Multiple Reviews

New Reissue Series Offers A First-Class Ticket To Moodsville

by Joshua Weiner
September 22, 2026

With the rise of consumer culture in the 1950s and 1960s, hi-fi systems on which to play newly available stereo records became de rigueur for those who aspired to sophisticated leisure time. A wide variety of “mood music" albums, from classical to exotica to jazz, promised the perfect soundtrack for any emotional state or social gathering. Sometimes following the formula of “Music To _____By," these records offered listeners auditory wallpaper of varying degrees of kitsch, taste, and quality. Into this ...

Entre Amigos Pays Homage To Two Contemporary Composers on Magpie and Joyful Foundation

by Hrayr Attarian
August 3, 2026

The Chicago-based Entre Amigos is a dynamic collaborative quartet that performs refreshingly original music of contemporary artists. After their eponymous debut, which showcased the members' works, the ensemble released two albums, each spotlighting an inventive trumpeter's compositions. The 2025 Magpie consists entirely of pieces penned by Chicagoan Joe Clark. In comparison, the 2026 Joyful Foundation is dedicated to the Portland-based Justin Copeland's output. Entre Amigos Magpie Self Produced 2025 As the subtitle indicates, ...

Voo Voo Runs the Voodoo Down

by Maciej Stasiowski
August 1, 2026

Voo Voo is the faux-phonetic transcription of how Wojciech Waglewski's initials should be pronounced in English--instead of the default “double U" times two. By no mere coincidence, it is also the name of a group he has been running since 1985. Having secured his band this way for sailing on international waters already at the outset, it is surprising that after four decades of extensive musical activity, Waglewski's quartet--since 2011 consisting of its leader (guitar, vocals), Mateusz Pospieszalski (saxophones, keyboards, ...

Patricia Brennan And Sylvie Courvoisier, Ambrose Akinmusire And Mary Halvorson, Mick Goodrick And Fred Hersch: Playing Doubles

by Doug Collette
July 25, 2026

Watching a musician perform solo vividly illustrates how difficult it is to play music well. And observing a pair of instrumentalists in action together graphically depicts how hard it is for musicians to play well together. In the case of these three teams of doubles, no one individual leads, except occasionally in transitions. Rather, the two individuals move parallel in ascent and descent, to the right or left and forward/backward. The respective dynamics reveal uncanny symbioses, of which the participants ...

The Warm Glow of ECM Vinyl: Tomasz Stańko, Bill Connors, and Mick Goodrick

by C. Andrew Hovan
July 20, 2026

In an oft-quoted phrase from a 1971 magazine article, ECM founder and producer Manfred Eicher described the label's ethos as “the most beautiful sound next to silence." From the start, the label's eloquent sound--captured expertly by house engineers Martin Wieland and Jan Erik Kongshaug--transferred beautifully to vinyl, and original pressings remain highly prized among collectors. So it's little wonder that fans welcomed news of a vinyl reissue series, even if it arrived later than other labels' ventures into the vinyl ...

Phil Haynes and Bobby Broom: Empathetic Abandon

by Doug Collette
May 14, 2026

Across the broad spectrum of jazz, courage takes many forms. In the case of percussionist Phil Haynes and guitarist Bobby Broom, it is the diametrically (deceptively) opposed approaches of free playing vs. carefully-crafted homage. Accordingly, the former continues his prolific and peripatetic career through the novel get-together of musicians who have never played together. Meanwhile, the latter acts as a lightning rod for mutual inspiration arising from shared experience in a variety of contexts. Hearing snippets from either album reveals ...

Old and New Bottles: A Pair of Essential Releases from Joe Henderson

by C. Andrew Hovan
May 7, 2026

Especially among those who knew him well, Joe Henderson was a true Renaissance man. Born into a large family in Lima, Ohio, he made his way to New York City by way of Detroit--a fertile proving ground for jazz musicians in the 1950s and '60s. While studying at Wayne State University, he counted Donald Byrd, Barry Harris, and Yusef Lateef among his collaborators. His brother, Leon Henderson, also left a small mark on the Detroit scene through his work with ...

Branciforte & Barbieri: Ghosts in the Machines

by Geno Thackara
April 25, 2026

Here we have a couple very different varieties of electronics: two deep dives into sound-sculpting that remain determinedly human, however technological or spooky things get. Joseph Branciforte & Jozef Dumoulin ITERAE Greyfade 2026 When describing the thinking behind ambient music, Brian Eno famously said that it should be “as ignorable as it is interesting." If anything, the continual challenge is to do the opposite: practically anyone can create something easy to ignore, but ...

Guitar and Bass Reviews featuring Josh Achiron

by Jerome Wilson
April 2, 2026

These are short reviews of recent guitar or bass-led albums. Dave Stryker Blue Fire--The Van Gelder Session Strikezone Records 2026 Guitarist Dave Stryker fulfilled a long-time dream by recording this album with his longstanding organ trio at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. The studio enhances everyone's sound. Drummer McClenty Hunter's cymbal work really sizzles and Jared Gold's organ is a strong presence whether brooding in the background ...

Rick Vito And Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart & Guy Davis: Blues Brothers Indeed

by Doug Collette
March 29, 2026

Not all blues musicians play blues material exclusively. In fact, some of the most notable practitioners in the genre enhance their reputations by traveling far afield for eclectic selections that freshen their fundamental point(s) of reference. Rick Vito's Slidemaster is just such an effort, while by contrast, the triumvirate of Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Guy Davis reaffirms how satisfying is the rediscovery of roots. The unplugged segment in the homestretch of the former's album is only the most ...