R&B hits for Shreveport-based Jewel-Paula Records founder Stan Lewis was by that juke-jointy legend Frank Frost. A take-off the Slim Harpo song “Baby Scratch My Back,” it was finally collected on CD as part of the rollicking “Jelly Roll Blues” in 1991 — andRead More

by Pico With the release last month of Truth And Beauty by jazz organ wunderkind Sam Yahel, we find a maturing talent finding his own voice in the crowded field of Hammond B-3 players. But how does Yahel sound when he’s just jammin’ with the boys? The same boys foundRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Maybe Nick’s covered a couple of “various artists” albums on this blog, I don’t remember. But until now, I’ve stayed away from them. It’s hard to assess these kind of albums as a whole, when there’s so many styles and approaches coexisting on the same record.Read More

by S. Victor Aaron Whether it’s for gigging with Joshua Redman, opening for Steely Dan, sessioning with Norah Jones or forging a new approach to the jazz organ, Sam Yahel deserves your notice. Find out what sets Yahel apart from other Hammond B-3 players and get his insights on whyRead More

by Pico Wow, I nearly missed this one. For years now, I’ve been a fan of the man from Memphis for his undiluted brand of deeply rooted electric blues and for his harmonica that currently has no peer with the recent passing of Carey Bell. After Musselwhite’s highly acclaimed SanctuaryRead More

NICK DERISO: Skid past the first few tracks — an overcooked original, then a couple of snoozers that are just too obvious in their modern cliche — and Dave Kikoski began to live up to his producer’s persistent tips of the hat. That would be Steely Dan guitarist Walter Becker,Read More

Jaco Pastorius dubbed this all-star pairing the “Trio of Doom.” It became more fittingly the “Doomed Trio.”

The long-lost 8-track of Little River Band’s ‘Diamantina Cocktail’ has been playing in my mind, repeating the third song over and over again.