April - 2018

Apr 30, 2018

THE NORM, "Delirious" (single)

In the hands of Miami bred step brothers Bryan Rucker and Ryan Bars – aka The Norm – the mundane routines of life and the duo’s moody, trippy reflections on them are just a prelude to the burst of hip-hop, rock and pop infused energy that blasts forth in a rousing chorus that will make their fans feel truly “Delirious.” The crafty duo’s fiery calm before the storm vibe results in what may be the world’s only track that makes being as tired as a zombie sound like rambunctious,

Jonathan Widran

Apr 29, 2018

RHONDA MACKERT, Time Not Forgotten

Two time Solopiano.com nominee for Contemporary & Modern Album of the Year, pianist and composer Rhonda Mackert has, on her previous albums mastered the art of capturing in rhythm and melody beautiful moments and locales on trips through Alaska’s Inside Passage (Wild Beauty) and a sailing excursion through the places where the stars meet the sea (Safe Harbor). On her fifth full length release, the emotional and deeply captivating Time Not Forgotten, the Colorado bred, Seattle

Jonathan Widran

Apr 29, 2018

WE ARE THE WEST, The Golden Shore

You can’t judge a band by its venues – or maybe you can when the trippy, unexpected performances spaces that dominate We Are The West’s packed gig schedule are as eclectic and unique as their offbeat and trippy but ultimately engaging brand of symphonic experimental folk. As underground superhero origin stories often go, vocalist/guitarist Brett Hool and bassist John Kibler formed the ensemble a few years and EPs ago in a shipping container on a sheep farm in Holland. They be

Jonathan Widran

Apr 29, 2018

STEVE McCORMICK, Stars and Chandeliers

For whatever reason – easier downloading, streaming, marketability, short attention spans, indie artists these days are too often encouraged to limit themselves to recording five track EPs. Over the past few years, veteran Americana artist, songwriter and first call session player Steve McCormick bided his time, releasing three EPs (The Tripping Years, The Laws of Love and We Speak In Tongues) that were as impactful as short collections can be. Now gathered as the epic 15 tra

BANJO NICKARU & WESTERN SCOOCHES, Get Us Out of Fearland

Jonathan Widran

Apr 29, 2018

BANJO NICKARU & WESTERN SCOOCHES, Get Us Out of Fearland

When I hear a band or artist whose vibe is so fresh, so unexpected and too wondrously all over the map transcendent to peg as a single genre, I like to use the term “joyful schizophrenia.” It’s the only way to convey the intensely dynamic, multi-cultural bevy of traditional folk, Americana, jazz, global fusion and a whole other kitchen sink of ear-tingling influences (you need to Google the “Gullah-Geechee” culture of the U.S. Low Country, too!) that inhabit NYC quintet Banjo

Jonathan Widran

Apr 29, 2018

LOREN EVARTS, Home Again

In 2015, 23 years after the last release from his popular new/age jazz group Confluence, pianist Loren Evarts made a triumphant return to the instrumental fold with the release of Water and Light, a critically acclaimed ensemble work produced by Windham Hill legends Will Ackerman and Tom Eaton at Ackerman’s Imaginary Road Studio. The title of his latest work, the expansive 12 track set Home Again, points to a twofold meaning for the New England based artist. A sweeping, blend

Jonathan Widran

Apr 28, 2018

PROJECT GRAND SLAM, Trippin'

We all know the sports metaphors associated with the term “Grand Slam” – and both the baseball and tennis connections would be perfect metaphors for the massive, bold and adventurous rock-soul-jazz fusion vibe of Project Grand Slam, the melodic, hard grooving collective led by bassist, songwriter, arranger and producer Robert Miller. Miller, who launched his career as part of the Boston music scene in the 70’s (when jazz fusion icons like Weather Report, Return to Forever and

Jonathan Widran

Apr 28, 2018

KAT EDMONSON, Old Fashioned Gal

Usually it’s the pain of a broken heart that inspires artists to plumb their emotional depths. On Old Fashioned Gal, songwriter and vocalist Kat Edmonson makes a case for a bitter winter cold being the ticket to tapping into some seriously cool soulful genius. The result is a glorious throwback to the music of Hollywood’s Golden Age with originals that are all at once heartbreaking and uplifting, quirky and witty yet penetrating and ultimately profound. Battling illness while

Jonathan Widran

Apr 28, 2018

NICK COLIONNE, Just Being Me

Creating provocative album titles that give insight into his current musical state of mind, Nick Colionne has done it all in his multi-faceted career. He’s mastered the art of Keepin’ It Cool (2006), transcended musical boundaries to explore realms where there are No Limits (2008), fired up his thousands of worldwide fans with Feel the Heat (2011) and dug deep into his musical soul to share some of his deepest jazz and R&B Influences (2014). While keeping up his whirlwind pac

Jonathan Widran

Apr 25, 2018

ANDREW DISTEL, It Only Takes Time

A mainstay on the Chicago jazz scene, trumpeter and vocalist Andrew Distel is one of those indie regional treasures whose multitude of powerhouse talents demands a wider audience. Though he swings and scats with joyful abandon, and surprises by singing Ivan Lins’ exquisite “Amor” in its original Portuguese, the singer is at his most expressive when he’s tapping into the deeper emotional graces of the beautifully arranged ballads. Ensembling with top flight jazz players like p

MYSTIC BOWIE, Mystic Bowie's Talking Dreads

Jonathan Widran

Apr 25, 2018

MYSTIC BOWIE, Mystic Bowie's Talking Dreads

On “Life During Wartime,” the first single from Talking Heads’ 1979 album Fear of Music, David Byrne famously sang the immortal lyrics, “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco…no time for dancing…” Yet all those anti-fun declarations go gleefully out the window when Mystic Bowie, aka the “Head Dread,” takes the stage, re-imagining and infusing fresh life into TH’s classic catalog with his high octane mix of roots reggae, ska and lover’s rock (aka “romantic reggae”). Since d

Jonathan Widran

Apr 24, 2018

HEIDI BREYER, Moonlight in Empty Rooms

In an overwhelmingly positive review I wrote about Heidi Breyer’s Beyond The Turning – rightfully chosen ZMR’s Best Instrumental Piano Album 2012 – I mentioned that she had been on an extraordinary journey of self-discovery that culminated in this work, which I described as “a heartfelt and evocative, introspective and ultimately universal look at humanity and the sometimes joyous, often embattled path we take to ultimately find our path home.” Listening now, six years later,

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THE JW VIBE

Music That Sticks To My Soul

THE NORM, "Delirious" (single)

RHONDA MACKERT, Time Not Forgotten

WE ARE THE WEST, The Golden Shore

STEVE McCORMICK, Stars and Chandeliers

BANJO NICKARU & WESTERN SCOOCHES, Get Us Out of Fearland

LOREN EVARTS, Home Again

PROJECT GRAND SLAM, Trippin'

KAT EDMONSON, Old Fashioned Gal

NICK COLIONNE, Just Being Me

ANDREW DISTEL, It Only Takes Time

MYSTIC BOWIE, Mystic Bowie's Talking Dreads

HEIDI BREYER, Moonlight in Empty Rooms