COVID Diary #3
Forced isolation, too much coffee and a stack of records result in a batch of attention deficit record reviews.
Forced isolation, too much coffee and a stack of records result in a batch of attention deficit record reviews.
The multi-instrumentalist opens up on influences that shaped his The Griot Swings the Classics.
Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols not only broke the color barrier in science fiction, she turned the astronaut corps into a slice of America.
The Newest Sound You Never Heard (A-Side Records). Review by James Mann.
Better late than never says our editor, James Mann as he gives a brief look at some of the years best.
The Complete Riverside Recordings (Riverside Records). Review by James Mann.
It’s Personal (Capri Records LTD). Review by Carl F Gauze.
Three months before his death, Miles Davis revisited his earlier work with Gil Evans. Live at Montreux is an incredible glimpse of his genius.
1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project (Concord Records). Review by Carl F Gauze.
Single Petal of a Rose (Renma Records). Review by Carl F Gauze.
It wasn’t all Bach and hypochondria in the life of mercurial pianist Glenn Gould. Shelton Hull finds this new biography awash in details of the great musician’s love life and other psychological insights.
Great Performances from 40 Years of Jazz at NEC (New England Conservatory of Music). Review by Carl F Gauze.
Hunton Downs gives readers new insight into the true events surrounding the death of one of America’s celebrity heroes in The Glenn Miller Conspiracy. This is no pulp fiction, folks.
Raya Yarbrough (Telarc). Review by Carl F Gauze.
Rediscovering Lonnie Johnson (Range). Review by Jen Cray.
Charles Mingus stood tall as an oak tree and played an upright bass made of the blackest ebony. Maybe not, but Shelton hull provides proof why the man remains a legend to this day.
Shelton Hull eagerly devours reissues of lesser-known work by the jazz titans Coltrane, Ellington, and Mingus. What’s left to do then but riff, baby, riff!
Various Artists (Verve). Review by Kurt Channing.
The ubiquitous trombonist has finally busted out with his first solo record, Cherry. Now Josh Roseman talks to Matt Cibula about what it’s like to be a “sex symbol rock-star trombone player.”
Singer/songwriter Joe Henry tells Gail Worley that he considers himself a very lucky man, and after hearing about his work with Ornette Coleman, sipping martinis with Bob Dylan, and having his sister-in-law record one of his songs (maybe you’ve heard of her – she’s called Madonna), it’s hard to argue.
A young dancer becomes a legal genius in this fun and fast musical comedy.
Forgotten ’70s action film Fear Is the Key is as gritty as the faces of the men who populate it. Phil Bailey reviews the splashy new Blu-ray.
Coffin Joe returns in a comprehensive Blu-ray collection from Arrow Video, Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe.
Bob’s been looking for a replacement copy of the rare John Cale release Sabotage/Live (1979, Spy Records) since 1991. He still hasn’t found a copy at a reasonable price, but a random YouTube video allowed him to listen and reminisce.
Hidden gem and hallmark of second-generation martial arts film, 1978’s The Shaolin Plot manages to provide a glimpse of things to come. Charles DJ Deppner reviews Arrow Video’s pristine Blu-ray release, which gives this watershed masterpiece the prestige and polish it richly deserves.
The HawtThorns invite you to soar, with the premiere of “Zero Gravity.”
There’s nothing as humiliating as a cattle call. Unless it’s a cattle call in your undies.