by Beverly Paterson Operating out of Dallas, Texas, the Exotics and the Esquires were hot stuff on a regional level, with the year 1966 being especially kind to them. You May Also Like: No related posts.

by Tom Johnson Yep, you read that right: Dream Theater surprised their Barcelona, Spain audience in early 2002 with a song-by-song reading of the 1980s metal classic by Metallica, Master Of Puppets. You May Also Like: Metallica’s Remix of “Some Kind of Monster” Finally Fixed What’s Wrong With ‘St. Anger’Read More

Last year’s Opening made me a believer in the trumpet wizardry of one Carol Morgan, who blazed through a set of originals and standards in a small combo without a piano. Her brand new follow-up Blue Glass Music follows the same formula, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on theRead More

As the Beach Boys prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary with the Nov. 1 release of Smile Sessions, an updated version of the 1968 track “Do It Again” and a proposed world tour, we take a look back at some fun, fun, fun old favorites You May Also Like: WhyRead More

Todd Rundgren’s oddball “Love My Way” is perhaps the most perfectly, head-scratchingly reformulated song on ‘(Re)Production.’

by Tom Johnson A sadly overlooked band, the Trees got lumped in with the grunge movement in the early 1990s. What’s unfortunate is that, like fellow Seattlites Mudhoney, these guys were way better than what got popular. It’s a typical complaint, I know, but I dare you to listen toRead More

Pianist David Paul Mesler and saxophonist Tony Rondolone offer 13 takes on a theme during the appropriately titled Moonsongs, an album perfectly suited for twilight You May Also Like: Harrison Bankhead and Paul de Jong – ‘Freedom’ (2020)

The toughest part about writing this review has been trying to decide if I should file it under the jazz category or the fusion jazz category. And whenever that conundrum happens, it’s usually a good sign for the record. You May Also Like: Makaya McCraven – ‘Universal Beings’ (2018)

Johnny Winter joined us for a discussion on his terrific 2011 album, his biggest successes and biggest regrets – and why he always got in a fight in Dallas.

A mainstream jazz pianist leading a trio through a set of tunes out of the Great American Songbook doesn’t signal that the record is going to set the jazz world on fire with a cutting edge material and indeed, Out Of This World by the Ted Rosenthal Trio doesn’t deliverRead More