Sean Nowell is a name I remember from a couple of years ago when sizing up his last album Stockholm Swingin’ (2011), a snappy live encounter of solid, straight ahead jazz performed by both American and Swedish musicians in a small combo band. You May Also Like: Michael Dease –Read More

Dave Haskell is back, which is undoubtedly significant news for longtime followers of the San Francisco Bay Area’s jazz and blues scenes. And if you’re a fusion fan from any other locale, then let me tell you why that should be significant to you, too. You May Also Like: HowRead More

“Every beat on the album was original,” said Herbie Hancock about his game-changing funk-jazz album Head Hunters. It’s the one aspect about that record that has stood out to me over everything else, and made Harvey Mason a drum hero in my book You May Also Like: Michael Coleman +Read More

“Conviction” is a powerful word, it connotes purposeful, assured and determined. And those are qualities that be ascribed to Kendrick Scott’s second album, Conviction. You May Also Like: Christian Scott Confirmed His Vision for Jazz With ‘Live at Newport’ Joey DeFrancesco, with Pharoah Sanders – ‘In the Key of theRead More

The truth is, both of the late-1990s Lenny White-led solo releases that preceded the Japanese concert featured here needed a little scuffing up, and this group happily obliges. You May Also Like: Sue Foley – ‘Pinky’s Blues’ (2021) Ellen Foley Talks ‘Bat Out of Hell,’ Ian Hunter and ‘Fighting Words’:Read More

Soft Machine will never exist again, but one of the best of the Canterbury bands still lives on via an alumni band.

To commence Nou La, Vo-Duo sends blessings to the sacred heart of the Asoto drum, to the spirits and finally to the listeners. This modest, exquisite acapella piece, called “Bonjou,” foretells the loveliness and sanctity to come. You May Also Like: David Philips + Abel Boquera – ‘The Duo Sessions’Read More

Drivetime calls what they do “urban organic jazz” and, actually, that about sums it up. The Philly group blends Latin rhythms, Tower of Power-style grooves and these satiny smooth instrumental lines on Ignition You May Also Like: Bob Sheppard – ‘The Fine Line’ (2019)

Around the same time Robert Hurst recorded the trio document Unrehurst, Vol. 1 with Robert Glasper (piano) and Damion Reid (drums), the bassist/composer and bandleader had convened a sort of summit meeting You May Also Like: Bob James – ‘Once Upon a Time: The Lost 1965 New York Studio Sessions’Read More

Recently I came across a video of televised performance featuring the Gary Burton Quartet, and its guitarist Larry Coryell was using his solo time to deliver some tasty licks that perfectly bridged the gap between rock guitar and jazz guitar. You May Also Like: Larry Coryell – ‘Last Swing WithRead More