Album Reviews

Review: Bob James’ ‘Once Upon A Time: The Lost 1965 New York Studio Sessions’, Admas’ ‘Sons of Ethiopia’, and Takuya Kuroda’s ‘Fly Moon Die Soon’Review: Bob James’ ‘Once Upon A Time: The Lost 1965 New York Studio Sessions’, Admas’ ‘Sons of Ethiopia’, and Takuya Kuroda’s ‘Fly Moon Die Soon’

Review: Bob James’ ‘Once Upon A Time: The Lost 1965 New York Studio Sessions’, Admas’ ‘Sons of Ethiopia’, and Takuya Kuroda’s ‘Fly Moon Die Soon’

Artists often produce some of their best work when given increased freedom over the creative process. In so doing, their…

5 years ago
Review: Jesse Fischer’s ‘Resilience’Review: Jesse Fischer’s ‘Resilience’

Review: Jesse Fischer’s ‘Resilience’

As the world seems to descend into increasingly challenging times every day, society needs music more than ever to respond…

5 years ago
Review: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s ‘Axiom’Review: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s ‘Axiom’

Review: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s ‘Axiom’

In the field of philosophical logic, an axiom serves as a starting point from which other statements are derived. It…

5 years ago
Review: Marcos Valle, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s ‘Marcos Valle JID 003’Review: Marcos Valle, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s ‘Marcos Valle JID 003’

Review: Marcos Valle, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s ‘Marcos Valle JID 003’

In the year 1500, navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral claimed Brazil as a colony for the Portuguese empire. Despite the region’s…

5 years ago
Review: Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids’ ‘Shaman!’Review: Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids’ ‘Shaman!’

Review: Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids’ ‘Shaman!’

In the early 1990s, Allan Wilson and Rebecca Cann reached a scientific breakthrough in their testing of mitochondrial DNA. Their…

5 years ago
Review: The Regina Carter Freedom Band’s ‘Swing States: Harmony in the Battleground’Review: The Regina Carter Freedom Band’s ‘Swing States: Harmony in the Battleground’

Review: The Regina Carter Freedom Band’s ‘Swing States: Harmony in the Battleground’

American presidential campaigns are often very narrowly focused. One study showed that in the 2016 election a whopping ninety-four percent…

5 years ago
Review: Thumbscrew’s ‘The Anthony Braxton Project’Review: Thumbscrew’s ‘The Anthony Braxton Project’

Review: Thumbscrew’s ‘The Anthony Braxton Project’

It would be hard to find a trio better equipped to tackle an entire album of saxophonist Anthony Braxton's compositions…

5 years ago
Review: Gerald Clayton’s ‘Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard’Review: Gerald Clayton’s ‘Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard’

Review: Gerald Clayton’s ‘Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard’

Pianist Gerald Clayton first came to the attention of many jazz fans by way of the late Roy Hargrove's quintet…

5 years ago
Musical Mentors: Gary Bartz & Maisha’s ‘Night Dreamer’ and Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk’s ‘Ocean Bridges’Musical Mentors: Gary Bartz & Maisha’s ‘Night Dreamer’ and Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk’s ‘Ocean Bridges’

Musical Mentors: Gary Bartz & Maisha’s ‘Night Dreamer’ and Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk’s ‘Ocean Bridges’

The term “mentor” comes from a character in Homer’s Odyssey, an epic written in the 8th Century BCE. However, the…

5 years ago
Review: Roy Ayers, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s ‘Roy Ayers JID 002’Review: Roy Ayers, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s ‘Roy Ayers JID 002’

Review: Roy Ayers, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s ‘Roy Ayers JID 002’

Humanity has a longstanding fascination with incorporating the latest technological developments into music. This interest is perhaps most evident in…

5 years ago