Friday, July 8 2011
Thelonious Monk: Monk’s Music
No matter how many times it gets reissued, a great album is still a great album. Monk's Music will never sound anything short of terrific.
Friday, June 24 2011
Counterbalance No. 39: Miles Davis’ ‘Kind of Blue’
The Great List of the most acclaimed albums of all time makes its first foray into jazz, beginning with Miles Davis’ 1959 favorite. With no lyrics to quote, Counterbalance’s Eric Klinger and Jason Mendelsohn are having difficulty writing this introduction.
Wednesday, June 8 2011
Harriet Tubman: Ascension
Their band is named after one of American history's most revered women. Their album is named after one of John Coltrane's most ambitious works. Harriet Tubman's Ascension walks the talk.
Monday, June 6 2011
Miles Davis: The Definitive Miles Davis on Prestige
The latest Miles Davis collection chronicles some of the best, most interesting and hungry tunes the legend ever offered.
Wednesday, May 11 2011
(It’s Always) Time For McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner epitomizes the restless spirit and inspiration that characterizes all of our great artists. He was already a master by the mid-’60s; his work with John Coltrane could be studied and analyzed the way entire catalogs of music get dissected by critics. He was neither sated nor satisfied though, so he kept pushing and his work became increasingly ambitious, wide in scope and rewarding
Tuesday, May 3 2011
David Liebman: Lieb Plays the Blues à la Trane
Don't let the lofty title fool you, saxophonist David Liebman is just playing covers and having fun here.
Tuesday, February 8 2011
‘John Coltrane and Black America’s Quest for Freedom’: Insider Perspectives
The better contributions in this edited volume navigate a course between the particular and the universal, granting Coltrane's music the freedom it demands.
Wednesday, December 1 2010
Top Ten Tracks for Your Holiday Playlist
Weary of Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas” for the 567th time? Here's an alternate selection of songs to consider spinning during the holiday season.
Wednesday, September 8 2010
The Shape of Jazz That Came…
The awake, aware folks who make and receive these offerings celebrate an ever-evolving music that resists boundaries, the sort capable of communication that transcends language and explanation.
Monday, June 14 2010
Talking About Jazz (Again) and Appreciating Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is the authentic item that aficionados savor, but whom virtually anyone with unpolluted ears can immediately appreciate.
