Miles Davis collaborator Jimmy Cobb joins us as we explore nine Columbia albums that capture the earliest flowerings of the Miles Davis legend — the moment when his muse began to match his own prodigious powers. You May Also Like: Miles Davis’ Expanded ‘Kind of Blue: Legacy Edition’ Struck theRead More

This is part two of Sammy Stein’s comprehensive look into the genesis of the rangy improvisational genre of music that eventually became known as free jazz. [Click here for Part 1.] You May Also Like: ‘All That’s Jazz,’ by Sammy Stein (2017): Books Paul Jolly, free jazz musician, club ownerRead More

I’d argue that these 1963 concerts with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and and Elvin Jones are the first thing every emerging John Coltrane fan should experience, after buying all of the tried-and-true essentials. You May Also Like: John Coltrane – Both Directions at Once, The Lost Album (2018) John ColtraneRead More

There’s a sense of homecoming, both in the musical selection and in the easy collaborative verve, about Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin’s Invitation to Illumination: Live at Montreux. You May Also Like: How John McLaughlin’s First 4th Dimension Album Brought Things Back in Focus John McLaughlin – Black Light (2015)Read More

The “Chicagoan of the Year” as awarded by the Chicago Tribune has to be a person who’s done a lot for that large community, and as percussionist, bandleader, composer, past Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians chairman You May Also Like: Marcus Roberts, “The Mystery of Romance” (2014): OneRead More

Whenever I go to a live music event my hope is to get completely absorbed and immersed within the music. I find that the musicians who do this most for me are not the ones who show off their mastery of the language or technical proficiency. You May Also Like:Read More

John Coltrane’s “Naima” is very likely his most covered song, and for good reason. The term “tone poem” gets tossed around a lot in the vicinity of any pretty, graceful melody, but this composition is the epitome of that term, and the beauty of it is evident in every coverRead More