The star of the show on Gerald Wilson’s brilliant ‘Legacy’ remains his adopted hometown of Chicago.

by Mark Saleski Easily my favorite release of 2009. The Low Anthem surprised me at a show that spring. I’d never heard of them before and they came out and managed to make me forget my name, my identity, and what my favorite color was. It was a stunning experience.Read More

Late last night, I saw the email light blinking on my phone. A single new message had come in from one of my writer cohorts. The subject line read “Blood Brothers” … and I knew. You May Also Like: Leon Russell (1942-2016): The Last of the Bird-Flipping Genre-Busters Alan White,Read More

A singer referenced in this Steely Dan song was best known for ‘Stripsody,’ where she used her voice to mimic comic-book sounds.

If there’s one song I am drawn to by the message alone, it’s this one. The cheesy late-eighties production and the plain melody does not bother me one bit. You May Also Like: How Mike and the Mechanics’ ‘The Living Years’ Helped Bridge an Emotional Gap

A stylistic tour de force, this self-titled trio effort manages to take in many of jazz music’s most notable influences, even tosses in a dash of Pacific island flavor, but it never falls into the rote imitative traps of so many of today’s more traditionalist recordings. You May Also Like:Read More

I do believe that there just might be a major error in the Guinness Book of World Records. They’re claiming that the loudest animal sound is made by the blue whale. Hmmmm … not that I want to be a know-it-all or anything but I’m fairly certain that the loudestRead More

This song, issued in the wake of the devastating attacks on New York City in 2001, nearly overwhelmed me with grief the first time I heard it. I thought of my father. You May Also Like: How Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Tunnel of Love’ Dug Deeply to Find Hard Truths Remembering 9/11:Read More

by Mark Saleski Smack in the middle of the initial Norah Jones explosion (remember? When it seemed like the radio was tryin’ to brainwash you by playing “Don’t Know Why” every 20 minutes or so You May Also Like: How Norah Jones Examined a Deep Hurt on ‘… Little BrokenRead More

Remember last month when I said I have more examples of weird-assed trios coming up? Here’s another one. Inspired by the long running Ray Anderson-led BassDrumBone trio, Brainkiller has Brian Allen manning the trombone and Hernan Hecht on drums, but substitutes the bass for keyboards and effects by Jacob Koller.Read More