instrumental Archive
04 May 2021
Album Review: Richard Barbieri — Under a Spell
For several years, Richard Barbieri was the keyboardist in art rock band Japan; his atmospheric work was a key component of that band’s sound. And once Steven Wilson transformed his […]
25 Apr 2021
Album Review: Allan Holdsworth — Leverkusen ’97
When progressive/fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth passed away in April 2017, he left behind a substantial body of work. Not long before his death, Manifesto Records put together an impressive boxed […]
20 Apr 2021
Album Review: Binker and Moses — Dem Ones
It take confidence to put together a musical duo featuring only saxophone and drums; there’s nowhere to hide, musically. There’s no traditional rhythm section to establish a foundation, no polyphonic […]
19 Apr 2021
Album Review: Polyrhythmics — Man From the Future
Polyrhythmics are an eight-piece band from the Pacific Northwest. If your tastes run toward ‘70s fuk and soul, the current-day funk-soul revival of (primarily but not always instrumental) bands like […]
18 Apr 2021
Album Review – Gerald Gradwohl Group — Episode 6
What might it sound like if Metallica was influenced by Allan Holdsworth? The answer might just be Episode 6, the new album by the Gerald Grawhol Group. But then Metallica […]
27 Mar 2021
Album Review: Lyle Workman — Uncommon Measures
Lyle Workman first came to my attention when he played on Yoyo, the Borgeois Tagg album produced by Todd Rundgren. But he’s done many other things since that have impressed […]
21 Mar 2021
Album Review: Reggie Quinerly — New York Nowhere
As a jazz fan, my own particular tastes tend toward music that hits a sweet spot right between old and new. I dig specific jazz forms: bop, post-bop, some fusion […]
21 Feb 2021
Album Review: Robert Jürjendal – Water Finds a Way
Keeping up with such matters as I do, I’ve learned that there are quite a few different ways of coping with the realities of 2020 and beyond. That’s especially true […]
20 Feb 2021
Album Review: The David Angel Jazz Ensemble – Out on the Coast
Unless one was an aficionado of the style during its heyday in the 1940s, there was little reason to predict that the form would endure far into the future. It’s […]
13 Feb 2021
Album Review: The Justin Rothberg Group – Hurricane Mouse
Too often, when an artist makes music that starts with a jazz foundation and leans in an “accessible” direction, the result is smooth jazz. Ugh. It’s the rare artist who […]