We saw our share of standout instrumentalists, from Julian Lage to Rudresh Mahanthappa to Pat Martino. But, as this lists attests, 2011 might rightly be called the Year of the Big Band. You May Also Like: Julian Lage – ‘Squint’ (2021)
Clarinetist Eddie Daniels, appearing last February at the Library of Congress’ Coolidge Auditorium, displays an almost telepathic symbiosis alongside pianist Roger Kellaway. You May Also Like: Robert Walter’s 20th Congress – ‘Spacesuit’ (2018) Here’s Chippy – Things We Left Behind (2018): Something Else! Sneak Peek TV Tunes by Tame Impala,Read More
As I write this, the power fails at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park just prior to kickoff of the Niners/Steelers Monday night football game. But as I am also listening to Frisco-based trumpeter Darren Johnston, I’m hearing lights-out music. You May Also Like: Darren Barrett – ‘The EVI Sessions: Mr. Steiner’Read More
Here’s a look back in tribute to some of the notable figures in music who died in 2011, broken down by the month in which they passed. You May Also Like: Jackson Browne’s ‘Hold Out’ Was Both Successful, and a Notable Stumble Natalie and Zachary Wilksch, “Can’t Get Your FaceRead More
There are records that are frankly too loud to be jazz, and swing too much to be rock. This is the slot for those things — a place where you’ll find everyone from Tony Levin and Derek Sherinian from Black Country Communion to Nels Cline and Bill Frisell. Click throughRead More
There’s a problem with any list that attempts to rank players as if one is ‘better’ than another.
This plays like Vince Guaraldi for a new generation, as Harry Connick Jr. performs an all-original, Christmas-themed set that recalls the spirit of the season without falling into the cliches that often follow better known Yuletide classics. You May Also Like: The Jerry Granelli Trio – ‘Plays Vince Guaraldi &Read More
For the uninitiated here, “whack jazz” is a term of endearment. It’s jazz that is endearing to me because it’s brave, daring and breaks all the rules about what jazz is supposed to be You May Also Like: David S. Ware & Matthew Shipp Duo – Live In Sant’Anna Arresi,Read More
Frank Sinatra would have been 97 last Monday. His mystery still lingers with me, as does the memory of a concert — one of Sinatra’s last — when he recaptured all of that complexity. You May Also Like: Frank Sinatra’s ‘Lite-Up Time’ Shows Were the Last of Their Kind
Even though I have been burned many times in the past, I still tend to take chances on projects on John Zorn’s Tzadik label. I tend to steer away from his pure-noise exploration, as I simply don’t have the appreciation for it that I wish I did, but I have,Read More
