Results for "Play This!"

Ed Motta: Minha Vida Toda Com Você

by C. Andrew Hovan
July 9, 2023

If you thought bossa nova and samba was all there is to know about Brazilian music, let me introduce you to Ed Motta. A true renaissance man, Motta has big ears and melds into his own unique style everything from spiritual jazz to Steely Dan. He also is a master of many instruments, as you can ...

Cécile McLorin Salvant: Mélusine

by Pedro Keul
July 7, 2023

Mélusine is a figure of European folklore, a female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who turns into a half-snake each Saturday as a result of a childhood curse by her mother. Not by coincidence, is also the name of the 2023 album (on Nonesuch ...

The Van Gelder Sound: A Legacy of Jazz Recordings

by Brian Eaton
June 25, 2023

Rudy Van Gelder (a.k.a. RVG) was one of the most influential recording engineers in jazz. Largely self-taught, he was a true industry pioneer as one of the first well-known examples of an engineer operating a home recording studio and even constructing his own custom-built audio mixer in the early years. As an innovator and perfectionist, he ...

Michael Hedges: Aerial Boundaries

by Geno Thackara
June 22, 2023

For all the people that do crazy things with the guitar, there have been precious few that actually invented new ways to play it. The late Michael Hedges did it with an organically grown hodgepodge of a style that he called “heavy mental," all acoustic tones and wicked smarts. This fellow could make one guitar into ...

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. ...

Gina D'Soto's Sublime Blueprint for Life!

by J. Michael Harrison
June 15, 2023

Late summer of 2021, emerging and very much in demand saxophonist Emilio Modeste and his gifted band of young jazz warriors filmed a beyond impressive and very memorable NPR Live Session in our performance studio. Emilio's session also introduced us to the magic that is indeed Gina D'Soto! We immediately invited Gina to return for a ...

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

Nik Bärtsch's Ronin - Modul 45 (Live)

by Mike Jacobs
June 8, 2023

With Nik Bärtsch's composition-naming system consisting solely of numbered “Moduls," it can be a little tricky for even the well-versed fan to keep track of their favorite Ronin pieces. And indeed, one may still need a mnemonic for the title after hearing Ronin perform their signature concert piece--Modul 45--but the music itself will likely be quite ...