Jazz Articles about Mike Dillon

About Mike Dillon

Album Review

Nolatet: Somethin' To Relax With

Read "Somethin' To Relax With" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
May 21, 2026

Nolatet unites four veteran voices from the New Orleans jazz scene. Bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich have formed one of the city's most durable and inventive rhythm sections since the late 1970s, anchoring Astral Project and backing everyone from Professor Longhair to Dizzy Gillespie. Vibraphonist Mike Dillon brings his trademark guerrilla energy and percussive mischief from Garage a Trois, while pianist Brian Haas--a longtime architect of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey--contributes rangy, classically informed harmonies and fearless improvisation. The ...

Radio & Podcasts

Mike Dillon, Ludovica Burtone, Marc Jordan, Simon Moullier & New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
April 11, 2023

Countless forms of fusion in this week's show, from jazz and pop to other musical traditions. There are enough genetic modifications in just one hour to prove that jazz's resilience passes Darwinian evolutionary standards!Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Roc Flowers, Stefano De Donato, Fabrizio Bosso, Max Ionata “And I Know" Ovision (Music for Love) 0:16 Host talks 5:40 Marc Jordan “Coltrane Plays the Blues" Waiting for the ...

Radio & Podcasts

Ben Wolfe, Trombone Shorty, Margie Hyams & Mike Dillon

by Joe Dimino
February 5, 2023

We kick off the 788th Episode of Neon Jazz with vibraphonist and Kansas City native Mike Dillon and Punkadelic with music off their 2023 album Inflorescence. We follow that with Punkadelic member Brian Haas of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and their take on The Beatles “Julia" from their last studio album Winterwood Revealed. From there, we dig into new projects from Ben Wolfe, Chris Dingman, Jay Lawrence and Sam Taylor. We also shine a good light on The Godfather of ...

Radio & Podcasts

Mike Dillon, Chick Corea, Milt Jackson and More

by Joe Dimino
November 1, 2020

This week we start with the music of veteran vibraphonist Mike Dillon, who just returned to Kansas City, and has a released a new album Rosewood. We also spotlight new music from Nicholas Krolak, Bartosz Hadala, Dann Zinn and Joe Fiedler. We give a birthday shoutout to the legendary Terry Gibbs and say good-bye to Eddie Van Halen who had a solid jazz history. Dig the music. Playlist Mike Dillon “Tiki Bird Whistle" Rosewood (Royal Potato Family) 00:00 ...

Album Review

Mike Dillon: Rosewood

Read "Rosewood" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
July 22, 2020

Texas-born Mike Dillon moves in as many different directions as his varied skills allow. Witness his work with, among others, Garage A Trois, Critters Buggin' and Nolatet. Yet none of his adventures are as satisfying as when he adheres to his niche as vibraphonist/percussionist, so Rosewood makes a suitable companion piece to the similarly conceived and executed Functioning Broke (Royal Potato Family, 2016). As a matter of fact, Rosewood is almost a direct extension of that album. A ...

Album Review

Mike Dillon: Functioning Broke

Read "Functioning Broke" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
July 3, 2016

As idiosyncratic as Mike Dillon's work has been with Critters Buggin' and Garage a Trois, it's well-nigh impossible not to fall under the spell of the music he creates all by himself on Functioning Broke. A deep dream-like quality emanates from his musicianship, most resonant in the warm glow of vibes that open “Half Right" and continues virtually unabated for the course of this unfortunately abbreviated (thirty-five minutes plus), right down to the similarly insinuating sounds of Indian percussion on ...

Album Review

Mike Dillon: Band of Outsiders

Read "Band of Outsiders" reviewed by Dave Wayne

by Dave Wayne
November 12, 2014

There are so many different ways to rebel in life, and Mike Dillon has done them all. Or so it seems, if the music on Band of Outsiders is any indication. Dillon is that rare musician who can take tropes from any number of disparate musical worlds-metal and Brazilian samba school for example-mash them together and create something truly fresh and new. He's a first rate drummer and an equally fine mallet percussionist. Here, he's mostly rocking the electric vibes ...