photo: Gordon Sapsed by S. Victor Aaron Just before kickoff for the Fiesta Bowl played the other day between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Connecticut Huskies, the sad story was told about the starting UConn cornerback who was senselessly stabbed to death during the prior football season. The night beforeRead More

Photograph by Caleb Chancey by Nick DeRiso Hannah Miller sings in a raw, emotionally available register that occasionally goes so high it’s almost outside of her control. That lends a heartrending urgency to songs like “All My Love,” released in August as part of a four-song EP called Journey toRead More

by Something Else Reviews We attempted to give ourselves some cover by assuring one another that Spyro Gyra started out more in the vein of Weather Report than, say, David Sanborn. We really did. But, after pulling out the actual albums, it didn’t take long to see how baldly ridiculousRead More

by Nick DeRiso Big Apple Blues came by this vintage sound honestly. They put down tracks for Brooklyn Blues in an old hometown studio, Excello Recording, playing live before analog equipment on throwback instruments. Then they picked out a series of cuts by giants of the genre. Included on thisRead More

Editor’s note: Here’s a repost of our review of 1978’s City to City by Gerry Rafferty, who died today in London from liver failure after a lengthy battle with alcoholism. Rafferty scored Top 10 hits first with Stealers Wheel (“Stuck in the Middle”) and then with his own “Baker Street”Read More

by S. Victor Aaron The beginning of the year is usually a quiet period for music releases. Coming on the heels of the frantic holiday shopping season and the various “best of (prior) year lists” that assist in yuletide purchasing decisions, you’d think there wouldn’t be anything worthwhile coming outRead More

The late Don Grolnick made only one fusion record, but it was a real beaut. by S. Victor Aaron Ahhh, the 80s. Big hair, big synthesizer sounds and programmed beats. That didn’t just happen with pop and rock, some of these trends seeped into contemporary jazz, too. This was theRead More

by S. Victor Aaron David Cook is a recent addition to the burgeoning young talent that’s filling up the roster at Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records, and like his new labelmates, this pianist comes to BJU Records with an abundance of experience. Already, he’s worked with Lizz Wright, Donny McCaslin, DennisRead More

by Mark Saleski Just sitting around yesterday, worn out from the events of Saturday (plus some sort of oncoming bug that appears to be draining all of my energy)…so I decide to watch Woody Allen’s Manhattan. I’ve never been able to put my finger on the reason before…why is itRead More

by Something Else Reviews Writing can feel akin to tossing a flat rock across the surface of a shimmering river. You never know how far it will go, or just how wide those concentric circles left behind might eventually spread. Sometimes, the thing just sinks. Like, well, a rock. ButRead More