Results for "Mike Jacobs"

Chris Dahlgren: Cherubs Contemplating Tacky Bass Figurines In Heaven

by Mike Jacobs
August 8, 2023

This sublime track from bassist Chris Dahlgren is really a quasi-classical chamber miniature given the meterless/free treatment by some great jazz-minded musicians. And while the buzz-bassed, noise-meditative mid-section may be enough to throw off a few less-than-committed passengers, it also may be the perfect--if unlikely--foil that turns the whole 9+ minutes into something transcendent. Featuring Tim ...

Chris Potter Underground: The Wheel

by Mike Jacobs
August 7, 2023

Saxophonist Chris Potter has struck gold with many of his lineups but his Underground was indeed a special one, as this 2009 clip shows. With drummer Nate Smith, keyboardist Craig Taborn and guitarist Adam Rogers joining in, “The Wheel" turns and burns so, it may take a minute to notice the absence of a bassist but ...

Rick Peckham Trio: Real Time

by Mike Jacobs
July 22, 2023

The semi-trashy, primal majesty of Rick Peckham's sound may initially throw more than a few jazz listeners but it soon becomes clear why he's a longtime assistant chair of the Berklee Guitar Department. Joined here by bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Jim Black, the music put forth on this track and on the rest of Left ...

Graham Costello's Strata: Obelisk

by Mike Jacobs
July 21, 2023

Scots may have unfairly acquired a reputation for being aggressive. As such, it would be unfortunate if the inherent power in the title track from Scottish drummer/bandleader Graham Costello's album Obelisk (Self Produced, 2019) reinforced that stereotype to a degree. No worries though. Once your hair has been blown back a bit, there's no denying that ...

Todd Sickafoose: Future Flora

by Mike Jacobs
July 19, 2023

Perhaps currently better known for his long-standing gig with singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco and his recent TONY/GRAMMY-winning work on the Broadway musical “Hadestown," Todd Sickafoose's third album, Tiny Resistors (Cryptogramophone, 2008) is something that should not be left to fly under the radar. As its opener “Future Flora" shows, the album displays Sickafoose's unique ability as a ...

Chris Taylor: You Know What I'm Saying?

by Mike Jacobs
July 18, 2023

From the guitarist's under-known stunner of a debut, Nocturnal (Abstract Logix, 2011), this tune effectively illustrates the be-ready-for-anything brilliance of the album in the sonic, compositional, and performance realms. Featuring an A-List cast throughout, the song and the album also offer one of the more compelling arguments that jazz--in a post-Sgt Pepper / Dark Side of ...

Gary Willis: Emancipation

by Mike Jacobs
June 19, 2023

From former Tribal Tech bassist Gary Willis' album Bent (Alchemy, 1998), this one was so frequently heard around the house when my kids were young, they ended up making up their own lyrics to it. Featuring Steve Tavaglione, Scott Kinsey and Dennis Chambers, it a short but oh-so-sweet album-closer that you really don't want to end. ...

Band Of Other Brothers: Babko

by Mike Jacobs
June 16, 2023

2016's Band of Other Brothers debut album City Of Cranes may have flown under many a radar but it's lineup alone--Jeff Babko, Will Lee, Jeff Coffin, Nir Felder and Keith Carlock--demanded attention from those that spotted it. And with tunes like the thrilling Felder showcase “Babko," it showed the supergroup was no jackelope. ...

Le Boeuf Brothers: House Without A Door

by Mike Jacobs
June 14, 2023

Will Vinson, Antonio Sanchez and Gilad Hekselman: Elli Yeled Tov

by Mike Jacobs
June 13, 2023