News that the Beach Boys were contemplating a reunion to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary (or not?), got us to thinking … Think Beach Boys, and many remember a group perhaps irrevocably reduced by its tragicomic storyline. Admittedly distracting plot points, beyond the 36 Top 40 hits (most of anyRead More

by Mark Saleski There’s a lot of writing out there about where inspiration comes from. We’ve all read stories about the Muse and how fickle it can be and all of that. For me, the vanishing Muse has most often to do with life situations out of control. Stress showsRead More

by S. Victor Aaron It could be argued that Houston, Texas is one of the major gestation points for smooth jazz sax stars. Ronnie Laws and Kirk Whalum came from what Laws calls the Bayou City of the Future. Also, let’s not forget that Wilton Felder, Joe Sample and theRead More

by Mark Saleski There are some things in this world that at first appear to be encased in mystery, the secrets of which can only be revealed by the “experts” — free-verse poetry, modern art, okra. It turns out that no special knowledge is required to appreciate these things. You’veRead More

by Pico Even as a small child growing up in Japan, jazz pianist Hiroe Sekine loved to pick out melodies she heard, such as the Japanese folk tunes emanating from her Mom’s pedal organ. Today represents a culmination of that life long passion with the release of her debut albumRead More

Posi-Tone Records delivered a rare new album by NYC-based pianist Art Hirahara in 2010, called Noble Path. “Lyrical” is an adjective I’ve seen ascribed to Hirahara, and it’s one he lives up to on this trio date, his Posi-Tone debut. Though he hadn’t been very prolific leading sessions, Hirahara hasRead More

by S. Victor Aaron It’s not unusual at all for the tenor sax and the vibraphone to appear on the same jazz record; we’ve heard these on countless jazz recordings. But by co-leading a record, saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Behn Gillece gives us fairly rare opportunity to hear bothRead More

by S. Victor Aaron As the sixties turned into the seventies, soul, like rock, got tougher and edgier. In 1971 alone, Sly Stone’s There’s A Riot Goin’ On, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and Gil Scott-Heron‘s Pieces Of A Man raised the stakes in R&B that was serious, far-reaching andRead More

by S. Victor Aaron If you’re a big ECM Records fan like I am, then you’d probably even remember your first ECM record. For a lot of those types, this one is most likely their first ECM. For me, though, it was Terje’s Rypdal’s Waves, which I picked up justRead More

A couple of years ago, pianist Jay D’Amico put out a record that made a fine illustration of his ability to combine the classical stylings of Chopin with the suppleness and relaxed feel of a traditional jazz trio. Tuscan Prelude: Jazz Under Glass was a successful melding of the styles,Read More