Next week, the progressively minded jazz clarinetist Ben Goldberg will treat us to not one but two new albums, each by nearly entirely different supporting musicians. You May Also Like: Dan Blacksberg – Radiant Others (2017) Ben Goldberg School – Vol 1: The Humanities (2017) David Krakauer and Ancestral GrooveRead More

Making up tunes on stage isn’t for the feint of heart, but the best musicians like Keith Jarrett can handle it. You May Also Like: Dizzy Gillespie and Friends – Concert of the Century: A Tribute to Charlie Parker (2016) Kali Z. Fasteau, featuring Kidd Jordan – Intuit (2016)

Paul Motian’s death in late 2011 was a big loss, to be certain, but the still-vibrant 70-year-old Barry Altschul has for four decades demonstrated mastery over the finer points of jazz drumming, using its full range not just as a time keeping device but as a richly tonal instrument. YouRead More

In 2008, clarinetist Ben Goldberg assembled a conventional ensemble to record music with unconventional underpinnings. In 2012, Goldberg again assembled an ensemble to record music with unconventional underpinnings, but this time, the structure of the group for these later sessions is unconventional to match. You May Also Like: Ben GoldbergRead More

Confusion Bleue is a self-described “total improvisation unit” led by Japanese pianist Nobu Stowe (who also hold a PhD in Psychology) and Omaha native, drummer Ray Sage (formally of Reverb Motherfuckers). You May Also Like: Brian Groder Trio – R Train on the D Line (2016)

There are an awful lot of forward-thinking jazz musicians in Brooklyn and I’m going to tell you (once again) about one such group of guys. You May Also Like: Thollem – ‘Worlds In A Life, Two’ (2024) Thollem – ‘Worlds In A Life, One’ (2024) ‘Journey: Worlds Apart,’ by NickRead More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuxpYZDQLnk&w=420&h=315] I like Mostly Other People Do The Killing (heretofore referred to as MOPDTK) because they’re merry musical marksmen, top drawer jazz musicians who shoot down every style they suggest. But I don’t know how many other people can dig this. You May Also Like: Mostly Other People DoRead More

As a member of many an experimental or edgy band (Herculaneum, Cursive, Icy Demons, Michael Columbia), it’s not hard to surmise that when drummer Dylan Ryan got around to leading his own band, it would be out on the margins of music, too. You May Also Like: How Robert PlantRead More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lcGp6XXHVY&w=420&h=315] The Seattle-based trio Triptet calls themselves “a meeting of minds and spontaneous electrical impulses between Michael Monhart (saxophones and percussion), Tom Baker (fretless guitar and effects), and Greg Campbell (percussion, french horn and cheap electronics).” I call them, simply, a trip. You May Also Like: MMBC (Michael Bisio,Read More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB7aWTFGcuI&w=420&h=315] Vancouver native and saxophonist Michael Blake came back to this Canadian city after residing in NYC for a quarter century, and brought home a wealth of ideas with him. You May Also Like: Ryan Blotnick – Kush (2016)