When ZZ Top, tearing through “Waiting for the Bus,” howls “have mercy!” in tandem, I’m right there with them. You May Also Like: ZZ Top’s “El Diablo,” “Thunderbird,” “Rough Boy” + Others: Gimme Five

From the first honking strains of Roger Lewis’ sax on “The Treme Song,” amidst a howling group of happy singers led by David Montana and Fred Johnson Jr., the intentions of Treme Traditions are clear: Party. This album is like a street parade crammed inside of a shiny disc, courtesyRead More

Annie Dressner’s voice has a twilight poignancy, this majestic loneliness, and nowhere on her forthcoming release Strangers Who Knew Each Others Names is that more true than on its title track. You May Also Like: No related posts.

With nearly 1,800 posts under our belt, we at SER have covered a whole lot of different styles, players and instruments, but based on a cursory search, I haven’t found a single piece where a harpist is the featured musician. We now have that covered: meet Iro Haarla. You MayRead More

Putting together a luxe coffee-table book honoring the city of his birth clearly got Irvin Mayfield in a nostalgic mood. You May Also Like: The Blind Boys of Alabama’s Down in New Orleans added a new musical wrinkle New Orleans at 300: In Search of Jazz

Mathias Eick’s warm, pure trumpet tone sounding almost like a brassier counterpart to fellow Norwegian Jan Garbarek makes Eick a perfect addition to the Scandinavian squadron of the ECM army. You May Also Like: Jakob Bro, with Arve Henriksen + Jorge Rossy – ‘Uma Elmo’ (2021) Jan Garbarek Surged OutRead More

It used to be that when we used the term “punk jazz,” we were referring to Jaco Pastorius. Let’s face it, the man was a jazz bass revolutionary. You May Also Like: Three-Layer Cake [Brandon Seabrook, Mike Pride + Mike Watt] – ‘Stove Top’ (2021) Brandon Seabrook, Cooper-Moore + GeraldRead More

Better known for helping shape the Blue Note Records hard bop sound as a producer in the 1960s, pianist Duke Pearson also led his own big band before succumbing to the ravages of multiple sclerosis at age 47. You May Also Like: Glenn Zaleski – Fellowship (2017) Nick Finzer’s ThoughtfulRead More

Tim Kuhl’s website greets visitors with a set of simple sentences describing who he is: “Drummer+Composer,” followed by “Bandleader, Sideman, Collaborator, Noise Maker, Rocker.” Tim is succinct and up-front about describing himself, but the term that’s most telling — aside from the obvious “drummer+composer” part — is “Noise Maker YouRead More

Jeff Golub, a longtime sideman with Rod Stewart and Billy Squier, has compiled the expected all-star amalgam in this tribute to the blues stylings of The Three Kings — Albert, B.B. and Freddie. You May Also Like: No related posts.