instrumental Archive
21 Feb 2025
Album Review: Trees Speak — Mind Maze
As I mentioned in a recent review, Mind Maze, the 2023 album by Arizona-based instrumental band Trees Speak slipped by without my notice. And as I’ve emphasized on many occasions, […]
13 Feb 2025
Album Review: Ed Rawlings – A Foolish Inconsistency
Way back in 1841, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” The line is from his essay “Self-Reliance,” itself an ironic title, seeing as […]
20 Jan 2025
The Music of Mary Lattimore: ‘Not Just for Doing Yoga’
Outside of classical and Celtic music, the harp isn’t widely heard. But in the hands of Asheville native Mary Lattimore, the massive, stringed acoustic instrument has become the centerpiece of […]
04 Jan 2025
EP Review: The Lounge Bar Orchestra – The Incidents OST
I make a practice of not reviewing singles or EPs, as I prefer the longer-form format’s ability to provide a deeper look into what an artist’s about. But rules being […]
13 Dec 2024
Album Review: Trees Speak – Timefold
As I’ve observed before, Tucson, Arizona isn’t the first place one would look for krautrock. But in 2024, it may well be the best place. As Trees Speak, Daniel Martin […]
12 Dec 2024
Album Review: Charlie Parker – The Long Lost Bird Live Afro-Cubop Recordings!
For anyone who appreciates Charlie Parker, most any recordings will be worthwhile. This 2LP set from RockBeat Records is no different. So rather than extol its obvious virtues (i.e. it’s […]
10 Dec 2024
Album Review: Cal Tjader – Huracán
Cal Tjader was a prime exponent of the Latin jazz scene of the 1950s and early ‘60s. Though his activities began long before and continued long after, it’s those years […]
09 Dec 2024
Album Review: Cannonball Adderley Quintet — Live in Montreal May 1975
Saxophonist and band leader Julian “Cannonball” Adderley was at the forefront of jazz musicians who believed that jazz is the people’s music. And he lived that ethos, moving seamlessly from […]
01 Dec 2024
30 Days Out, Dec. 2024 #1: LA LOM, The Nutcracker, ‘Together We Rise,’ RJD2
A popular multi-hyphenate aritst, an amazing new(ish) group putting a creative spin on an an established form, a benefit for WNC and a beloved holiday tradition (times four): those are […]
28 Nov 2024
Album Review: Focus – Focus 12
There are bands and artists who end up being inextricably connected in listeners’ minds with a particular time period. This can be the case even if the artist’s work continued […]