Issue Articles
My Music: Alvin Youngblood Hart
“My oldest brother was in his mid-teens in the Bay Area in the mid-’60s, so whatever was going on, you picked up on early. I picked up the Bill Graham […]
Next Generation Big Band, Harold Battiste Presents: The Next Generation Big Band (AFO Records)
Any time that local musicians get projects released of some of the rarely recorded New Orleans music, it is something to be celebrated. Jesse McBride has been working on making […]
Rex Gregory, Rocket Summer (Independent)
Rex Gregory’s latest release, Rocket Summer, exhibits maturation in his playing, his writing, and his band. This is a jazz record that gives reference and nods to the past while […]
Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Lickety Split (Blue Note)
Blue Note Records has added a new sound since it was known for Art Blakey, Horace Silver, and Lee Morgan. Now it’s moved into the rhythm and blues world with […]
Jeff Albert Instigation Quartet, The Tree on the Mound (RogueArt)
The art and practice of listening is both difficult and underemphasized in our current world. Starting from the first cut on this great quartet recording led by trombonist Jeff Albert, […]
Jake Leg Stompers, Up to No Good (Hoodoo Records)
There is a swagger to the Jake Leg Stompers. They play their version of old timey music and make it relevant to this day and age. It may be old […]
Wadada Leo Smith & TUM, Occupy the World (TUM)
After decades of great records, forward-thinking compositions, and his own style of playing, trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith is finally getting some acclaim. His 4-CD set of work inspired […]
Shannon McNally: Small Town Talk, The Songs of Bobby Charles (Sacred Sumac Music)
An excellent confluence of factors make Shannon McNally’s new record of Bobby Charles tunes a record to which you can listen, sing along, and even dance. The first is Bobby […]
Brass-A-Holics: I Am a Brass-A-Holic (Independent)
These days the brass bands fall into two basic yet malleable categories, the raw, street parade bands and the more polished stage/club oriented band. Brass-A-Holics add keyboard, guitar, and trap […]
Tommy Malone: Natural Born Days (MC Records)
It’s a crime that Tommy Malone isn’t better known around the world. He is a triple threat—beautiful singer, fine songwriter, and killer guitarist. Most of those talents are showcased on […]
