There is little doubt that saxophonist David Sanborn has earned his place in music history through his many collaborations as a sideman with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and David Bowie. On his latest disc, he revisits the blues that influenced him early on, via the work…
After a fruitful 40-year career, the legendary Steve Miller finally comes out with his first live DVD, Live from Chicago (Coming Home Media/Koch Records), a three-disc package that includes a full concert captured during last year’s edition of the Ravinia Festival in Chicago (to which he returned for its release…
After a fruitful 40-year career, the legendary Steve Miller finally comes out with his first live DVD, Live from Chicago (Coming Home Media/Koch Records), a three-disc package that includes a full concert captured during last year at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago (to which he returned for its release); a…
After a decade-long major-release hiatus during which he dedicated himself to music education and independent recordings, Stanley Jordan re-emerges with a CD that challenges listeners who see music as black-and-white. He’s taken musical creativity to the next level by looking outside the box at a handful of standards while introducing…
A mix of blues, folk, and acoustic rock with fringes of jazz is what you hear on this new release by the duo of brothers Chris (from Medeski, Martin & Wood) and Oliver Wood, which follows up 2006’s Ways Not to Lose. Again under the production of John Medeski, the…
After more than thirty years of recording and touring, you’d think that these gentlemen would be jaded about making music, but listening to them perform, you realize that nothing could be further from the truth. The iconic group — often regarded by fans as “The Led Zeppelin of jazz” –…
After more than 30 years of recording and touring, you’d think that these gentlemen would be jaded about making music, but listening to them perform, you realize that nothing could be further from the truth. The iconic group — often regarded by fans as “the Led Zeppelin of jazz” —…
This young, Dutch-born saxophonist has a long history as a sidewoman, performing alongside Dave Stewart (with whom she recorded “Lily Was Here,” a hit she often performs live), Prince, Aretha Franklin, and many others since her late teens. As a bandleader, she brings influences from funk, Latin music, and other…
Watching Hiroshima perform is akin to witnessing two cultures come together through music. Formed almost 30 years ago by saxophonist Dan Kuramoto and master koto player June Kuramoto, the six-piece band bridges the gap between traditional Japanese music and modern jazz by incorporating sounds from both cultures, resulting in a…
On this Canada-based trio’s debut, the eclectic talents of Peru’s Silvana Kane and Canadian musicians Adam Popowitz and Toby Peter come together on a disc that goes in various musical directions, ranging from flamenco to electronica with a touch of Latin and indie pop in between. “Libertad” is a mellow…
Sheryl Crow is back to her old self after the fiasco that was 2005’s Wildflower. By renewing her partnership with Bill Bottrell (who produced her first CD in 1993), she comes up with a selection of infectious pop tunes reminiscent of her earliest efforts. “Gasoline” and “Love Is Free?” have…
Talented songwriter k.d. lang clearly has learned a few things from spending so much time around Tony Bennett. The two have been recording together since they released 2002’s A Wonderful World, and on her latest disc, you can hear the influence of Bennett in her approach to singing. Throughout Watershed,…
On this document of their 2007 world tour, the Barcelona-based, self-styled “hip-hop flamenco” band plays music from their latest studio recording of the same name, while also going through some material from their back catalog, delivering a high-energy performance that can be felt right from the first moment. “Sultanas de…
Though Waters, Gilmour, & Company are no longer touring as a band (their last appearance was at Live 8 in the summer of 2005), Floyd fans have a good opportunity to experience the band’s music in a theatrical format in this show that covers that band’s career, from classics like…
Though Waters, Gilmour, & Company are no longer touring as a band (their last appearance was at Live 8 in the summer of 2005), Floyd fans have a good opportunity to experience the band’s music in a theatrical format in this show that covers the band’s career, from classics like…
In this new Putumayo collection, we look at a variety of jazz-inflected, electronically inspired songs that come mostly from Western Europe and are influenced by the many Middle-Eastern and Latin musicians who live there today. One of the first tracks to catch your attention is Toufic Farrouk’s “Destins et Désirs,”…
Roughly two years after her comeback album with New Bohemians (2006’s Stranger Things), Edie Brickell gets together with stepson Harper Simon for a collection of new songs that has a stronger musical connection to her solo material than to her old band. The disc has a laid-back feel, despite the…
Though he might not be a household name, this Brooklyn-based musician’s had a fruitful career as a sideman for jazz and pop artists (including Norah Jones) and as a songwriter. On what is only his second solo release, he showcases new material that follows up on his 2002 debut, Come…
With his unique hairdo, colorful suits, and acoustic guitar, Dan Zanes’ musicality and talent are always a pleasure to behold, regardless of your age. Though he has a more obvious appeal to children because of his songs’ themes (“Father Goose” and “The Hokey Pokey,” for example), the apparently endless energy…
As one of the most prolific composers of his generation, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington wrote, throughout his long career, movie soundtracks (Otto Preminger’s 1959 Anatomy of a Murder is a great example), classical scores, and many individual tunes that are now considered American standards. More than thirty years after his…
As one of the most prolific composers of his generation, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington wrote, throughout his long career, movie soundtracks (Otto Preminger’s 1959 Anatomy of a Murder is a great example), classical scores, and many tunes that are now considered American standards. More than 30 years after his passing,…
After having participated in the soundtrack of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (she provided the singing voice of Jenna Fischer in “Let’s Duet”), Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Angela Correa emerges with her own three-track EP, in anticipation of her upcoming full release. On this short sample, one gets the idea…
