by Tom Johnson Spinning up Mercurial was like jumping in a time machine set for somewhere around 60-75 years ago. The Asylum Street Spankers bravely blazed their own trail far outside of mainstream music, offering pre-Charlie Parker swing jazz and jump-blues that once kept the flappers cavorting across dancefloors allRead More

by Mark Saleski No fireworks here, just some very heartfelt jazz trio music lead by Israeli pianist Ari Erev. With a mix of original compositions, Israeli songs, and selected standards (including a beautiful “Turn Out The Stars” as program closer), Erev succeeds in displaying his love of this music. ‘HalfRead More

Taking in the first solo steps by a budding jazz talent is usually an excursion into a fresh new discovery. Most of time, these performances are polished and if there are originals, they can be surprisingly well developed You May Also Like: Marquis Hill – The Way We Play (2016)Read More

by Fred Phillips For a guy that once told me in an interview that he couldn’t seem to make everyone happy with his mix of blues and rock, Kenny Wayne Shepherd has done pretty well for himself. You May Also Like: No related posts.

Let’s look beyond the goofy flutes and whatnot — and the oddly aggressive nature of the song, because it’s just so out of character for the nice man. Paul McCartney screwed up “Live And Let Die” in a huge way You May Also Like: ‘Wings Over America’ Remains a PinnacleRead More

94 people in Oslo, Norway, 1 young woman in London, England, and one elderly lady in Manchester, New Hampshire. You May Also Like: Maciek Pysz and Gianluca Corona – London Stories (2017) Fiona Ross – Black, White and a Little Bit of Grey (2017)

An interesting recording from a period in which Lee Konitz wasn’t always all that interesting. You May Also Like: Lucas Lee – ‘Lowered Expectations’ (2018)

Oh, what this could have been … and yet it’s still a pleasing piece of work. My hopes were high when it was announced that the Finn brothers Neil and Tim (both ex- of Crowded House and Split Enz) new album would come out, so I was a little disappointedRead More

by Mark Saleski It can be a tough thing to witness an aging musician head toward (or past) the point of no return. You May Also Like: East Axis [Matthew Shipp, Allen Lowe, Kevin Ray + Gerald Cleaver’ – ‘Cool With That’ (2021)

On “Willie Dixon’s Gone,” one of two originals on George Thorogood & The Destroyers’ brand new 2120 South Michigan Ave. album, George sings, “rock is inside my head but blues is in my heart,” and that nicely sums up the music of his entire career. Here we are in 2011,Read More