The most tragic histories can make the greatest songs, as the Indigo Girls’ “Rise of the Black Messiah” reminds us.

‘Unstatic’ remains very much in keeping with the style of French rock-jazz drumming extraordinaire Manu Katché, a style that continues to discreetly evolve and stay very much engaging.

With a classic tenor sax tone, top drawer backing band and great tunes and arrangements all present in ‘Gratitude’, it’s just hard to go wrong with this record.

Toto should have been on top of the world after the blockbuster ‘Toto IV.’ Instead, their follow up ‘Isolation’ found the band in a state of flux.

‘An Untroublesome Defencelessness’ features the collective wisdom of Merzbow, Keiji Haino and Balazs Pandi – three visionary musicians who have made careers out of embracing uncharted territory.

‘The Royal Gospel’ by Cyril Neville’s Royal Southern Brotherhood should be eliciting a lot of hosannas in response.

Preston Frazier previews Money Chica, the next great thing from Greg Gonzales, as well as what’s ahead for Grupo Fantasma and Brownout.

As we reach the half-way mark, Preston Frazier offers an endlessly varied Mid-Year Best of 2016 list that spans genres and generations.

It’s an open and shut case of instrumental wizardry and fun-filled indulgence…’From The Law Offices Of Levin Minnemann Rudess.’

As good as some of Chicago’s other ambitious musical endeavors may have been, it could be argued that none matched “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon.”