by Mark Saleski Never heard of pianist Marilyn Crispell? I was first exposed to her work via Anthony Braxton’s momumental Willisau quartet recordings. Crispell has a unique style of play, which I put on the shelf next to Cecil Taylor and Keith Jarrett. This was her first solo record onRead More

Psych-rockers Pink Floyd and EMI are launching an exhaustive re-release campaign, beginning today. You could say that tickled us … pink. You May Also Like: No related posts.

by Mark Saleski Anybody out there who has been paying attention to my writings may have noticed that the name Marc Ribot has appeared almost as many times as Pat Metheny. Though the two guitar players are nothing alike, they do take up a considerable amount of my shelf space.Read More

Now here we have the E Street Band with David Sancious and Vinny Lopez imparting more than a little bit of their jazzier sides. The jazz feel comes partly from Lopez’ loose-but-tight work at the kit and from Sancious’ wicked organ solo. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘TheRead More

by Mark Saleski For those unfamiliar with Fritz Hauser, he is one of (maybe the … who knows, there’s gotta be more than one though) Switzerland’s best percussionists. You May Also Like: No related posts.

by Mark Saleski There’s a single reason for me owning this disc: Kurt Elling’s cover of Pat Metheny’s “Minuano (Six Eight),” from Still Life (Talking). You May Also Like: Phil Collins, “In the Air Tonight” (1981): On Second Thought The La De Da’s, Blue Stars and others – How IsRead More

October 14, 1983. It was a long time ago. It was the one and only night I was lucky enough to see R.E.M. in concert. You May Also Like: Why R.E.M.’s ‘Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage’ Remains Definitive Why R.E.M.’s ‘Live at the Olympia’ Showed They WereRead More

Freddie Mercury, talking about his band Queen, once compared them to the sweeping Hollywood auteur Cecil B. DeMille, and he wasn’t that far off. The group, which also included guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor, was a heady mixture of heavy metal, prog, power pop, discoRead More

It’s amazing to me that we’re still talking about the band so many years later, even if it’s because R.E.M. has called it quits.

I like a good guitar solo as much as the next guy, but given a choice between a display of fretboard pyrotechnics vs. something with a little more soul, I’ll always gravitate to the latter. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny, “You Are” from ‘From This Place’ (2019): One TrackRead More