In Defense of Good Sax, Part Four: Separating The Best of The Best
Sean MurphyBest sax solos ever? That is kind of like choosing the best sunset; it's impossible. But some do stand out apart from the rest, and beauty is always in the…
In Defense of Good Sax, Part Three (The Joy of Saxless Jazz)
Starring John Zorn and Marc Ribot. So what happens when one of the most prolific and staggeringly gifted sax players (and composers) of our era, John Zorn, conducts his music…
In Defense of Good Sax, Part Two
Wherein five jazz saxophonists "slum" and make truly indelible contributions to five well-loved and much-played rock songs. Considering one of the all-time ALL TIME greats (Sonny Rollins) is on this…
In Defense of Good Sax, Part One
A writer whom I respect recently made an offhand observation that I'd like to challenge --not because his opinion isn't valid but rather because it seems representative of a casual…
Remembering the USS Indianapolis, Robert Shaw and The Scene
On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis, which had just delivered key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.…
Bill Evans: The Definitive Bill Evans on Riverside and Fantasy
The way the piano was played, like almost everything else in jazz, changed during the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. With a new crop of young virtuosos churning out one…
Garage A Trois: Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil
Skerik & Co. do it again. One of the great things about supergroups is that they are…great (or super—take your pick). The reason so many so-called supergroups have flamed out,…
Amy Winehouse: Lack of Love is a Losing Game
Last year, when I was making the list of what I considered the 50 best (rock) albums of the decade, I had this to say about Amy Winehouse's Back To…
Ten Albums That Supposedly Suck (But Do Not): #1
1. Led Zeppelin, In Through the Out Door (1979) There are three distinctive types of Led Zeppelin fans. The first group knows Zep is great because of the classic songs…
Ten Albums That Supposedly Suck (But Do Not): #2
2. Black Sabbath, Never Say Die! (1978) Maybe Ozzy really did sell his soul to the devil. How else to explain his solo albums getting more love—even amongst old school…