Articles by Mike Brannon
Fusion: What's in a Name?
by Mike Brannon
This article was first published on All About Jazz in November 2000. When I was just starting out, playing guitar in bands as a kid, it was the Blues of Muddy Waters, Fred McDowell, Howlin' Wolf and then the Stones, Hendrix, Cream, Johnny Winter, Kinks, Clapton, The Who, Zepplin etc. A natural progression. When I was about 18 I heard a record with Joe Pass and Herb Ellis on it doing guitar duets and everything changed. ...
Continue ReadingMy Conversation with Bob Berg
by Mike Brannon
This article first appeared at All About Jazz in March 2002. The probability that you've heard Bob Berg's distinctive, soulful, intelligent soloing is very high if you've heard the more contemporary work of Miles Davis, Mike Stern, Chick Corea, Horace Silver, Cedar Walton, Gary Burton, Randy Brecker, Jaco Pastorius and now a new version of the supergroup, Steps Ahead, with Mike Mainieri, Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine, Elaine Elias from which a new release is due later this Spring. ...
Continue ReadingMeet Drummer Danny Gottlieb
by Mike Brannon
This article was first published at All About Jazz in January 2001. If you don't know drummer Danny Gottlieb or you know him from only the earliest incarnations of the Pat Metheny Group, there's a lot you don't know about this talented, multi-faceted musician. Not complacent to rest on past laurels of any kind, Gottleib currently juggles percussion duties with more groups and ensembles than many work with in a lifetime, seeing it all optimistically, as a welcomed ...
Continue ReadingBill Frisell Interview: The Textural Minimalist Redefines American Music
by Mike Brannon
This article was first published at All About Jazz on March 2001. It's safe to say, the great American composer/improviser has a new face. Formerly more likely to have been two different people, one committed to the quiet focused existence of composition at a piano while the other roaming the stages of the world, expressing beauty and fighting personal demons. When one considers this prospect, Frisell might not be the first to mind, but rather a Copeland, Sousa, ...
Continue ReadingBill Stewart: Ain't No Funk In Iowa
by Mike Brannon
This article was first published at All About Jazz in May 2002. Upon joining The John Scofield group in the mid '80s it seemed like drummer Bill Stewart just appeared out of nowhere. Of course, Scofield and Stewart did a number of tours and studio dates together while word got around about Stewart's unique sound and approach to the kit and music. More recently an extensive, high profile tour with Pat Metheny's trio project brought his name to ...
Continue ReadingPat Martino: Creative Force
by Mike Brannon
This article was first published at All About Jazz in June 2000. Pat Martino. A name that strikes anything from fear to sheer awe and reverence in musicians who know who this is. And what he's done and been through. And continues to go through. The name resonates a bridge between the true Jazz swing era throughout the organ trio groove and into the modern era and its (digital and electronic) resources of today. A musical ...
Continue ReadingLyle Mays Goes Solo
by Mike Brannon
From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared at All About Jazz in May 2001. What if you were to look beyond the obvious of what you normally do each day, and you learned to see beyond? What if your mind, and ears were always open yet you stayed deeply focused and unwavering from your concentration on the moment? For Lyle Mays, it was to pull that which is not obvious from the piano to create ...
Continue ReadingBill Stewart Interview
by Mike Brannon
From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared at All About Jazz in May 2002. Upon joining The John Scofield group in the mid '80s it seemed like drummer Bill Stewart just appeared out of nowhere. They of course did a number of tours and studio dates together while word got around about Stewart's unique sound and approach to the kit and music. More recently an extensive, high profile tour with Pat Metheny's trio project brought his name ...
Continue ReadingMedeski, Martin and Wood: A Retro Phenomenon for the New Millenium
by Mike Brannon
From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared at All About Jazz in April 1999. No, they're not a law firm, and though they're not yet a household word either, MMW is a trio of formidable sonic integrity and groove. 'Fronted' by Hammond B-3 organist John Medeski, the trio has been described as everything from “acoustic funk" and “acid jazz" to “Sanford and Sun Ra" (my favorite). The reality is that this equal collaboration between Medeski, acoustic/electric bassist, ...
Continue ReadingCatching up with Herbie Hancock
by Mike Brannon
From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared at All About Jazz in September 1998. Seldom has a musician been so closely associated with two separate musical genres as has pianist and composer Herbie Hancock. Originally introduced to the world as part of Miles Davis' mid-60's group, which also included Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams and Ron Carter, Hancock also made a name for himself in the pop world as well, starting with the Headhunters band in '72 and ...
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