by Tom Johnson Drummer Joey Baron’s Barondown, featuring Steve Swell on trombone and Ellery Eskelin on tenor sax comes across like the mischievous little brother to John Zorn’s Masada. You May Also Like: Trombone Shorty Raced Beyond Genres on Transcendent ‘Backatown’

by Mark Saleski Reviewers sometimes get too caught up playing the label game: jazz, pop, world (ah, the ambiguous catch-all label), rock, ambient. Whenever a writer struggles with material that lacks a definite musical anchor, I am reminded of the transformation seen through Miles Davis’ electric years. You May AlsoRead More

The distractions when it comes to Heart (gender politics, obvious curtsies to Led Zeppelin, wall-to-wall 1980s power-ballads, etc.) are swept away You May Also Like: Elton John – Greatest Hits 1976-1986 (1992): On Second Thought

by Mark Saleski Digital. It’s just got to be digital — ones ‘n zeros. Forget that old-fashioned analog stuff. That’s for old fogies. If you want to be with it, current, where it’s at, up to date, in the know, down with it … your activity must be presented inRead More

L.A. pianist and composer Josh Nelson has been busy making records (while not backing up Natalie Cole) since his 2006 semi-finalist finish in the Thelonious Monk competition. You May Also Like: Matt Nelson, Tim Dahl, Nick Podgurski – GRID (2017)

Iron Maiden fans who wanted this thing waited and waited, patiently enduring month after silent month of absolutely no word at all.

Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, a former sideman with Muddy Waters who became a Grammy-winning performer in his own right, has died. You May Also Like: How Muddy Waters Came Roaring Back With ‘Hard Again’

Listen in as Paul McCartney makes his initial foray into the world of dance with the forthcoming release Ocean’s Kingdom, commissioned for the New York City Ballet and performed by the London Classical Orchestra. You May Also Like: Paul McCartney Found Collaborative, First-Take Genius Again With ‘Electric Arguments’ Paul McCartney’sRead More

by Fred Phillips I don’t like White Lion. Not even a little bit. During my teen years I got so sick of “When the Children Cry” that I felt like puking every time I heard it. You May Also Like: I Want, Need, Love You: Garage-Beat Nuggets From the FestivalRead More

I like this idea: that on any given evening there’s a decent chance that there’s a man on the eastern coast of England, sitting in the wheelhouse of his refurbished 1930’s era lifeboat You May Also Like: Bill Frisell’s Timeless ‘Live’ Opened Up a New Musical World for Me