Articles by Patrick Burnette
Return of the Muse
by Patrick Burnette
Some indie labels find a happy home in the afterlife--think Prestige, Contemporary, et al who thrived for years under the Fantasy banner and are now sheltered under the wing of Craft Records. Others aren't so lucky. Super-producer and Record Store Day regular Zev Feldman has now made an enterprise of rescuing records from the long-dormant Muse label. What do the boys think of Zev's first three picks for deluxe vinyl reissues? How about the bonus Muse recording they included to ...
Continue ReadingYa Can't Spell "Jazz" Without "Jason"
by Patrick Burnette
"High Concept" is sometime used as a derogatory term for movies that are more about a saleable idea than a good script. This installment of the podcast is definitely “high concept," but we can assure you, it still isn't particularly saleable. Struck hard upside the head by inspiration, Mike decided to do a show entirely dedicated to jazzers named Jason--without even one Moran in sight. The results may confound you or titillate you. Either way, we won't be winning any ...
Continue ReadingVinyl Old, New, and Reissued
by Patrick Burnette
Yep, it's one of those “what did Pat find at the record store?" episodes, with an emphasis on lesser known artists (unless the guitarist from Tortoise is a secret superstar). It's a testament to jazz's recent love affair with vinyl that the newest album came out on the black stuff, one of the “historic" albums is a reissue, and another one--a “cratedigger's delight"--is slated for its own deluxe edition.Playlist Discussion of Charlie Rouse's album Cinnamon Flower (Douglas) 2:51 ...
Continue ReadingDrum Machines and Griot Songs
by Patrick Burnette
This fortnight, Mike's cued up four newish releases with very different approaches to modern jazz. We have a couple piano trios (one of which calls in reinforcements from time to time), a duet with some space-age percussion, and a gigantic, sprawling big band project. Pat sneaks some jazz vinyl talk into pop matters.Playlist Discussion of Rachel Eckroth's album Speaking in Tongues (Adhyâropa) 5:47 Discussion of Bill O'Connell's album Touch (Jo Jo) 23:24 Discussion of Eric Bell's album Vulnerability ...
Continue Reading(Mostly) Not the Usual Suspects
by Patrick Burnette
The Bastards delve into the fecund fields of fusion once again, focusing on that most electric of decades, the 1970s. This excursion sticks mostly to lesser-known stars in the fusion firmament, but there's one exception to this rule. That exception likes his finger-picking fast and his cover-girls nekkid.Playlist Discussion of Passport's album Hand Made (Atlantic) 2:51 Discussion of Ryo Kawasaki's album Juice (RCA) 15:17 Discussion of Herman Szobel's album Szobel (Heartcore) 26:44 Discussion of Neil Ardley's album Kaleidoscope ...
Continue ReadingNew from Known
by Patrick Burnette
For this particular fortnightly excursion, Mike suggested we look at four newish recordings by artists we've covered--or at least listened to a bit--before. The fresh from the familiar as it were. The results leave Pat speechless. Playlist Discussion of podcast's raison d'etre 0:30 Discussion of Jon Irabagon's album Server Farm (Irrabagast) 10:13 Discussion of Gonzalo Rubalcaba's album First Meeting Live at Dizzy's (5Passions) 28:26 Discussion of Kurt Rosenwinkel'a album The Brahms Project (Heartcore) 44:00 Discussion of 8 Bit ...
Continue ReadingOut from the Vaults
by Patrick Burnette
The most recent Record Store Day episode is barely in the rear-view, but the boys decide to take on four more vault finds dug up by jazz detective Zev Feldman. Which ones are keepers and which ones get the dreaded label “redundant" and an invite off the island (or, at least, out of the record collection)? Only listening to this podcast will answer that query! Playlist Discussion of Yusef Lateef's album Atlantis Lullaby (Elemental) 3:00 Discussion of Sun ...
Continue ReadingVocals? Sorta
by Patrick Burnette
From time to time this august podcast discusses the jazz vocal arts and opinions are expressed. Heavy hitters like Sinatra, Fitzgerald, Vaughan, and Torme have all been inspected. For this episode, the boys venture to the odder corners of the jazz vocal realm, looking at projects where the vocalist isn't the only--or sometimes even the main--talent featured. Also we talk about ELO. Playlist Discussion of Frankie Laine's album Jazz Spectacular (Columbia) 2:34 Discussion of Astrud Gilberto's album Follow ...
Continue ReadingMike on Brad
by Patrick Burnette
This fortnight's broadcast looks at four recent albums by up-and-coming artists--from the fairly well-known to the outright obscure. But hard-core listeners really want to wait for the so-called “pop matters" section, when we finally get to hear what Mike thinks of Brad Mehldau's autobiography. Is Brad teasing God? Or teasing us about God? Stay tuned to find out. Playlist Discussion of Sullivan Fortner album Southern Nights (Artwork) 4:06 Discussion of Caleb Wheeler Curtis' albums The True Story of ...
Continue ReadingMeet Matt Merewitz of Fully Altered Media
by Patrick Burnette
Mike's out, so Pat gets to interview publicist-turned-manager Matt Merewitz solo. Listen for lots of insights, opinions, and tales from the biz by Matt. ...
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