There are records that are frankly too loud to be jazz, and swing too much to be rock. This is the slot for those things — a place where you’ll find everyone from Tony Levin and Derek Sherinian from Black Country Communion to Nels Cline and Bill Frisell. Click throughRead More

Produced by Dan Pavelich, ‘Hi-Fi Christmas Party, Vol. 3’ features a batch of the coolest holiday tunes you could hope for.

For the uninitiated here, “whack jazz” is a term of endearment. It’s jazz that is endearing to me because it’s brave, daring and breaks all the rules about what jazz is supposed to be You May Also Like: David S. Ware & Matthew Shipp Duo – Live In Sant’Anna Arresi,Read More

The Beach Boys announced on their web site this morning that they will reunite for what’s being billed as “a global 50th anniversary celebration” in 2012. You May Also Like: No related posts.

Here are my Top 10 rock and pop albums from 2011, from Fountains of Wayne and the Jigsaw Seen to Dan Markell and the Sean Hutton Supershow … listed in alphabetical order: FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE – SKY FULL OF HOLES: Witty and observant lyrics have always symbolized the maddeningly infectiousRead More

Here’s the way it usually works. The end of the year draws closer, and all of the music publications and websites release their “best of” lists. This is almost always followed by various rants about how the lists are “too safe,” “predictable,” or “pretentious.” You May Also Like: Of AllRead More

Whereas Geri Allen’s solo piano debut for Motema, 2010’s Flying Toward the Sound, focused on musical inspirations Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and Cecil Taylor, the follow up travels in more personal circles. You May Also Like: John Blum Quartet feat. Marshall Allen – ‘Deep Space’ (2024)

When I sat down to think of all the standout mainstream and modern jazz records released in 2011 I could recommend without any hesitation whatsoever, I came up with 20 selections. Holy crap, 20! You May Also Like: Marcin Wasilewski Trio feat. Joe Lovano – ‘Arctic Riff’ (2020)

2011 brought its share of comebacks (Gregg Allman, the Meters’ Zigaboo Modeliste, the Time) Stax-related joys (both Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper issued solo sides) and out-of-nowhere delights (Big Head Todd does the blues?). But how did they rank on my list? Read on, as I count down myRead More

The music of Raoul Bjorkenheim, Bill Laswell and Morgan Agren is just as interesting for what it does as what it doesn’t do