The Beatles’ “Ballad of John and Yoko” is a wet noodle of a song, standing beside its much bigger and stronger siblings.

There is a serious big band push to Strength in Numbers, the new disc from the Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra. The Grammy-nominated composer, arranger, trombonist, and vocalist fronts an impressive group of New York players and sinks every ounce of his creative impulse into the material You May Also Like:Read More

Roscoe Mitchell is a revered name in improvised music circles, an out-jazz giant who is often spoken as if his great works come from so long-ago period You May Also Like: Roscoe Mitchell + Kikanju Baku – ‘Evolutionary Events’ (2023) Roscoe Mitchell – Discussions (2017)

Snail Songs by Syrinx Effect Creating soothing, soulful sounds can come from an endless combination of sources, and Seattle’s New Music duo Syrinx Effect does it with just a trombone and a soprano saxophone. You May Also Like: Syrinx Effect – A Sky You Could Strike A Match On (2018)Read More

I first encountered the savvy of Peter Brendler’s bass when sizing up Jon Irabagon’s wild, seventy-eight minute improvisation ride, Foxy (2010). You May Also Like: Tom Tallitsch – Wheelhouse (2018) Kevin Eubanks – East West Time Line (2017)

<<< BACKWARD (“Three Picture Deal”) ||| ONWARD (“I’m Not The Same Without You”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** Walter Becker’s Circus Money was released in 2008. Though there hasn’t been a Steely Dan album since 2003’s Everything Must Go, the eleven years since have proven to be theRead More

Raised on the fertile musical soil of Mississippi and Tennessee, Jesse Winchester’s career began when Robbie Robertson took him under his wing.

Dave Mason has returned, after too long away, to his birthright in Traffic — but, interestingly, not from the typical nostaglic perspective. Instead, he’s reworked “Dear Mr. Fantasy” as a searing blues rumination, steering the psychedelic Traffic classic in a completely different direction. You May Also Like: Dave Mason, AprilRead More

Despite his sweeping influence — not to mention rollicking classics like the song that inspired this book title – Huey “Piano” Smith remains this endlessly enigmatic figure. An excerpt from John Wirt’s new comprehensive, first-ever biography, courtesy of LSU Press, takes us inside the moment when “Rocking Pneumonia and theRead More

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. It might not be the first question that you’d ask a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Then again, ask just about any other similarly recognized legend, and you might not get such a no-BS answer, either. You May Also Like: No relatedRead More