Fifty years ago, Joni Mitchell released the most iconic album of her career, one that changed the trajectory of music forever: Blue (Reprise, 1971). Writing uniquely warm, evocative lyrics and integrating folk guitar, piano, and dulcimer with adventurous harmony, Blue was widely successful upon its release and continues to influence new works today. However, part of its excellence derives […]
Blue Note has a more important discography than almost any label in the history of jazz, encompassing decades of some of the most significant music ever recorded within the idiom. For more than 80 years, the label has produced legendary recordings. It has not rested on its laurels in the modern era, continuing to release […]
As the world seems to descend into increasingly challenging times every day, society needs music more than ever to respond to the events that unfold. Across a broad spectrum from hip-hop to chamber, a series of new releases have provided significant moving, relevant, and pointed commentary. Another excellent new album in this lineage is Resilience […]
During the last few years, many young musicians have approached improvisation not only in the traditional method – as instrumentalists – but also as producers who create beats and use synthesizers to convey their voices. Flying Lotus, Thundercat, and several British acts such as Alfa Mist and Tom Misch are among the artists who have […]
The Brecker Brothers, throughout their twenty-year career, always embodied an interesting duality in their music. On the one hand, every member was accomplished in pop, funk, and R&B, performing on seminal albums with everyone from Frank Zappa to Parliament-Funkadelic. Their recordings are infused with a unique tightness of the horns and a deep groove, both […]
