I’ve always had a bit of a problem separating things like music by genres. In a recent piece I wrote, I made the statement, “I tend to think of all worthwhile American music as being a type of blues.”* I knew when I typed it that the statement would bother some people. People have a…
There is a correct answer to the question, “What’s the best Christmas album.” The answer is Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas by Ella Fitzgerald. It is a truly great album. Not just a great holiday album, but a great album. It sounds as good in July as it does in December. It’s basically perfect….
Orrin Keepnews died today, just one day shy of his 92nd birthday. I knew his work, of course, but I went to his Discogs page just to look around and I was totally blown away. He is credited on 752 records for production. And a huge percentage of those are absolute classics. There’s Monk, Sonny…
When I heard Clark Terry died yesterday, the first album I went for was Serenade to a Bus Seat. I’m not exactly sure why, but it is my favorite Clark Terry album. He is most famous for playing flugelhorn and his mumbled scat singing, neither of which appear on this album. It is a straight…
If a person is looking to find out what Cyrus Chestnut is all about, this is the perfect record. It is thoroughly modern, but his influences are all there. It is jazz, but blues and gospel are never far away. It is clearly improvised, but never lacks direction. The album was recorded live at Smoke,…
I was lucky enough to attend the final Allman Brothers Band concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. When I first found out I was going, I thought I might write a review and post it here. But, I soon realized that to write a review correctly, I would need to take notes…
