Starting perhaps around the time Ben Goldberg assembled his New Klezmer Trio and The Klezmatics was formed, the clarinet went from being a meek instrument associated with the traditional and archaic — like trad jazz and Polish weddings — to becoming You May Also Like: Ben Goldberg School – VolRead More

For non-musicians, the creative process can be something of a mystery. The composer has all of that training about melody, harmony, scales, time signatures, and chord progressions — and out of that the musical ideas are born…somehow. The truth is that while the process can indeed be opaque (sometimes evenRead More

Many years ago, I made a mix tape specifically for use on long drives in my pickup truck. No, it was not filled with country music. You May Also Like: Fred Frith + Ikue Mori – ‘A Mountain Doesn’t Know It’s Tall’ (2021) Grand Funk – Shinin’ On (1974; 2017Read More

“There is something very personal to me in his music. The music understands me.” You May Also Like: Marc Ribot + The Young Philadelphians – Live In Tokyo (2016) Matthew Shipp and Michael Bisio – Live In Seattle (2016)

The story of the Master Musicians of Jajouka is one of the most intriguing stories in music, and also quite possibly the longest-running one. You May Also Like: Medeski Martin & Wood with Alarm Will Sound – ‘Omnisphere’ (2018)

In years past, I’ve called this the “whack jazz” list and this time we’re going to call it “avant garde and experimental jazz,” but any music that goes too far outside the bounds of convention gets lumped into its own category. You May Also Like: Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog –Read More

It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s…almost July? Well, mid-year has once again snuck up on me. Time to recap the (fantastic) musical half-year that has apparently flown by. You May Also Like: Matthew Shipp Trio – ‘World Construct’ (2022) Matthew Shipp Trio – ‘New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz’ (2024)

This week I’m taking a break from the truly bizarre to have a short visit with the only moderately bizarre. You May Also Like: Gregory Lewis, with Marc Ribot – Organ Monk Blue (2018) Elliott Sharp, with Mary Halvorson and Marc Ribot – Err Guitar (2017) Marc Ribot’s Ceramic DogRead More

An assemblage of musicians the caliber of Marc Ribot, Ches Smith and Shahzad Ismaily usually signals that this is going to be seriously nerdy jazz, but Ceramic Dog is, in many ways, the exact opposite. You May Also Like: Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog – ‘Hope’ (2021) Marc Ribot’s Ceramic DogRead More

Whether you like the Beatles or not, their music can certainly take you to some interesting places — as reflected in our latest edition of Desert Island Discs. You May Also Like: The Beatles, “Devil in Her Heart” from With the Beatles (1963): Deep Beatles