Hey all, it's been more than a hot minute since I've been blogging. Most of this is due to the fact that I've been working on my book manuscript. But now that it's temporarily out of my hands, I'm going to get back to this site. I had some domain and web hosting issues, so …
Last Batch of Favorites of 2014 & Thoughts on the NPR Poll
Happy 2015 folks. Even though the new year is already a few days old there's already more than a few excellent releases to look forward to in 2015. I'm particularly stoked about the live album from Jack DeJohnette/Roscoe Mitchell/Henry Threadgill/Muhal Richard Abrams/Larry Gray that is coming out on ECM shortly. But I'm getting ahead of …
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More Favorites of 2014: Peter Brendler and Captain Black Big Band
Ok folks, a couple more of my favorite albums from the last year (and as always, the whole list can be found here).... Peter Brendler, Outside the Line (Posi-tone) - What a sizzling, fun, and adventurous date. Bassist Brendler, joined by the unbeatable front line of tenor saxist Rich Perry and trumpeter Peter Evans, and …
Continue reading More Favorites of 2014: Peter Brendler and Captain Black Big Band
More Favorite Albums of 2014
Well, it's that time again - the yearly "best of" lists have started appearing, and yearly readers and critics polls have either come out or are immanent. I've been working on putting together a list of my favorite albums of the year for quite some time, and I've got a few more to add to …
My Top Ten Bucket-List Jazz Albums
A few weeks ago a former professor of mine shared an article on Facebook from the Village Voice that listed the Ten Jazz Albums to Hear Before You Die. Usually it seems like the "ten whatevers you need to do/visit/read/listen before you die" lists are things that people probably haven't done, are not likely to …
Expose Yourself to Johnny Janot….Or Not
It's been quite a while since I dropped a Wacky LP of the Day on you all, but as soon as I remember I owned the following, I felt like I had to share. Dig this little beauty..... I bought this amazingly awful record as soon as I saw the amazing cover. It didn't hurt …
Enough with the Sex/Sax Puns and More!
In the Fall 2014 issue of Jazziz I came across this piece on saxophonist Mindi Abair: "Sax Education." Ugh, as a saxophonist I've been hearing the sex/sax pun since I was about 10 years old. And let me tell you, it never gets old. Wait, that's not true, it got old about 10th grade. Unless …
Get Hip! Fast: Astell&Kern Blue Note 75th Anniversary Package
Among the many different products celebrating Blue Note's 75th Anniversary (or perhaps capitalizing upon is a better way to put it) is the Astell & Kern Blue Note 75th Anniversary Package. When I got the press release I was curious, so I clicked on the link and here's what the package includes: -75 Blue Note …
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Jacob Young’s Multiple Sides and the Danger of Pigeonholing
There aren't too many professional musicians I know who can only do one thing. In fact there might not be any. To make it playing music one has to be able to take a bunch of gigs which requires playing in a bunch of styles - weddings, swing dances, funk bands, latin, messed up country, …
Continue reading Jacob Young’s Multiple Sides and the Danger of Pigeonholing
The Genre Bending of Rare Noise Records
The handful releases from Rare Noise records I've received in the last couple years has presented a problem for organizing my music collection: as I sort albums into loosely defined genres I can't figure out where in the hell to put them. Most of Rare Noise's output that I've heard contains a mix of so …
Outside-Inside-Out 