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Legendary jazz drummer, bandleader and composer Eric McPherson
by Doug Hall
On this show we chat with legendary jazz drummer, band leader, and composer Eric McPherson. Mr. McPherson would be introduced to music and jazz at a very young age. Richard Davis, his godfather and an icon among jazz bassists, was a neighborhood friend of the family, and his mother, a superb dancer-choreographer, deep into the jazz scene was taking him to rehearsals and performances, as a child. Her wide orbit of friends included many drummers, major jazz artists like Max ...
Continue ReadingJames Robert Murphy: Sunday Morning
by Kyle Simpler
Some musicians stick to one style and consistently remain true to it, while others continually explore new sounds and musical styles. Guitarist James Robert Murphy, aka Austin Jimmy Murphy, falls into this second category. He has worked in various genres, but he is clearly a jazz player at heart. With Sunday Morning, he offers a satisfying collection of jazz compositions, grounded in blues, shaded with Americana. Much of this comes as a result of Murphy's eclectic ...
Continue ReadingReykjavik Jazz Festival 2025
by Nenad Georgievski
Reykjavik Jazz Festival Harpa Concert Hall Reykjavik, IcelandAugust 26-31, 2025 Jazz festivals are rarely just stages and instruments. They are living, breathing ecosystems, a careful weaving together of artists, ideas, and audiences. Each performer brings a unique expression, and each set is curated with an ear for the festival's identity. Financial constraints may exist, but thoughtful curation is what gives a festival its soul. The Reykjavik Jazz Festival is no exception: it's a mosaic of ...
Continue ReadingAaron Parks Little Big in Hong Kong
by Rob Garratt
Aaron Parks Little Big Jazz in the Neighbourhood Tsuen Wan Town Hall, Hong Kong September 22, 2025 A charged, expectant energy filled the room in the moments before Aaron Parks took to the stage. A few hours before the American pianist's debut Hong Kong appearance as leader, it was announced that all schools would be closed for the next two days; barely 12 hours after he left the stage most workplaces and ...
Continue ReadingCarmen Staaf: Monk's Mood
by John Chacona
There is an iconic image in Charlotte Zwerin's 1988 documentary film Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser that shows Monk, cigarette in hand, silently contemplating a misty Manhattan skyline. As heard on her recording Sounding Line (Sunnyside Records, 2025), Carmen Staaf's arrangement of “Monk's Mood" that begins with Dylan Vado's spectral bowed vibes perfectly captures the soft-focus melancholy of the image. That Staaf's piano style bears little resemblance to Monk's speaks to the enduring influence of his music, the ...
Continue ReadingJoe Alterman & Mocean Worker: Keep The Line Open
by Andy Crowther
The spirit of the late, great pianist Les McCann is revived and respected in Keep The Line Open from Mocean Worker (aka Adam Dorn) and Joe Alterman. Bassist-producer Dorn and pianist-composer Alterman are uniquely placed to record a tribute to their mentor and friend McCann. Dorn's father Joel worked with McCann at Atlantic Records producing classics such as Swiss Movement, then Adam himself formed a relationship with McCann over long phone conversations, even playing with him on tour. ...
Continue ReadingLettuce: Lettuce with the Colorado Symphony
by Joshua Weiner
Over three decades, the Boston-born funk band Lettuce has delighted audiences worldwide and amassed a discography boasting eight studio albums and three live albums. They have shared members and concerts with the prolific jazz/funk trio Soulive, hit #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart with 2015's Crush (Lettuce Records), and been nominated for the Instrumental Album of the Year Grammy award for 2020's Elevate (Lettuce Records). With a selection of tunes spanning two decades of the band's work, the live album ...
Continue ReadingWolfgang Muthspiel: Tokyo
by Doug Collette
Even a mere cursory perusal of Wolfgang Muthspiel's discography reveals how his playing has evolved over the years, populating a body of work that is roundly eclectic, but nonetheless focused. That very summary might well also apply to this third outing with the aforementioned high-profile rhythm section of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade (ECM, 2023) because on Tokyo, the Austrian guitarist sounds as liberated as in this combo context as on Angular Blues (ECM Records, 2020) and Dance ...
Continue ReadingNew Music from Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura, Henry Threadgill and The Baltimore Jazz Collective
by Hobart Taylor
New Music from Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura, Henry Threadgill, Carmen Bradford and The Baltimore Jazz Collective.Playlist Baltimore Jazz Collective “Intercession" from Baltimore Jazz Collective (Self-Produced) 00:00 Carmen Bradford “Boy, Do I Have a Surprise for You" from Carmen Sings Carmen (Artists Alliance Records) 6:35 Host Speaks 10:15 Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble “Insane" from Groove in the Face of Adversity (Mack Avenue) 11:14 Steve Allee Big Band “Ransom Place (Naptown Suite III)" from Full Circle (Jazzville) ...
Continue ReadingMiguel Zenón, Max Nagl, Vincent Ségal, Stéphane Kerecki & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
A playlist of handpicked gems from both sides of the Atlantic.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Max Nagl “Shoklad" Phasolny (Rude Noises) 0:16 Host talks 4:04 Vincent Ségal, Stéphane Kerecki “L'échappée" Ponticello (Fuga Libera) 5:16 Host talks 7:47 Naïssam Jalal feat. Sylvain Rifflet “Souffle #3" Souffles (Les couleurs du son) 9:20 Luke Stewart's Silt Remembrance Ensemble “Silt Remembrance" The Order (Cuneiform) 13:14 Jeff Walton “Easy Tease" Pack Animals ...
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