After the fiery introduction made on his 2011 eponymous debut, vibraphonist Warren Wolf takes a more melodic tack with the follow up Wolfgang, and the results are as inviting as they are joy-filled. You May Also Like: Brian Blade on Wolfgang Muthspiel’s ‘Angular Blues’: Something Else! Interview Wolfgang Muthspiel, Populous,Read More

Yes, I drank muddy water — and slept in a hollow log! Um, hmm! I said that I steady drank muddy water, and slept in a hollow log. Ah huh! You May Also Like: How Eric Clapton’s ‘Me and Mr. Johnson’ Made the Case for British Blues Gato Libre [NatsukiRead More

A vibraphonist very much in the tradition of Lionel Hampton, Peter Appleyard — who’d, fittingly, worked with Benny Goodman in the period that these recordings were made — has issued 21 albums as a leader. Unfortunately, many (maybe most) of them have long been out of print, including a pairRead More

A finely judged treatment of David Bowie’s music, done without hewing too closely to the old sides — and without fear of going too deep into his catalog for material. You May Also Like: How David Bowie’s ‘Reality’ Stood Out For What It Was Not

Ellis Marsalis’ ‘New Orleans Christmas Carol’ is a showcase for the underexposed patriarch of the city’s first family of jazz, and a record of sumptuous charm.

There is often a West Coast cool this recording, thanks largely to the smoothly energetic phrasings of vibraphonist Dave Shank. That’s not to say, however, that Soundproof doesn’t have its moments of fiery interplay You May Also Like: Dave Stryker – Eight Track II (2016)

Last year we investigated a strong post-bop excursion by the potent, up-and-coming partnership of tenor saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Behn Gillece. Little Echo (2010) swung like mad and put into sharp focus the tight rapport of Fowser and Gillece You May Also Like: Ken Fowser – ‘Right On Time’Read More

I wasn’t familiar with the work of vibraphonist Bill Ware (though a quick Allmusic search said that he’s played with the Jazz Passengers, Groove Collective and even Steely Dan) but I was, then as now, a sucker for the sound of vibes. What’s more, I’ll buy anything with the nameRead More

by S. Victor Aaron My current rotation has Crystal Silence by Gary Burton and Chick Corea, as well as After-Birth Of Cool by the Chris Graham Trio. When I play the two records concurrently or near concurrently, I pick up the same ambiance from the latter as I do fromRead More

There was, for a pairing of musicians so closely associated with other forms, an irrepressible blues feel to 1961’s “Bags Meets Wes,” reissued this year as part of the Keepnews Collection. That makes a chance meeting between Milt Jackson (longtime member of the complex, often formal Modern Jazz Quartet) andRead More