by S. Victor Aaron There’s been a quiet trend of the last fifteen or so years that seems to be picking up steam lately. That is, to approach jazz from the dreamy and sometimes rough textures of alt rock and electronics. There’s even a name for this: post-rock. Tortoise wasRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Like many of the greatest American musicians, Miles Davis has had a comeback—he’s had four or five of them, actually—but only one where he came back from not playing at all. It was also his least successful one in the short run. The 1975-1981 retirement wasRead More

Maybe it was only inevitable that the Brecker Brothers would pool their talents again. But how would they fit into the jazz scene after so long away?

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

Things could be looking up for Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. by Pico It’s been a whole three months since we last discussed a batch of sparkling new releases that are targeted for wider audiences. That’s such a long span that a few of the half dozen records yakked aboutRead More

Multiple personality disorder is considered an affliction among the mentally disabled, but when it comes to the artistry of that unquenchable, multidimensional guitarist Nels Cline, it’s the very thing that makes him such an unpredictably compelling musician. Each time I’ve audited a new record of his, like his celebration ofRead More

photo: Kyle Ober by Pico It’s catch up time again. In what is becoming a frequent tradition for me on Something Else, I’m taking a batch of CD’s and doing pocket reviews on them, in order to get you all caught up on what’s been getting the spins lately. WhereasRead More

Fusion guitar big dog Allan Holdsworth has been in a number of notable bands: The Soft Machine, Gong, UK, Level 42…but the brief, mid-seventies stint he had in Tony Williams’ reconstituted Lifetime band have made up some of the fondest memories for him. About a decade ago, he honored hisRead More

Like the best Herbie Hancock ballads, “Butterfly” has inner complexity, outer beauty, – and a little mysteriousness.

by S. Victor Aaron When I heard Joe Higham’s wonderfully diverse world fusion treat Where Are We Now? last year, I became suspicious that the Low Countries might be a magnet for out-the-box thinking for jazz players. Listening to Eric Vloeimans and his Gatecrash’s new release Heavensabove! just confirmed thoseRead More