by Mark Saleski There’s no doubt that I bring up this topic too often, but sometimes I just can’t help it. Let’s talk about the future. Specifically, one in which all of the physical objects of entertainment have been replaced by their digital counterparts. This worries me, though not forRead More

by Mark Saleski I’m going to begin by saying something that will probably horrify many a jazz lover: I never liked Duke Ellington or Count Basie all that much. It’s true. I know that a jazz writer shouldn’t be admitting to such things but sometimes you have to stick withRead More

By Mark Saleski What do you think of when encountering the words “world music”? Squeaky vocals in unknown languages? Lots of drums? Brightly colored CD covers on display near the checkout at Starbucks? It’s a sad fact that the way music is marketed has forced many kinds of music intoRead More

Last week, that venerable soul-jazz outfit out of London Incognito released a new disc Transatlantic RPM, an occasion we marked with a couple of streams to songs to tracks on that record (click here to listen to the streams of “Lowdown” and “Gotta”). Now, it’s time to delve into thisRead More

by Pico It must have been quite a journey for a life that started out in the wide open ranges of Montana and ended up in the hustle and bustle of the New York jazz scene, but trumpet player Jim Rotondi got there with an assist from the late, greatRead More

Music obsessives and “regular” folks alike know of the song/memory retrieval phenomenon — you hear a song and instantly remember where you were the first time you heard it. The speed and clarity of detail associated with the song can be quite amazing. There have been claims that odors produceRead More

by S. Victor Aaron It’s not that hard to discern the message behind the title of Billy Bang’s brand new album Prayer For Peace. And just in case you’re not sure, Bang clarifies beyond all doubt in the liner notes: We do not need war, any kind of war, especiallyRead More

by Pico Like Jamiroquai, Icognito is one of those British bands that’s faithfully carrying the torch for good ol’ American seventies-styled jazz-funk & soul better than anybody in the USA is doing these days. And Incognito, formed 31 years ago, is arguably the first of these so-called acid jazz outfitsRead 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