Category Archives: Music

Dave Askren & Jeff Benedict’s Denver Sessions

A lot of what goes by the name of jazz music these days is either quite complex musically or some sort of hybrid combining classical, folk, pop, ambient, and experimental music. I listen to and review a certain amount of … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Dave Askren & Jeff Benedict’s Denver Sessions

Last Night’s Fun’s Tempered

To my knowledge, Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley have graced the guest list for my local Folk Festival more times than I have changed the strings on my guitar over the past 10 years, and now joined with Nick Scott … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Last Night’s Fun’s Tempered

Glengarry Bhoys’ Mountain Road, Crookshank’s Crookshank, and Various artists’ Cold Blow These Winter Winds

This omnibus, while detailing Celtic releases of an ensemble nature, finds three releases with their own individual approach, style and sound. The result is a mix of solid Celtic rock, experimental Celtic and medieval cum renaissance strains, and a novel … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Glengarry Bhoys’ Mountain Road, Crookshank’s Crookshank, and Various artists’ Cold Blow These Winter Winds

Battlefield Band’s Time & Tide

One of the longest running Scottish folk bands, Battlefield Band celebrates three decades of music touring and recording. Time & Tide, their latest album, again sees a change in the lineup with the departures of Karine Polward and John McCusker. … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Battlefield Band’s Time & Tide

Various artists’ Evelyn: Music from the Motion Picture

Soundtrack albums are an aural companion to the visual aspect of a movie; once one has seen the movie then a reasoned judgement may be reached as to the effectiveness of the soundtrack within the context of the film itself. … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Various artists’ Evelyn: Music from the Motion Picture

Various artists’ Kickin’ The 3: The Best of Organ Trio Jazz

Danny Cohen wrote this review. The Hammond B-3 organ is one of the most expressive and versatile instruments in popular music today. It can go from a whisper to a scream, take you to church, play lush ethereal chords or … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Various artists’ Kickin’ The 3: The Best of Organ Trio Jazz

Scree’s Jasmine on a Night in July

Jasmine on a Night in July is the debut studio full-length from the trio that calls itself Scree. They’re led by Arab-American guitarist Ryan El-Solh in creation of a unique melding of American exotica, minimalist jazz and El-Solh’s Lebanese and Palestinian … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Scree’s Jasmine on a Night in July

Ben Sands’ Take Your Time, and Roots & Branches

Judith Gennett wrote this review. Ben Sands, from the legendary Sands Family, is from Newry, County Down in Northern Ireland. He sings and sometimes writes gentle songs that can have a punch beyond their subtlety. These two albums Take Your … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Ben Sands’ Take Your Time, and Roots & Branches

Celtic Fiddle Festival’s Play On, Drones & Bellows/Dragseth Duo’s Hiimstoun, Smoky Finish’s Tune the Speed, various artists’ The Independence Suite, and various artists’ A Highland Journey in Music

Alistair Brown wrote this review. Play On is the fourth release from a group of musicians who had no real intention of continuing as such beyond a one-off concert series in 1993. The project featured three of the Celtic world’s … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Celtic Fiddle Festival’s Play On, Drones & Bellows/Dragseth Duo’s Hiimstoun, Smoky Finish’s Tune the Speed, various artists’ The Independence Suite, and various artists’ A Highland Journey in Music

Kevin Burke’s In Concert

No’am Newman wrote this review. This recording was made over the course of two evenings shortly before Christmas 1998 in Portland, Oregon, which is where the London-born Sligo-style fiddler Burke has lived for the past twenty years. Although Burke has … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Kevin Burke’s In Concert