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Article: Interview

John McLaughlin's American Farewell Tour with Jimmy Herring

by Alan Bryson
September 5, 2017

Nearly five decades have passed since John McLaughlin set foot in America as a relatively unknown musician to join the fusion band Lifetime, with the great drummer Tony Williams and equally great organist Larry Young. Two days later he was in the studio with Miles Davis recording In a Silent Way. The breadth and scope of ...

Article: Top Ten List

Top Ten Jazz Tracks for Surf Music

by Alan Bryson
March 1, 2017

The notion of jazz as surf music seems absurd at first blush, but it can work surprisingly well. Some time ago I learned this by happenstance while listening to an album by fusion guitarist Alex Machacek as I watched surf videos on YouTube. It was a true “ah ha" moment. Compared to the original soundtrack, Alex's ...

Article: Top Ten List

Top Ten Musicians Who Embody Cool

by Alan Bryson
December 17, 2016

America has produced some very cool things: jazz, rock, blues, country, hot rods, Hammond organs, and electric guitars. Another one of the coolest things is the language itself, brewed in the melting pot that is America. Like jazz, blues, and rock, American English itself can't be imagined without the influence of African Americans. “Hep," “hip," “funky," ...

Article: Profile

Duane Allman at 70: A Reflection

by Alan Bryson
November 5, 2016

The actor James Dean once said, “If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live after he's died, then maybe he was a great man." James Dean is perhaps the charter member of a modern subset of such individuals who, due to modern technology, live on in the consciousness of ...

Article: Talking 2 Musicians

Guitarist Mike Seal

by Alan Bryson
September 26, 2016

Guitarist Mike Seal first caught my attention at the end of 2014 as part of the Jeff Sipe Trio. At that time I described him as an extraordinarily talented young musician, an assessment shared by many, including the legendary dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas. This summer the three time winner of the Country Music Association's Musician of ...

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Article: Talking 2 Musicians

2016 Guitar Star series winner Zayn Mohammed

by Alan Bryson
September 5, 2016

Appearing on the main stage at the Latitude Music Festival was Zayn Mohammed's prize for winning the 2016 season of the UK SkyArts TV series Guitar Star. He was welcomed to the stage by legendary rock producer Tony Visconti, of David Bowie fame, as, “an incredible performer, a consummate artist, great guitarist, great musician and a ...

Article: Talking 2 Musicians

Barbara Dennerlein

by Alan Bryson
August 30, 2016

Music is wondrously implausible, an invisible art form that is arguably best appreciated with your eyes shut. Yet it is equally true that live music, like great sporting events, has the capacity to trigger powerful emotional responses, focus people on the present, and unite a disparate crowd around a shared experience happening on stage. Each approach ...

Article: Talking 2 Musicians

Keyboardist Matt Slocum

by Alan Bryson
July 23, 2016

Matt Slocum is a prominent keyboardist on the Southern music scene, best known for his work with Oteil Burbridge, the Lee Boys, and Susan Tedeschi and his role as Jimmy Herring's go-to keyboard player. Last year he was recruited by Bruce Hampton to join the Aquarium Rescue Unit's 30 year anniversary tour. He's also a member ...

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Article: Top Ten List

Top Ten Guitarists Who Left Us Too Soon

by Alan Bryson
December 3, 2015

Ranking musicians is a hopelessly flawed endeavor. It's about as meaningful as having a list of the top ten best tasting foods. Taste is highly individualized, influenced by mood, familiarity, and the way in which multiple variables interact. One person's escargot is someone else's slice of Chicago style pizza. I just took a break and searched ...

Article: Talking 2 Musicians

Carl Mörner Ringström

by Alan Bryson
November 17, 2015

Sweden's Carl Mörner Ringström is not the first musician I've interviewed whose parents were music teachers, but there the similarities end. He got his first electric guitar at the age of seven, and although his father is a classical guitarist, the son was determined to master the instrument on his own. He spent the next four ...