Jazz Articles
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Dr John: Things Happen That Way
by Chris May
Interviewing the late Dr John aka The Night Tripper aka Dr John Creaux aka Mac Rebennack was a pleasure. Witty, erudite and b.s. free, he was reliably good copy. On one occasion he was an hour late and obviously, totally and spectacularly off his face. If I nod out," he said, kick me on the shin." The doctor was in... and out. Things Happen That Way has turned out to be Dr John's last recorded studio album, ...
read moreSamantha Fish: Kill Or Be Kind
by Doug Collette
Wielding her guitar as she adopts a saucy blonde bombshell pose, the image Samantha Fish projects on the cover of her Rounder Records debut would mean next to nothing if the music inside didn't deliver a similarly striking impact. Recorded at largely at Royal Studios in Memphis and another two sites in New Orleans, the woman's excursion into the roots of r&b, soul and blues supplements a fully-formed style as a guitarist and vocalist that even blues icon Buddy Guy ...
read moreGregg Allman: Southern Blood
by C. Michael Bailey
Music made at the end is always necessary listening. It may not be the best, prettiest, most, but it is obligatory if, for no other reason, as a final act of respect for the artist. Examples of compelling music made at the end of an artist's life are manifold. From classical composition, late Mozart, in particular his Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 (1791--composed three months before his death), not to mention his Requiem, K. 626 (1791--unfinished at the ...
read moreBobby Rush: Porcupine Meat
by James Nadal
They don't call Bobby Rush the King of the Chitlin' Circuit for nothing. With an extraordinary discography, and legendary status as an enthusiastic live performer, Rush was recognized in 2015 with a fifty year, retrospective box set, titled Chicken Heads," by Omnivore Recordings. Returning to his home state of Louisiana, and recorded in New Orleans, the octogenarian singer stays true to his southern funky blues style on Porcupine Meat, his debut release for Rounder Records. Rush is also ...
read moreMadeleine Peyroux: Keep Me In Your Heart For A While: The Best Of Madeleine Peyroux
by C. Michael Bailey
Vocalist and composer Madeleine Peyroux has a stylistic reach well beyond that of jazz. Her only peer in this respect is Nora Jones. True, she has a great fascination with Billie Holiday, but she has managed to assimilate this influence into her own presence and parlay it into the para-jazz realm with intelligent programming and song choice. These have been the hallmark of Peyroux's art over her six recordings. Peyroux's music is beautifully crafted and organic with ...
read moreTom Jones: Spirit in the Room, Deluxe Edition
by C. Michael Bailey
The Rolling Stones celebrate 50 years as a band, resting on their well earned laurels while British peer Tom Jones continues to reinvent himself with the edgy and soulful sequel to his successful 2010 release Praise and Blame (Island Records). What's New Pussycat?" and It's Not Unusual" seem as far away as the Hubble Telescope's deep space images. Jones, who mined much of the same American vernacular as the late Johnny Cash on his previous recording, spreads his musical net ...
read moreSkydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective
by C. Michael Bailey
If a musical note has a soul, Duane Allman could slide up to it and hold it beneath a Coricidin bottle in a tremolo seizure of sonic perfection until it screamed. Whether it is the whiplash introduction to Don't Keep Me Wonderin'" or the most perfect electric blues performance recorded on One Way Out," Allman had a certain radioactive intuition that translated into fire, grace and passion. Like Schubert, Allman made hay while the sun was shining, ...
read moreJD McPherson: Signs and Signifiers
by John Coltelli
There is an often told tale of a NASA time capsule sent to the dark regions of outer space in late 1977. The capsule, intended to be discovered by beings light years away, was festooned with various sounds that would give a clue as to life on mother earth; the rustling of leaves, the sound of water flowing gently over a riverbed, a baby's cry, or the clackety racket of internal combustion engines. Also included were quartets from Bach, symphonies ...
read moreThe Soul Rebels: Unlock Your Mind
by Wade Luquet
The evolution of the New Orleans brass band continues with each generation and its latest transformation can be heard in Unlock Your Mind by The Soul Rebels. The work of these eight young Crescent City natives is progressive, rhythmic and addictive. It is also highly reflective of their early exposure to New Orleans beats heard in their neighborhoods and high school marching bands with dance rhythms backing powerful horns. The syncopated beat is held down by the rhythm section that ...
read moreBela Fleck & The Marcus Roberts Trio: Across The Imaginary Divide
by Doug Collette
Across The Imaginary Divide, the collaboration between banjoist Béla Fleck and The Marcus Roberts Trio, is as adventurous as its title suggests. And the fruit of these four musicians' labor is as seamless as their approach is fearless.The opening moments of Some Roads Lead Home" demonstrate that the modesty with which the foursome interacts does not belie their skills. There is no showboating, as Fleck's acoustic instrument gives way to pianist Roberts' and their fluidity carries over to ...
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