Credit usually goes to the Byrds for founding the folk-rock movement, but the Beau Brummels were actually the first band to not only play such a style but obtain commercial success in the process. You May Also Like: The folkiest moment on Queen’s Night at the Opera was still aRead More
The Bay Area guerrilla thrash-jazzers the Splatter Trio were only together for five or six years during the first half of the 90s, but they managed to leave a path of destruction in their wake. You May Also Like: Peter Brotzmann, Majid Bekkas + Hamid Drake – ‘Catching Ghosts’ (2023)Read More
Patrick Cress’ brainchild Mercury Falls is back again three years after they debuted with a project I previously opined that in their alchemy of jazz and alt-rock, “these guys figured it out right from the start.” You May Also Like: Ivo Perelman, Mark Helias + Tom Rainey – ‘Truth Seeker’Read More
Dave Haskell is back, which is undoubtedly significant news for longtime followers of the San Francisco Bay Area’s jazz and blues scenes. And if you’re a fusion fan from any other locale, then let me tell you why that should be significant to you, too. You May Also Like: HowRead More
Jazz vocalists don’t typically give me the same charge I get from jazz instrumentalists, but there are always a few exceptions to the rule. You May Also Like: Xander and the Peace Pirates, “Soul Sailing” (2016): One Track Mind Rich Halley and Carson Halley – The Wild (2017)
JL Stiles comes out of a blues-playing tradition, but he moves far afield of anything so straight-forward on House of Murmurs, a layered, connective album that can’t be anchored to any one specific genre. You May Also Like: Pink Floyd, “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast” from Atom Heart Mother (1970): One TrackRead More
San Francisco Bay Area blues legends the Delta Wires take a victory lap after their induction into the Blues Hall of Fame with the release of their historical survey Anthology. You May Also Like: How the Isley Brothers Made Seals and Crofts’ ‘Summer Breeze’ Their Own The Poppees – ‘PopRead More
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77yuAl2Zc_c&w=420&h=315] Last year we told you about this funky, compact combo from the San Francisco Bay area by the name of Flowtilla, and their last album Waves and Particles showed how you can wring a lot of funk from such a little band. You May Also Like: Flowtilla –Read More
Fire Red Moon is neither the arena rock of Craig Chaquico’s days with Jefferson Starship, nor the chart-topping smooth jazz that he initially turned to as a solo artist. It’s something grittier, more primordial — and utterly surprising. You May Also Like: Jefferson Starship, “Find Your Way Back” from ModernRead More
Jerry Garcia taught Saunders how to loosen up. Merl Saunders taught Garcia how to play the old standards. It was a match made in heaven.
