review Archive
23 Feb 2021
Album Review: Miles Davis’ ‘Jack Johnson’ at 50 (Part One)
Much is made – and rightly so – of Miles Davis’ landmark 1970 release Bitches Brew. The album represented Davis’ adventurous foray into the (previously unoccupied) space in which rock […]
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 […]
19 Feb 2021
Boxed Set Review: Iggy and the Stooges – From KO to Chaos
In music fan and critical circles, the concept of “blues police” comes up in conversation from time to time. Simply put, blues police is a pejorative term applied to self-anointed […]
18 Feb 2021
Hundred-word Reviews: February 2021, Part 3
These five are all archival, reissue and/or compilation releases. There’s even a vinyl release here. Wolfgang Lackerschmid & Chet Baker – Quintet Sessions 1979 I was only recently introduced to […]
17 Feb 2021
Hundred-word Reviews: February 2021, Part 2
These five fall loosely – okay, sometimes very loosely – into the progressive and jazz categories. The Mastelottos – Too Much Happiness Though Robert Fripp’s recent video series with pulchritudinous […]
16 Feb 2021
Hundred-word Reviews: February 2021, Part 1
The majority among these five lean in a powerpop direction. Rob Fetters – Ship Shake If Fetters’ name strikes you as familiar, that may be because you fondly remember The […]
14 Feb 2021
Album Review: John Magnuson – Barely Noticeable
It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I take notice: every now and then, one or another friend sends me an album with a Post-it affixed, sporting a message […]
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 […]
11 Feb 2021
Album Review: Merry Christmas from Jackie Wilson
If you sent or received anything via the US Postal Service in the final months of 2020, you likely know that due to some serious shenanigans on the part of […]