Australian guitarist Peter J. Martin is a player of enormous technical capability but also much lyrical strength, twin talents that make Waltz for the Wicked a deeply listenable adventure. You May Also Like: Wicked Realm, Aug. 26, 2016: Shows I’ll Never Forget Casey Golden Trio – Miniature (EP) (2016)

Don’t look for the lip-smacking blues licks that have become associated with Duke Robillard for so long. Instead, the former co-founder of Roomful of Blues settles into an infectiously listenable, decidedly in-the-pocket tempo You May Also Like: Tomi Malm – Walkin’ on Air (2017) Matthew Shipp Trio – ‘New ConceptsRead More

Back when I was taking guitar lessons, my teacher turned me on to a whole pile of players like Jim Hall (my teacher was so into Hall that he actually attended a taping of the Merv Griffin just because Hall was in Griffin’s band), Gene Bertoncini and Howard Roberts. I’veRead More

New Standard Quintet lives up to its name, time and again, not by resurrecting age-old tracks but by trying to fashion its own rules for approaching original jazz music. You May Also Like: Rob Mazurek Quintet’s hypnotic, diverse Sound Is rewarded close listens Laurence Juber – Standard Time (1982; 2018Read More

This was a rare thing: an album of guitar music where the guitar isn’t really the point. Put a different way, it’s the ideas that are given the focus, not the chops. You May Also Like: Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog – ‘Connection’ (2023) Bill Frisell – Music IS (2018)

Quite a few years back I had a discussion with a close friend about a certain ‘famous’ musician. I say ‘famous’ because the musician’s name has been dropped from both of our memories You May Also Like: The Knack – ‘Round Trip’ (1981): Forgotten Series

Dismissed late in life as a sell-out entertainer, Wes Montgomery — you’re reminded all over again, with this group of previously unreleased sides — could play with both an uncanny smoothness and a sharp improvisational wit. You May Also Like: Wes Montgomery – ‘The Complete Full House Recordings’ (2023) WesRead More

Somebody once said that there’s a very fine line between a hobby and mental illness. I moved a step closer to that line back in 1978 You May Also Like: How Van Halen’s Jaw-Dropping First Album Ruined My Sex Life (Again)

Imagine walking into a big music store. Two guys are playing: a solid funk bass propelled by a wiggly, syncopated drummer. You May Also Like: Derek Sherinian – ‘Vortex’ (2022)

Here’s my look at jazz guitar records that didn’t get their due. You May Also Like: How John McLaughlin’s First 4th Dimension Album Brought Things Back in Focus John McLaughlin’s Shakti – ‘This Moment’ (2023)