Six Love Songs
Sean MurphyI seldom need an excuse to talk about Love (not that Love, this Love). I'm speaking, of course, about the great Arthur Lee and his band. In addition to the…
The Man Who Improved Music: An Appreciation of Norio Ohga
Depending on how old you are, the iconic image above may mean different things. If you are young enough that digital files have been the primary way you've experienced music…
Two From Pat Martino for a Rainy Spring Day
Two perfect songs for a rainy day (two perfect songs, period) from the great Pat Martino's first album as a leader, El Hombre. This is a fantastic album (deep, soulful…
Every Day is Earth Day (Redux)
I'm so proud of my Pops. Last night, quite out of the blue (or, out of the black as the case may be), he said he had to ask…
Billy Bang: Goodbye and Rest in Peace
This hurts. Of course jazz enthusiasts are (always have been?) a small if discerning bunch, so it's unlikely the sudden passing of Billy Bang will register as much as it…
Pitom’s Unique, and Uniquely Awesome, Sound
I was unprepared for Pitom. As a result, my initial experience with the band’s debut album in 2008 was one of those exceedingly rare occasions when one’s astonishment is both…
The Song Remains The Same or, The Agony of Influence
Two thoughts from T.S. Eliot: April is the cruelest month... Whatever. Good poets borrow; great poets steal. Now we're talking. And here is where it gets interesting: debate rages (well,…
All Hail Me: The Golden Goddesses of Veruca Salt (Revisited)
Not sure if any band quite captures the waiting-to-exhale extended moment of semi-innocence that was the mid-'90s (you know, the post-grunge, post-Reagan/Bush, pre-9/11, pre Bush/Cheney era when casual Fridays were…
Five From Albert Ayler, For M.L.K.
On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot to death in Memphis, Tenn. Spirits Rejoice: The Truth Is Marching In (alternate version here): Nobody…
Joy Division and the Genius of Humanity
Transmission 4x. Original: From the excellent movie Control: Playmobil Stop Motion: Caribbean steel-band: What else is there to say? (Here is some of what I said last November): If you…