Closing in on a fascinating quarter century as a multi-faceted recording artist, Costa Rican born, California based drummer, percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and orchestrator Luis Muñoz joins forces with the exquisite Guyanese vocalist Lois Mahalia (Joe Walsh, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Michael McDonald, Joe Sample) to create The Infinite Dream. Inspired by a close encounter with mortality, desperation and darkness, and Muñoz's desire to foster a s

In my review (sparkling, naturally) of the Rob Mullins Trio’s 2018 album, I marveled at the way he so seamlessly integrated swinging arrangements of “Sleigh Ride” and “Winter Wonderland” amidst a lengthy, otherwise-non-Christmassy set. Before explaining the cool story behind their inclusion, I wrote, “Mullins may be the first artist in jazz history to so casually and perfectly place secular holiday tunes alongside songs we can listen to the other 11 months of the year.” A yea

For adventurous music fans, it happens every year when the holidays roll around. When we make our holiday playlists, we want some of our tried and true favorites – but after a while, the constant loop of those wears thin and we find ourselves on the hunt for fresh voices, unique expressions and new approaches to traditional carols - and maybe even a few new pieces that set the intimate, wintry mood. Those whose tastes leans towards new age vocal recordings need look no furthe

Lots of relationships break up because the partners are too busy in the frenetic modern to spend much time developing deeper connections and intimacy. Yet that’s not the kind of “Busy” the brilliantly rootsy, modern folk/soul Toronto based pop/rock singer/songwriter Matt Zaddy is lamenting (and sometimes exulting) about on the lead single to his first full length album Be. The track is all at once fresh and sparkling yet gritty and bluesy with simmering emotions which pull us

Whatever level of success they are at, indie rockers trying to make headway in the music industry tend to downplay their “day jobs” – or make them an afterthought to their artistic intentions. Multi-talented singer, songwriter and Americana rocker Gary Douglas – frontman for the NYC based Gary Douglas Band – breaks that mold brilliantly, fusing his rebel rock genius and passion for justice as a Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame attorney with his incisive, hard-hitting socially consci

While some old school artists find reasons to lament the shift from the tactile joys of CD sales and ownership to the digital, streaming and playlist age of consumption, other, more prescient musicians are embracing full throttle the unique possibilities that this era offers in terms of ongoing creative expression. Inspired by the popularity of guitarist Lance Allen’s weekly track releases, American born, Auckland, New Zealand based emerging new age pianist/composer Rachel La

As someone who writes artist bios as part of my living, I am privy to the general intent of the endeavor. It’s supposed to entice press folks to listen and in turn, help excite potential listeners to check out the music. There’s an unspoken credo to accentuate the positive, no matter how difficult that artist’s journey may be. If we were to use this approach to chart the path of the brilliant Barcelona based pianist, composer and producer Juan Sanchez, we would only see the s

Legendary lyricist Sammy Cahn once wrote about the holiday season, “It’s that time of year when the world falls in love…” Blessedly for contemporary jazz fans, that means more than simply getting cozy by the fire, hearing sleigh bells ring, dashing through the snow and lighting the tree. If it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, there’s musical magic in the air – and Dave Koz, as reliably joyful and magical as Santa, is coming to town once again. This year, in addition

Guess it’s just a tool of the marketing machines trying to help emerging indies stand out, but sometimes the overflow of comparisons and reference points gets in the way of enjoying a fun new original hybrid sound. Emerging with a blast out of Nashville in 2018, Parker Forbes and Cole Shugard – dba The Criticals – are explosive and infectiously engaging enough to have quickly headlined popular local festivals (FreezeFest, Spudbash) and play on the West Coast. In promoting the

It’s not often that a debut album not only introduces us to a fab new emerging vocal and songwriting talent, but also the crackling, steel guitar vibes of two bands that should have been on our radar long before. So while we’re immersing in the sensual/seductive yet plain-spoken, emotionally confessional power and soul-stirring magic of Sarah Lee Langford on her dazzling, rhythmically varied trad country/Americana debut Two Hearted Rounder, we get a homegrown double bonus. Th

There’s something about the uke, isn’t there? Somehow, this tiny stringed instrument we fondly associate with Hawaii found its way to Lorena Leigh at a dark moment when she was living in NYC, going to dance school at Alvin Ailey and healing from injuries. Drawing from her earlier piano training, the Texas born larger than life personality started strumming and has been on a tear as a singer/songwriter ever since. How all that evolved into an eclectic, freewheeling hard to pin

With a versatile, wanderlust driven stylistic palette that’s long taken her beyond her jazz foundations to explore everything from New Orleans blues and Kansas City jazz to gospel, funk, pop, rock, you name it, a live performance is literally the only way to fully capture the expansive musical artistry of veteran vocal interpreter extraordinaire Jackie Allen. Capping a decades long, still thriving career, she shares everything in her emotional arsenal on A Romantic Evening wi