The Steve Miller Band was huge when I was a kid. Everybody owned Book of Dreams and Fly Like An Eagle. That’s all I ever owned. So, it’s been kinda fun to dig into a famous artist’s back catalog. Check out the liner dedication: “This album is dedicated to theRead More

Whenever David Weiss is involved in a project, it’s worth sitting up and taking notice. Same goes for Billy Hart. Or Eddie Henderson, Or Cecil McBee, Billy Harper or George Cables, for that matter. But a project that involves all of these players demands your full attention. A lineup ofRead More

Brooklyn-born to Haitian parents, drummer Andrew Cyrille had gone on to record with Mary Lou Williams, Coleman Hawkins and Roland Kirk before beginning a decade-plus stint in Cecil Taylor’s band during some of Taylor’s most creative periods. You May Also Like: Andrew Cyrille, with Wadada Leo Smith and Bill FrisellRead More

Here’s unearthed new proof of Ray Charles’ still-underrated creativity, unerring rhythmic ear and undeniable moxie as a jazz musician.

While working as a session player in the 1960s with legendary songwriters such as Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, an up-and-coming Charlie Daniels witnessed first-hand greatness at both the pen and the microphone. You May Also Like: Charlie Parker – Unheard Bird (2016)

The sweeping, cinematic quality of Alex Lopez’s new We Can Take This Boat makes perfect sense, really. After all, the saxophonist/composer’s debut, due on Nov. 22, follows earlier work on a series of independent films in New York City. An all-original effort, Lopez makes good on a series of namedRead More

How do things like this go unreleased? Ex-Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk wrote some beautiful music for the soundtrack to the film United States Of Leland You May Also Like: Joe Sofra, “One of Those Things” (2020): One Track Mind Sluka, “Happy In Your World” (2021): One TrackRead More

I hadn’t intended on writing about the breakup of R.E.M. again but then I heard an interview with Michael Stipe and Mike Mills and got to thinking about the future of rock music. Specifically, will there ever be a new era of “The Big Rock Band”? You May Also Like:Read More

Mazzy Star’s music always had this sense of sweet reverie. Still does.

Machine Mass Trio has constructed a mesmerizing, moving carpet of boisterous sax, knifing guitars and boiling rhythms on the electronics-laden As Real As Thinking. There is always, always something happening here, as MMT skitters with determined focus between the melodic, the moody and (to great effect) the outside. Much ofRead More