I’m a sucker for odd instrumentations, which is one of the reasons why I’m drawn to progressive and whack jazz. Listening to strange timbres that come from instruments coming together that aren’t usually combined tends to perk my ears up, trying to solve the puzzle of the sonic conundrum. ItRead More

David Byrne does some intriguing new things with this live update of “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody),” from the Talking Heads’ 1983 release Speaking in Tongues. You May Also Like: Ever Wonder How David Byrne Fit Inside That Giant Talking Heads Suit?

Ramsey Lewis discusses his signature hit “The ‘In’ Crowd,” and a breakthrough collaborative moment with Earth Wind and Fire.

If there was ever a group that sang in perfect harmony, it was the Mamas and the Papas. Featuring Cass Elliott, John Phillips, Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty, the Los Angeles based quartet gleaned phenomenal success in the 1960s, and their influence continues to resonate throughout the ether today. StunningRead More

Dave Douglas is widely regarded as being elite among jazz trumpeters these days not just because of a polished technique, but a restlessness that drives him to try something new at least every couple of years You May Also Like: Dave Douglas, Uri Caine + Andrew Cyrille – ‘Devotion’ (2019)Read More

Drummer Paul Motian, who first came to prominence in the late 1950s with pianist Bill Evans’ pioneering trio, has died. A representative from ECM Records confirms he passed at 4:52 a.m. in New York City. A cause of death has not been disclosed. He was 80. You May Also Like:Read More

Discovered far too late, Mississippi bluesman Charles Caldwell was already dying of pancreatic cancer as he began recording his belated debut for Fat Possum. You May Also Like: Junior Kimbrough Set a New Blues Standard on ‘All Night Long,’ Then Vanished How R.L. Burnside’s ‘Bad Luck City’ Introduced an ExcitingRead More

A fun opportunity to catch up with Bill Wyman’s old-school R&B and blues revue arrives in the form of this sweeping five-disc retrospective focusing on the former Rolling Stones bassist’s subsequent Rhythm Kings band. You May Also Like: What ‘Back to Basics’ Said About Bill Wyman’s Post-Stones Career

One of the more distinctive and convincing points made by Ted Gioia in his definitive chronicle of jazz, The History of Jazz (1997, rev. 2011, Oxford University Press) is about the under-credited impact pianist Lennie Tristano made You May Also Like: Jason Stein Quartet – Lucille! (2017) Jason Stein’s LocksmithRead More

Formed in 1963, the Pretty Things from Kent, England were one of the leading lights of the British beat boom. Possessing a natural instinct and awareness for the greasy, grubby style of music they elected to pursue, the band made peers such as the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and theRead More