You’re forgiven for forgetting that Chris Connor, one of the premier cool-jazz vocalists, took a quick detour into popular music in the mid-1960s. You May Also Like: Eliane Elias Confidently Expanded Her Main Influences on ‘Bossa Nova Stories’ Gentle Giant – ‘Free Hand [Steven Wilson Mix]’ (1975; 2021 reissue) GentleRead More

Three years into Battles’ existence, it had only issued a single and two EPs — until this, their long-awaited debut album. The wait was more than worth it. Where the EPs hinted at what was to come, they suffered a bit from a band struggling to define themselves. Mirrored provedRead More

Kate Bush didn’t make much of a stateside splash, despite achieving fame 25 years ago in Britain. So remakes like this one from Johanna and the Dusty Floor, brilliant though they may be, likely resonate with most listeners as if they were brand new. You May Also Like: ElectroBluesSociety feat.Read More

German pianist Christian Pabst is still studying (at the European Jazz Master’s Programme at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam), but his new CD with his longtime trio shows that he’s already learned a lot. Maybe it only seems that way because of the rapport he’s developed over the years with drummerRead More

You keep waiting for Lindsey Buckingham, the old rebel, to soften into middle-aged acceptance, to conform. This isn’t that record. Credit Buckingham for never trading true emotion for sentiment. Seeds We Sow is as hard eyed as it is musically ambitious You May Also Like: How Lindsey Buckingham Balanced ItRead More

Derek Sherinian is a keyboardist. It’s worth repeating, under your breath, as the forthcoming guitar-heavy ‘Oceana’ spins.

by Tom Johnson An eclectic and, for lack of a better word, spazzy releases, Yo La Tengo’s Beat Your Ass actually worked because it lacked focus. Rather than get bogged down in one particular style, the band instead pretty much covered every bit of territory they have ever touched upon.Read More

I’m no movie buff but I still vividly recall the Charlie Parker biopic Bird, with the central character portrayed so convincingly by actor Forest Whitaker and the film well directed by Clint Eastwood. You May Also Like: Archie the Goldfish, “Begin Again” (2022): One Track Mind Neal Morse Did ItRead More

And now we have Greetings‘ cast of characters — Wild Billy, Killer Joe, Hazy Davy, G-Man, and Crazy Janey — heading out for a Saturday night of wild abandon up at Greasy Lake. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’

by Mark Saleski Several years ago, I happened upon a book called A Pattern Language. It was an odd purchase for me, because I’m not really an architecture person, at least not in the grand “Oooh, majestic building!” sense You May Also Like: Gareth Lockrane – Fistfight at the BarndanceRead More