instrumental Archive
22 Dec 2023
Album Review: The Adam Deitch Quartet – Roll the Tape
There’s something truly special about soul jazz. The hybrid form came to its peak of prominence in the ‘60s and 1970s, combining the accessible melodic values of gospel, the passion […]
16 Dec 2023
Album Review: Gray / Miley: Next World Sound Series Volume One
Produced by David Javelosa, this ambient/new age release features three tracks: two by Jane Grey, and two by Thomas Miley. Grey’s “Project 5” run in excess of 30 minutes and […]
29 Oct 2023
Album Review: Gregory Lewis – Organ Monk Coming Home
This New York City based organist is immersed in jazz, funk and blues. And for his latest album, Lewis has chosen to interpret the work of Thelonious Monk. Fronting a […]
27 Oct 2023
Album Review: Love Tractor — Around the Bend (40th Anniversary)
Forty years on, it’s too easy to forget just how fertile a creative ground was the Athens, Georgia music scene of the early ‘80s. Sure, everybody knows about R.E.M. and […]
30 Aug 2023
Album Review: Martin Denny – Deep Exotica
Some readers of this blogzine may remember the 1990s, a period when – for a moment, at least, it seemed – exotica made a comeback. Exemplified by the self-consciously retro […]
25 Aug 2023
Album Review: Chuck Owen and the WDR Big Band – Renderings
It’s more than a bit remarkable that the big band format has sustained into the 21st century, no less into 2023. But indeed it has, and much of the credit […]
23 Aug 2023
Album Review: Soft Machine – Other Doors
A different set of “rules” apply to jazz than to rock. In rock – especially of the so-called classic variety – there’s endless contention as to what constitutes a “real” […]
21 Aug 2023
Album Review: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy – Evenings at the Village Gate
Across three days in October 1960, John Coltrane and three associates recorded session that yielded My Favorite Things, one of his most celebrated releases. Hitting shelves in March ‘61, the […]
15 Aug 2023
30 Days Out, August 2023 #2: Phuncle Sam, tu-NER, Tangerine Dream, The Nude Party
There’s never any shortage of fantastic live music on offer in Asheville. Highlights over the next 30 days include a beloved Dead-flavored local band, another local band often mentioned among […]
01 Aug 2023
30 Days Out, August 2023 #1: Circles Around the Sun, Hearts Gone South, Matisyahu, BJ & BJ
Two local-based legends, one other excellent WNC-based artist, and two very popular touring acts: Those are just some of the highlights of live music in and around Asheville in the […]