A swampy alternate version of Walter Becker’s twangy delight “Cringemaker” bowed for the occasion of his 73rd birthday. Check it out at Walter Becker Media.

The ample leftovers from Walter Becker’s ’11 Tracks of Whack’ sessions continue to be pulled out of the frig, warmed in the microwave and set on the table for feasting.

The one silver lining to come from the tragic loss of Walter Becker is that we’ve now seen a steady stream of officially released goodies from his vault.

Randy Brecker knows his way around both pop and modern jazz. He puts both together so convincingly on this update of a Donald Fagen classic.

Here is a review of John Patitucci’s guitar-dominant quartet’s debut, ‘Brooklyn,’ a freshly cast reconnect back to the bass extraordinaire’s roots.

Chris Potter’s string quartet-supplemented ‘Imaginary Cities’ is ambitious, maybe the high-water mark of ambition so far in Potter’s career.

The tunes are solid and so are the arrangements, but there’s no disguising good playing and ‘Disguise’ has all of those things out in the clear open. A welcome return to form for Ada Rovatti.

I consider 11 Tracks of Whack an uneven record with several good moments and even a few brilliant ones. But it’s not until Track 5 where it takes its first real dip. You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “The Dopest Cut / Down In the Bottom” (1992): Steely Dan SundayRead More