Category Archives: Music

Kenny Barron’s Sunset To Dawn

I’ve become a fan of Kenny Barron in just the past few years, but he’s quickly become one of my favorite jazz pianists. So how excited am I with the reissue of his leader debut, 1973’s Sunset to Dawn? Very! … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Kenny Barron’s Sunset To Dawn

Willie Nelson’s You Don’t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker, Kris Kristofferson’s This Old Road, and Bruce Robison’s Eleven Stories

Here are three albums by three country gentlemen: One old-timer singing classic country, another old-timer singing a clutch of his own new and timely tunes, and one relatively young pup who writes and sings in classic country mode. Willie Nelson … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Willie Nelson’s You Don’t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker, Kris Kristofferson’s This Old Road, and Bruce Robison’s Eleven Stories

Various artists’ It’s All Her Fault: A Tribute To Cindy Walker

Cindy Walker is one of the most under appreciated American country music songwriters among the listening public, but she’s a legend among her fellow musicians of several generations. When Americana singer songwriter Grey DeLisle — who counts Walker as among … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Various artists’ It’s All Her Fault: A Tribute To Cindy Walker

Roy Brooks’s The Free Slave

Detroit native Roy Brooks may be one of the most under appreciated drummers in jazz, but if there’s any justice in the world, this album reissue should change that. The Free Slave is the record of an incendiary live set … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Roy Brooks’s The Free Slave

Trond Kallevåg’s Minnesota

Drawing from the same well of history, culture and human experience that informed his previous Hubro release, 2023’s Amerikabåten, Norwegian guitarist and composer Trond Kallevåg delves even deeper into the Norwegian American immigrant experience with Minnesota. I’ve been a big … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Trond Kallevåg’s Minnesota

Lauren Murphy’s Ol’ Coquille single: a love song to her home and her roots

Before I begin, a disclaimer is probably in order. I’ve known Lauren Murphy for a dozen or so years, and I’ve adored her for exactly that long. She’s family to me; I call her my sister from another mister. We … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Lauren Murphy’s Ol’ Coquille single: a love song to her home and her roots

Mojna’s Mareld

Nordic contemporary folk trio Mojna has followed up their critically acclaimed second album, 2024’s Väntenätter, with yet another deep dive into the space where composed contrapuntal music meets purposeful improvisation. Once again the music on Mareld treats boundaries as nonexistent, … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Mojna’s Mareld

Paul Simon’s Live From Philadelphia

This concert from Philadelphia’s Tower Theater was filmed in 1980, the same year that Paul Simon released his feature film One Trick Pony. The Simon-scripted One Trick Pony was the story of a once popular folksinger who’d had a hit … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Paul Simon’s Live From Philadelphia

Wolfgang Muthspiel’s Tokyo

I’ve been a fan of Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel since at least 2016, when I absolutely loved his quintet recording Rising Grace. I’ve also been on board with this particular trio of Muthspiel’s, with Americans Scott Colley on bass and … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Wolfgang Muthspiel’s Tokyo

The Necks’ Disquiet

I’ve been aware of The Necks for a while, but this is the first time I’ve really delved into their …what … their world, their ethos, their music. For a band that has been together for nearly 39 years and … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Necks’ Disquiet