by Kevin Whitehead, NPR “..Tristano left behind much valuable work for us to discover. A disc of well-recorded solo music here is a standout.” Listen to the complete episode and review on NPR’s Fresh Air, here.
By Kevin Whitehead, The Audio Beat Fingerstyle guitarist Duck Baker and trombonist Roswell Rudd had bonded over mutual love of jazz pianist Herbie Nichols, circa Baker’s 1996 Nichols recital Spinning Song. They share a no-boundaries attitude and a few areas of interest. Baker’s music encompasses folk picking and free play. Rudd was a college Dixielander … Read More
by Kevin Whitehead, Point of Departure “Hofbauer balances the serious and playful, and he gets an appealingly chunky, spiky acoustic guitar sound like the pre-amplified masters: he doesn’t lean on the signifiers but the (percussive) blues esthetic runs deep.” Read the full review here.
By Kevin Whitehead, NPR The Cuban piano whiz teams up with American jazz greats Jack DeJohnette and Ron Carter on a new album. Skyline is three masters enjoying each other’s company, with us listeners as lucky eavesdroppers. Read more here.
By Kevin Whitehead, NPR Joy sang some jazz in high school, but didn’t get serious about it until later. Her debut album, which she recorded as a college student, could be a public service announcement for jazz education. Read more here.
By Kevin Whitehead, The Audio Beat It can be hard to separate Dave Brubeck’s first excursion into playing odd meters, 1959’s celebrated Time Out, from how it was promoted: as if playing in 5/4 or 9/8 were rocket science. Read more here.
