From the first, it seems, guitarist Bill Frisell has sought to synthesize jazz with country and folk themes, and that impulse works to tremendous effect on this deft remake of John Lennon’s “#9 Dream,” from a forthcoming tribute recording You May Also Like: Bill Frisell – Music IS (2018) BillRead More

You keep waiting for Lindsey Buckingham, the old rebel, to soften into middle-aged acceptance, to conform. This isn’t that record. Credit Buckingham for never trading true emotion for sentiment. Seeds We Sow is as hard eyed as it is musically ambitious You May Also Like: How Lindsey Buckingham Balanced ItRead More

We’ve raved before about the thrilling pyrotechnic brilliance of Alex Machacek, one of the most exciting new voices in fusion guitar right now. You May Also Like: Nick Finzer, “Waking Up” from ‘Dreams, Visions, Illusions’ (2023): One Track Mind

by Tom Johnson You just don’t think of too many great guitarists in indie-rock. It’s practically built into the genre to not emphasize your skills. So what a refreshing treat a band like Built To Spill is where they most definitely fall into that meaningless “indie rock” category (since theyRead More

I can’t even begin to pretend to be impartial here: Guitarist Mike Keneally is absolutely one of my all-time favorites. You May Also Like: Mike Keneally, “Draconian Blump” from ‘Nonkertompf’ (1999): One Track Mind How Mike Keneally’s Comeback on ‘The Universe Will Provide’ Fulfilled All of His Promise Here’s HowRead More

by Mark Saleski Much like those pointless negative reviews where the writer (read: attacker) has never liked the band in question, I sometimes wonder if maybe it’s just not right to go on about my favorite artists. Let’s face it, I own just about every recording Pat Metheny has everRead More

by Mark Saleski To the neophyte, microtonal music can seem less than accessible. Yeah, tones show up that the western ear just isn’t used to. On Stick Man, Haverstick takes microtonality and uses it in many contexts, not just ‘jazz.’ This is important because I’ve heard albums that focus soRead More

If you were tasked with listing the influences of JazzGuitaristPatMetheny™, some good entries might be Four and More (Miles Davis), Ornette Coleman’s Something Else!!! (Sorry, couldn’t resist), and Smokin’ At The Half Note by the Wynton Kelly Trio with Wes Montgomery. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny – ‘Dream Box’Read More

by Mark Saleski I already owned 1991’s Great Big Boy, and it’s a fine one. The album was allowed to go out of print for the usual reasons (which I won’t waste our time on), only to reappear in a likeably presented two-fer in 2007 with Peculiaroso from 1994, whichRead More

by Tom Johnson Three-part harmonies, a verified guitar-god genius, and some of the lowest, thickest, sludgiest bass around — King’s X is like the Beatles of metal, but they go year-after-year depressingly ignored. They scored a few minor hits in the early 1990s and then pretty much sunk off theRead More