Articles by Rob Caldwell
Gary McFarland: The In Sound & Soft Samba
by Rob Caldwell
Arranger, vibraphonist and singer Gary McFarland is regarded as one of the major purveyors of orchestral jazz--a type of jazz which had its heyday in the 1960s, but which is not heard as much anymore. A fine line separates orchestral jazz from the dreaded “easy listening" tag. A line so fine, they're often one and the same. McFarland, thankfully, managed to walk more on the jazz side, recording a series of albums for Verve and Impulse before his untimely death ...
Continue ReadingRon Korb: Pan-Global Flutist
by Rob Caldwell
In a 20-year career, Grammy nominated flutist Ron Korb has experienced the lows and highs of a touring musician. He's been stuck in the Panamanian jungle when the bus transporting he and his band to their show broke down, leaving them teetering on the top of a hillside for hours in the blazing sun while repairs were done. Yet, he's also had many experiences to treasure, such as when he performed a concert for 3000 people at the historic Heian ...
Continue ReadingKaitlyn Aurelia Smith: EARS
by Rob Caldwell
In trying to describe Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's music it occurred to me that it sounds like music that would be made by computers if computers ever evolve to posses their own intelligence and emotions. But that doesn't quite hit it... perhaps a better way would be to say that it's some of the most organic electronic music I've ever heard, vibrant and full of life. In a recent interview, Smith describes the music made by some of her influences as ...
Continue ReadingLight of the Supreme: Carlos Santana’s Devadip Trilogy
by Rob Caldwell
To the casual music fan in 1971 Carlos Santana appeared as if he was on top of the world. His band's appearance at Woodstock two short years earlier, plus their cover of Fleetwood Mac's “Black Magic Woman" had catapulted him to stardom. Yet, behind the scenes, his band was splintering. Different musical and personal objectives, plus the increased usage of hard drugs by some band members were getting in the way. By the end of the year, bassist David Brown, ...
Continue ReadingSteve Tibbetts: “Northern Song” and the Sounds of Silence
by Rob Caldwell
It's a chilly, overcast afternoon in Oslo, Norway in late October 1981. This close to the Arctic Circle, the days are already rapidly shortening with winter's approach, the sun beginning to disappear over the horizon by mid-afternoon. In a darkened studio, guitarist Steve Tibbetts, percussionist Marc Anderson, producer and ECM Records head Manfred Eicher, along with engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug have been sequestered for two days of a three day recording session. The team is intently laying down tracks for ...
Continue ReadingMonoswezi: Monoswezi Yanga
by Rob Caldwell
A while back I picked up a copy of a 1971 Smithsonian album featuring the traditional mbira music of the Shona People of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). It's a valuable ethnomusicological recording, but unless one is from that culture, the appeal may be limited. The mbira, though, is a fascinating instrument and I longed to hear more of it, perhaps in a more modern context. That's where Scandanavian/African group Monoswezi comes in. Monoswezi Yanga is their second album on ...
Continue ReadingKevin Eubanks & Stanley Jordan: Duets
by Rob Caldwell
We know Kevin Eubanks as a long-time leader and guitarist for The Tonight Show band, as well as a string of solo albums. Stanley Jordan, of course, turned the jazz world on its ear in the mid 80's with his revolutionary two-handed tapping technique on the guitar fretboard. Both musicians have been used to being in the spotlight. As such, one might expect a showy, flashy set of tracks on their Duets album. Yet, Duets is an understated album full ...
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