A jazz quartet plus steel guitar as lead instrument. This might sound like a novelty record but instead it’s Emmons playing his heart out on a program of standards and originals (the opening “Bluemmons” is killer). Very cool to hear the steel guitar trading fours with the sax. The unisonRead More

Tony Bennett’s warm, inviting delivery would seem perfectly suited to seasonal music — and it is. You May Also Like: Jazz Reedist Daniel Bennett on How Musicians Can Thrive In (and After) the Pandemic Age [Part 1 of 2] Daniel Bennett Group – ‘New York Nerve’ (2020)

Like a Wayback Machine, certain sights, sounds, smells and tastes transports us to certain times and places in our lives. You May Also Like: Victor Assis Brasil – Toca Antonio Carlos Jobim (1970, 2017 reissue)

Although the Peppermint Trolley Company’s biggest claim to commercial fame rests in the fact they recorded the theme to the first season of “The Brady Bunch,” they actually cut a clutch of artistically rewarding material that in a just world would have attained wider airplay. Residents of Redlands, California, theRead More

They’re a wonder hit wonder band, but what a hit it was! It was late in 1967 when the Human Beinz landed the charts with a rollicking cover of “Nobody But Me,” which was originally recorded by the Isley Brothers. You May Also Like: T. Rex, the Monkees, Tame Impala,Read More

Born and bred in Chicago, Illinois, the Buckinghams were one of the most successful groups of 1967. The band started the year off on a banner note, as they netted a No. 1 hit single with their first single “Kind of a Drag” — distributed by the regional USA labelRead More

If there was ever a group that sang in perfect harmony, it was the Mamas and the Papas. Featuring Cass Elliott, John Phillips, Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty, the Los Angeles based quartet gleaned phenomenal success in the 1960s, and their influence continues to resonate throughout the ether today. StunningRead More

Drummer Paul Motian, who first came to prominence in the late 1950s with pianist Bill Evans’ pioneering trio, has died. A representative from ECM Records confirms he passed at 4:52 a.m. in New York City. A cause of death has not been disclosed. He was 80. You May Also Like:Read More

Taj Mahal, recording as part of the 30th annual John Lennon Tribute at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, finds the chest-bursting peril, the nakedly emotional plea, inside “Come Together” You May Also Like: Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ – Tajmo (2017)

Once again, the Colorado-based Gear Fab label pays a visit to the rock ‘n’ roll graveyard, and in the process unearths an album so ghastly obscure that even the members of the band behind the project have apparently vanished from the face of the planet. But what is known aboutRead More