instrumental Archive
26 Apr 2019
Hundred-word Reviews for April 2019: Jazz
I’m sent a lot of music for potential review, and for that I’m grateful. Generally, I can winnow through the stack and narrow it down to a manageable pile; put […]
09 Apr 2019
Album Review: Dennis Coffey — Live at Baker’s
In the course of his career, Dennis Coffey has made a name for himself several times over. The Detroit guitarist was a key session player in that city’s music scene; […]
07 Apr 2019
Aaron Price: “It’s all music, and it’s all spiritual.”
Aaron Price is one busy musician. He plays bass guitar and keyboards in the nationally-recognized tribute group Wham Bam Bowie Band; he plays barrelhouse piano in a duo with vocalist […]
20 Feb 2019
Herb Alpert: International Man of Music
It’s only a slight overstatement to call trumpeter Herb Alpert the king of 1960s easy listening music. Alpert, of course, led the staggeringly successful Tijuana Brass; if you’ve ever been […]
16 Feb 2019
Album Review: STIG — Agreed Upon
Some artists play music that – if one wishes to label it – requires several words to describe. Formed by five students at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, STIG (the […]
25 Jan 2019
He Comes From Planet Jarre, Part Three
Continued from Part Two … Because a great deal of your work is instrumental, I’m curious about the inspiration for the pieces. Do you start with a non-musical concept, such […]
24 Jan 2019
He Comes From Planet Jarre, Part Two
Continued from Part One … This may be a difficult question to answer. What do you see as uniquely French characteristics in your work? I think it’s maybe not that […]
23 Jan 2019
He Comes From Planet Jarre, Part One
Last fall I had the honor of interviewing Jean-Michel Jarre for the second time (the two features based on our 2017 conversation are here and here). This second interview again […]
05 Oct 2018
Jake Shimabukuro, Plugged and Unplugged
Hawaiian ukulele sensation Jake Shimabukuro catapulted to international fame in 2006 when a Youtube video of him performing the George Harrison-penned Beatles tune “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral. […]
26 Sep 2018
Album Review: Richard Shulman Trio — Turned Into Lemonade
Conveying a spirit of hope and optimism without the use of words is a challenging goal. But on Turned Into Lemonade, the latest from the prolific jazz/orchestral/new age composer (he’s […]