The story behind the creation of Richard Dillon’s latest heartfelt, rhythmically eclectic and deeply soulful solo piano based album Fernweh: The Need to Travel  reflects the fascinating and intuitive camaraderie between the artist and another masterful new age piano veteran, Neil Patton.    The two first met some years ago at a Whisperings Solo Piano gathering in L.A. and quickly became great fans and supporters of each other’s music and individual careers. In 2016, Patton tr

The inspiring and empowering culmination of over 50-plus years exploring the wondrous possibilities of his cherished instrument, Derek Wille’s latest solo piano album The Weight of the Sky  is more than simply another melodically compelling, free-flowing and rhythmically eclectic work from a masterful new age artist and composer. From the graceful, dreamily romantic opening piece “Eyes Across a Room” – inspired by the transcendent moment when he first met his wife – through t

Before we immerse in the fascinating mercurial splendors of the Jay D’Amico Trio’s richly expressive, infectiously lyrical album Ginevra: a portrait of little girl blue  – a classically-tinged collection inspired by Da Vinci’s late 1470’s painting Ginevra de' Benci - it makes sense to mention the lavish musical outpouring given over the years to the painter’s most famous work. Everyone knows Nat King Cole’s 1950 classic “Mona Lisa,” but in the current millennium, she’s inspir

While prolific pianist and composer Ed Bazel had released several previous albums and enjoyed a lengthy, multi-faceted career as a performer and entrepreneur, nothing prepared the new age/ambient genre for his emergence to true stardom in the genre when he dropped The London Sessions: Reflections from Studio 2  in 2022. Beyond the dreamlike, feel-good story of a lifelong Beatles fan – who watched them transform the cultural landscape on The Ed Sullivan Show as a wide-eyed sev

In addition to a deep solo discography dating back to 1998, veteran, supremely versatile drummer Chris Wabich has enjoyed a rollicking, multi-genre career that includes stints with the likes of Ludacris, Sting, the Zappa Family, Omar Furik, Stanley Jordan, Mark Murphy, Brian Bromberg and Leonard Cohen. He draws particularly on the poetic influences of Cohen, Furik and Murphy on his inviting and immersive, alternately meditative, easy grooving and wildly intoxicating trio date

The soulful, rhythmic and impressionistic moods on Confluence, the compelling, richly exploratory debut EP by the Jung Stratmann Quartet, is rooted in and is an impressive, continuously shape-shifting outgrowth of the improvisational blend of drums and bass, lo-fi and electronic styles South Koren pianist Sujae Jung and German bassist Wolf Robert Stratmann create in their improv ensemble Airplane Ears. Truly an offbeat, freewheeling international jazz affair, the duo expands

Ever since Lionel Hampton recorded on Louis Armstong’s “Memories of You” in 1930, the vibraphone’s unique and expressive sound, versatility and improvisational potential have been an integral part of the jazz experience. Bringing exciting contemporary sensibilities, a freewheeling, rhythmically eclectic style and keen storytelling abilities to the near century old tradition, veteran Austin TX vibes player and educator Carolyn Trowbridge emphatically puts her own exciting stam

The release of the masterfully conceived, arranged and performed Classics Reimagined: Impromp2  by the Ted Rosenthal Trio caps an incredibly creative and prolific year for the legendary pianist, who launched his illustrious career 37 years ago by winning the Thelonious Monk International Competition. The third in a series of four thematic albums, Classics Reimagined ’s freshly spun, alternately sensitive/exquisite and rambunctiously swinging takes on renowned pieces by classi

Here’s a fascinating historical “fun fact” for attentive listeners as they breeze through the swingin’ coolness of and high-spirited bass, trumpet and tenor sax solos on “Power Walk,” the infectious opening track on Octopus Dreams  by the latest iteration of the Bruce Gertz Quintet. The veteran bassist and bandleader – also a professor of bass at Berklee College of Music since the mid 70s – used a chord structure based on Sonny Rollins’ classic 1954 composition “Doxy” – which

At this point, it’s not possible to discern the future of Transcendence, the fascinating new trio led by pianist and keyboard whiz Bob Gluck, but its adventurous initial intention on the plainly titled Music of Pat Metheny  is clear from the moody opening chords, subtle rumblings of bassist Christopher Dean Sullivan and exotic drum brushes and rolls of Karl Latham on the first track “Question & Answer.” It’s to explore an eclectic mix of pieces from a contemporary jazz master

While his promotion team presents Pat Petrillo’s ultra-eclectic, massively power-packed album Contemporaneous as a mix of Snarky Puppy, Brecker Brothers, Weather Report and Grover Washington, Jr., the veteran, surreally versatile and well-deserving Modern Drummer cover subject is truly in a freewheeling creative lane all his own. The fact that he’s previously charted in the smooth jazz realm with several singles and on Relix/Jambands.com Roots Music Review for his 2022 star

First let it be said of renowned and hip, ever so stylish Chicago based jazz Paul Marinaro that he’s the only cat in the genre to follow a tribute to David Bowie ( The Bowie Project with the Metropolitan Jazz Octet with another, more bold, ambitious and expansive one to Duke Ellington. In the spirit of Dave Grusin’s 1993 instrumental gem Homage to Duke and Joe Jackson’s #1 Billboard jazz album The Duke , Mood Ellington explores the vast Ellington oeuvre (including some of B