There’s a problem with any list that attempts to rank players as if one is ‘better’ than another.

This plays like Vince Guaraldi for a new generation, as Harry Connick Jr. performs an all-original, Christmas-themed set that recalls the spirit of the season without falling into the cliches that often follow better known Yuletide classics. You May Also Like: The Jerry Granelli Trio – ‘Plays Vince Guaraldi &Read More

The first track from Steely Dan’s ‘The Royal Scam’ features jazz changes over a chugging funk-disco groove. It’s famous for something else, however.

For the uninitiated here, “whack jazz” is a term of endearment. It’s jazz that is endearing to me because it’s brave, daring and breaks all the rules about what jazz is supposed to be You May Also Like: David S. Ware & Matthew Shipp Duo – Live In Sant’Anna Arresi,Read More

Frank Sinatra would have been 97 last Monday. His mystery still lingers with me, as does the memory of a concert — one of Sinatra’s last — when he recaptured all of that complexity. You May Also Like: Frank Sinatra’s ‘Lite-Up Time’ Shows Were the Last of Their Kind

The Beach Boys announced on their web site this morning that they will reunite for what’s being billed as “a global 50th anniversary celebration” in 2012. You May Also Like: No related posts.

Anyone expecting the cosmic prog-rock journeys of Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman’s work as members of Yes must have been a little disappointed.

Here are my Top 10 rock and pop albums from 2011, from Fountains of Wayne and the Jigsaw Seen to Dan Markell and the Sean Hutton Supershow … listed in alphabetical order: FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE – SKY FULL OF HOLES: Witty and observant lyrics have always symbolized the maddeningly infectiousRead More

Even though I have been burned many times in the past, I still tend to take chances on projects on John Zorn’s Tzadik label. I tend to steer away from his pure-noise exploration, as I simply don’t have the appreciation for it that I wish I did, but I have,Read More

Here’s the way it usually works. The end of the year draws closer, and all of the music publications and websites release their “best of” lists. This is almost always followed by various rants about how the lists are “too safe,” “predictable,” or “pretentious.” You May Also Like: Of AllRead More