Dancing with Duke, the second album as a leader from North Carolina bassist John Brown (Nnenna Freelon), follows the thematic pattern established by his well-received initial recording — a tribute to Art Blakey. But this homage to Ellington explores more interesting territory, in that Blakey’s music has always been associatedRead More

They say everything is bigger in Texas. Waco-born Mace Hibbard cuts an imposing figure, like someone who spent his Friday nights (and perhaps even Saturday afternoons) on the gridiron as a teenager. But to this son of notable Texas trumpet player Dave Hibbard, “big” means the full, dulcet sounds comingRead More

He sings something like Bob Dylan, plays guitar something like Mark Knopfler, but doesn’t fall into easy mimicry of either. Credit a long journey to get here You May Also Like: No related posts.

“Seeds We Sow,” the title track to Lindsey Buckingham’s sixth solo album, due on Sept. 6, is a darkly introspective triumph You May Also Like: How Lindsey Buckingham Balanced It All on the Underrated ‘Gift of Screws’

Nashville-based saxophonist Chris West continues an intriguing exploration of his own composition “Surprise,” this time alongside Jeff Coffin of the Dave Matthews Band. Appearing as the closing track on the new Disc 2 of his on-going Surprise Trilogy, “Surprise 3” finds West and Coffin intertwining through a series of conversationalRead More

Immediately recognizable saxophone voices: Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane. To this list we must add Jan Garbarek.

Quintus McCormick doesn’t quibble with genre on this new project from Delmark Records. Instead, he sings with a remarkable facility, at once bright and sweet then hard and accusatory, sounding at times like some after-midnight deep bluesman and then like a spit-shined mainstream soulster You May Also Like: No relatedRead More

Percussionist Chris Jones leads a relentlessly groovy ensemble through a series of songs as rhythmic as they are spiritual on Mardi Gras Indian Funk, issued recently by Mardi Gras Records. For the uninitiated, “Old Black Johnny” details the history and passion of the Mardi Gras Indian tradition, in the personRead More

So, what’s it like renting instead of owning? A friend of mine asked me this question, knowing that I’d been piggishly consuming a bunch of new (and old) music since signing up for Spotify. You May Also Like: For the Love of Vinyl: An Appreciation The Night When David CrosbyRead More

by Fred Phillips Ah, the tribute album. It started out as a good idea — current artists getting together to salute a classic artist that had a major influence on them. But, then, it spiraled out of control. You May Also Like: Shooter Jennings – ‘Shooter’ (2018) Various Artists –Read More