Out of the same Athens, GA college town that gave the world R.E.M. The B-52’s and The Drive-By Truckers, comes The Odd Trio. You May Also Like: Chris Combs – Combsy (2017) Mike Dillon & Punkadelick – ‘Inflorescence’ (2023)

Trombonist Bill Cantrall’s new concert recording gets going fast, with a hard-blowing track called “BBM” that will have you recalling those primary-colored Blue Note sides by Art Blakey and Horace Silver. You May Also Like: Bill Frisell’s Timeless ‘Live’ Opened Up a New Musical World for Me Cuong Vu 4TetRead More

Frank Zappa brought the question up — “does humor belong in music?” — after many years of providing the answer every time he took out his black dot-writing pen or stepped onto the stage. You May Also Like: Mostly Other People Do The Killing – Paint (2017) Mostly Other PeopleRead More

UK guitarist Mike Walker got this capital idea to put together a quartet with Americans Steve Swallow (el. bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums), and enlisted young piano talent and fellow Englishman Gwilym Simcock to round out the group. You May Also Like: John Scofield – ‘Swallow Tales’ (2020)

There is a real sense, as OUiZZZ’s galvanizing, sometimes deeply experimental Hello Goodbye unfolds, of joint discovery. Though formed a decade ago in Lausanne, Switzerland, this band still plays like a lively conversation amongst new friends You May Also Like: Richard Turgeon, “Goodbye to Summer” (2020): One Track Mind

One thing became readily apparent to me from listening to Bruce Kaphan’s new album and that is, Kaphan and I are in strong agreement that there really isn’t any reason why the pedal steel guitar doesn’t belong in jazz or any other styles of music. You May Also Like: MaryRead More

Since around the 13th century, the Kouyaté family has upheld a proud tradition as oral historians and folk virtuosic musicians, or griots, serving ancient kings who once ruled over West Africa. You May Also Like: Matt Mitchell – ‘Phalanx Ambassadors’ (2019) Eric Bibb – ‘Global Griot’ (2018) Giorgi Mikadze –Read More

Occasionally, somebody gets it completely right on the very first try. This focuses on those times. But hold on, Gilligan: With no rules about era or genre, our 13-member list of desert island debut discs runs an amazing gamut You May Also Like: How Living Colour’s Smart, Tough Debut AlbumRead More

One of the characteristics shared by most of my favorite jazz musicians is versatility. They have “big ears” in their musical interests as well as in their playing environments. You May Also Like: Dave Douglas, Uri Caine + Andrew Cyrille – ‘Devotion’ (2019)

Saxophone sage Matt Garrison (not to be confused with bassist Matthew Garrison) recently made his second album, Blood Songs, and for truly talented musicians on an upward trajectory, that sophomore effort is often where the big growth occurs. You May Also Like: Jack DeJohnette, with Ravi Coltrane and Matthew GarrisonRead More