23 Apr 2019
My Favorite Year: ‘Coltrane ‘58: The Prestige Recordings’
1958 was a landmark year for saxophonist John Coltrane, and by extension for jazz as a whole as well. Coltrane had made his first recordings (in Hawaii with fellow Navy […]
29 Apr 2018
Album Review: Miles Davis & John Coltrane — The Final Tour
Miles Davis’ 1960 tour with John Coltrane ranks among the most historically significant series of concerts by either of those artists. And that’s saying something, in light of each musician’s […]
28 Dec 2011
Album Review: Thelonius Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
In my occasional Blast from the Past blog entries, I take a quick look at notable reissues from notable recording artists — some you’ll recognize; some you probably missed. All […]
09 Feb 2023
Take 5: Duane Allman
Duane Allman is best known as co-leader of The Allman Brothers Band, the innovative collective that combined John Coltrane-style improvisation with searing melodies and superb songwriting. But Allman cut his […]
07 Dec 2022
Album Review: Connie Han — Secrets of Inanna
There was a time when jazz was edgy, boundary-pushing and even threatening (albeit in a good way). Some may disagree, but other than free jazz – which is frankly too […]
11 Aug 2022
Tedeschi Trucks Band Shoots for the ‘Moon’ with Four-album Project (Part 2)
Continued from Part One… The creative wellspring from the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s 12-member ensemble yielded a lot of worthy material. “That was the direction we just kind of went with,” […]
27 Jun 2022
Whenever You’re Ready: Brian Auger Celebrates 60 Years in Music (Part 1 of 3)
New collection of classic and rarities from the celebrated music figure Organist, composer, vocalist and band leader Brian Auger is best known for his work leading two bands: in the […]
21 Jun 2022
The dB’s in Black and White (Part One)
Four musicians from North Carolina came together in the 1970s as The dB’s. Perennial critics’ darlings, the group never hit the big time on the level of their friends, kindred […]
21 Dec 2021
Hundred-word Reviews for December 2021: Archival Releases
This has been a good year for archival and reissue releases. It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a roundup of those, so here’s one to help bring the […]
06 Nov 2021
Album Review: Dave Liebman Expansions — Selflessness
Selflessness isn’t saxophonist Dave Liebman’s first tribute to John Coltrane, but as Lewis Porter’s liner notes explain, it’s the first of those in which he works with his current band […]