Sometimes when all the creative stars align just right, a song written and performed by two beloved, multi-talented veteran artists meets the sociopolitical moment in unimaginably provocative ways. With a vibe resonating like an update of the classic atmosphere drenched 70’s soul of Marvin Gaye, Bobby Womack and Isaac Hayes, “What Do You Think of That?” finds former Tempations lead singer Louis Price and keyboardist Starr Parodi - who wrote and produced the song with Starr’s

In a socio-politically charged year when our understanding of African American history has been in the spotlight and challenged like few times in the past, music can serve as a great instructor. If you think you know American Music, veteran NY based classical pianist and well-traveled concert performer Jeni Slotchiver invites you to open the door to the past deeper than you ever might have imagined on American Heritage – an extraordinary work paying homage primarily to Africa

The Biblical expression “To every thing there is a season” is a spot-on way to dive into Fifth Season, the remarkable experimental/improvisational ensemble debut by composer and vibraphonist Ben Zucker, creating fascinating off the beaten path musical conversations with his Chicago based quartet of Mabel Kwan (piano), Eli Namay (bass) and Adam Shead (drums). Bookended with the hypnotic atmospheric “Sussirigation A” (featuring a swirl of vibes, intense drumming and plucky bass

The release of Hazar’s latest album Reincarnated would serve as a glorious and transcendent, gently swaying yet rhythmically explosive introduction to a classically influenced jazz talent – if the German born acoustic guitarist wasn’t already a master on the much less known instrument known as the saz. That’s saz with a z, not sax with an x, a Turkish three stringed long-necked lute. Inspired by Paco de Lucia, he spent years mastering that instrument as well as microtonal mus

The pandemic has been a hindrance to a lot of musical traditions we’re used to, but thankfully, it can’t stop the release of grand holiday recordings by talented artists whose reminders of the joys that bind us, the friends and family we love, are even more crucial to reflect on this year. On The Gathering, one of 2020’s most imaginatively arranged and produced seasonal offerings, renowned Southern California based soul/jazz vocalist Amber Weekes brings her delightful mix of

New England based trumpeter/composer Douglas Olsen is one of those highly accomplished musical forces who’s been biding his time behind the scenes and as a largely regional sensation – but that all changes with the thoughtful compositions and blistering horn solos he brings to 2 Cents, his debut ensemble album under his own name. It’s telling that among his credits, a legend like Aretha Franklin comes AFTER much lesser known acts like the John Allmark Jazz Orchestra and Felip

True to its whimsical title, Bucket List, the first ever project by the Jim Waller Big Band, finds the veteran composer/arranger and multi-instrumentalist fulfilling (after an incredibly multi-faceted career) fulfilling a lifelong dream working with a 21 piece ensemble that does it all – from hard swinging jazz and guttural blues to sensual waltzes, edgy funk and fiery Latin jazz. The only shame is that Waller – whose career dates back to 60’s surf group The Deltas and includ

The vibe of Alberta & The Dead Eyes – a Detroit based collective created around the edgy and raw, gritty yet ethereal music of David A. Boone – has been described as everything from alternative to dark-folk. In a recent interview for the University of Georgia’s The Red & Black, the singer/songwriter affirms that he thinks of himself “as a bluesman, but I can see why not everyone would agree with that. They’re blues songs even though they might not come across very bluesy ever

When songwriters are faced with an unthinkable loss, their muse can lead them to either write tunes expressing a further sinking into hopeless despair, or ones that inspire themselves and others to process the tragedy courageously and swim towards the shards of light on the horizon. Sink or swim is the perfect clichéd metaphor to springboard a discussion of Thank You For Your Generosity, the latest album by Chapel Hill indie rockers Nathan Oliver, whose frontman of the same n

In my review of Ada Bird Wolfe’s emotionally stirring, critically acclaimed 2018 debut Birdie, I mentioned that the collection grew out of a popular series of shows called “Giant Shoulders" that the captivating singer performed with “top jazz cats” starting in 2016. The most prominent of those cats, Jamieson Trotter, is one of the Los Angeles jazz scene’s most renowned and inventive artists. The intimate and intricate creative partnership he and Wolfe have developed doing the

At a time when jazz fans are becoming increasingly despondent about any imminent return of live music, veteran pianist (and longtime Arturo Sandoval sideman) Max Haymer’s muscular, rhythmically eclectic/adventurous and soul-empowering Whirlwind: Live at Sam First is a brilliant reminder of what we have to look forward to somewhere down the road. Recorded at the popular LAX-adjacent club just before the pandemic hit with his sensitive yet swinging power trio of David Robaire (

In a recent interview with American Songwriter, the dream/pop leaning Darren Jesssee – discussing his second solo project Remover, fashioned as a “sister album” to his 2018 debut The Jane, Room 217 – makes an intriguing observation: “Love songs are so hard to write because love is not something you say to someone, it’s something you show them through your actions.” Though he sometimes chooses obtuse angles on romance, he makes the process look effortless. The former longtime