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THE JW VIBE
Music That Sticks To My Soul
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MICHAEL PETERSON, "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"
Closing in on three decades since Michael Peterson first graced us with his self-titled debut album and its indelible #1 country hit – and fourth most popular wedding country song of all time – “From Here To Eternity,” the multi-faceted singer songwriter, backed by gospel legends The Imperials, brings his passionate vocal flair to an epic, soaring and emphatically inspirational version of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” Best known for The Hollies’ classic 1969 version (a
Jonathan Widran
Oct 15


MAJOR SPARK, Walk Among the Poppies
When’s the last time the title of a cheerful, uplifting hard driving pop/rock album drove you to Google to figure out its inspiration? That happens with Major Spark’s triumphant, energetic seriously high spirited second album Walk Among the Poppies , whose title track is based on the unusual Australian expression “cut down the tall poppies,” a reference to a cultural phenomenon where people who are successful, ambitious or stand out are criticized, resented or belittled by e
Jonathan Widran
Oct 13


MIGUEL KERTSMAN, Paradoxes
Anyone previously unfamiliar with the extraordinarily inventive veteran Brazilian genre-busting, composer and multi-keyboardist Miguel Kertsman will know they’re in for a prodigious, mind and consciousness-expanding experience on his magnum opus Paradoxes the minute they see quotes from Rolling Stone in his promo materials. “Overall, this music remains indescribable and defies categorization,” their review reads. Berklee Today once called him “the multi-dimensional composer.
Jonathan Widran
Oct 13


LARRY DOUGLAS, Music Speaks for Me (Deluxe)
While the covers of all three editions of multi-instrumentalist Larry Douglas’ extraordinary, wildly eclectic EP Music Speaks for Me shows the veteran San Francisco based artist sitting at a grand piano, it’s delightful to realize as the intoxicating hip hop-jazz fusion tunes unfold that while he has some incredible pianists working with him (most notably, Clifford Lamb on the gorgeous piano trumpet ballad “They Call Me Zadie Mae”), Douglas is constantly surprising us with a
Jonathan Widran
Oct 13


COLLABORATIONS, "You Gotta Know"
When the ensemble of powerhouse musicians known as Collaborations emerged from Horizon Music Studios in West Haven, CT in early 2025 with their debut album Songs from the Heart, Vol. 1 , the major story was the cleverly throwback nickname they gave themselves. With rhythm guitarist Ed Daniels (who wrote their music and developed the themes for the songs), producer Vic Steffans and co-producer/orchestrator Matt Oestreicher (Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga) paving the infectious, emot
Jonathan Widran
Oct 13


CINCINNATI CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ORCHESTRA, The Nutcracker Remix
Folks searching for the perfect stocking stuffer this holiday season for their fellow Big Band enthusiasts need look no further than the...
Jonathan Widran
Oct 1


JIMBO ROSS, So Do It
Sometime in the 70s, jazz trumpeter Don Ellis famously introduced the incomparably eclectic Jimbo Ross as “the only jazz violist in...
Jonathan Widran
Oct 1


SHOUT SECTION BIG BAND, Tatum's Swingin' Session!!!
For the past 18 years, trumpeter and music educator Brett Dean has been the toast of Chicago, leading his continuously gigging 18-piece...
Jonathan Widran
Oct 1


ESHAAN SOOD & THE SONIC ALCHEMISTS, Dream River
As New Delhi born and raised, Brooklyn based guitarist Eshaan Sood takes our attentive and excited ears through what he calls “a journey...
Jonathan Widran
Oct 1


LINDA DACHTYL, Full Steam Ahead
Decades after she first heard organ music popping from the hits of Santana and Three Dog Night, veteran Hammond B3 master Linda Dachtyl...
Jonathan Widran
Oct 1


THE HIGH SOCIETY NEW ORLEANS JAZZ BAND, Live at Birdland
Praising The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band, which in its current iteration has been enrapturing audiences at its Thursday night...
Jonathan Widran
Oct 1


JIM WITZEL QUARTET, Very Early: Remembering Bill Evans
Emmy winning pianist Phil Aaron, longtime collaborator and compatriot of veteran jazz guitarist Jim Witzel, says it all in his liner...
Jonathan Widran
Oct 1
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