Gerald Clayton : Ones & Twos

L.A.-based jazz pianist and composer Gerald Clayton has had quite the music career at just 41-years old. He’s released five solo albums between 2009 and 2022. He’s collaborated with everyone from John Scofield to Kendrick Scott to Diana Krall to Roy Hargrove. He’s also the son of famous jazz bassist John Clayton. His style is […]

Andre 3000 : 7 Piano Sketches

I think if you’re still waiting around for Andre 3000 to drop a new hip hop album, or crazier yet return to OutKast, you’re wishing upon a fading star. I think Andre 3000 would rather do anything else BUT rap. He dropped an out of left field ambient/jazz/experimental flute album two years ago. Regardless what […]

Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes : Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes

Every once in a while you come across an album that feels entirely new. There’s nothing to compare it to, as nothing that came before was built quite like it. You can label it rock, pop, jazz, etc…but the label is merely a means for cataloging in the record store, or in your own collection. […]

Alabaster DePlume : A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole

Alabaster DePlume is described as “an English jazz musician, saxophonist, spoken word poet, composer, and activist.” When I read something like that I instantly forget the musician and saxophonist part and concentrate on “poet”, “activist” and think I’m not going to like it. Like the music part of that equation is just a side note for an […]

Nels Cline : Consentrik Quartet

Nels Cline is a musician’s musician. Prior to becoming Wilco’s lead guitarist/noise maker in 2004, Cline had been more known in the underground music scene of California. Playing with everyone from Mike Watt, Thurston Moore, Mary Lou Lord; to Rickie Lee Jones, John Zorn, and Blue Man Group. His lightning fast solos only matched by […]

Monday Check-In, 3/10/25 : Spring Preview, New(Old) Jazz, Under The Weather

Hello all. Monday has returned in record-breaking speed. Maybe the fastest Monday turnaround yet. I’m trying to decide if Monday arrived quicker back in school, or as an adult. I’m leaning towards adult. When you were in elementary school, or even middle and high school there were some weekends where it seemed to drag on […]

Futuropaco Returns with The Groovy “Crollo Capitalista”; ‘Fortezza di Vetro, Vol. 2’ Coming Soon

Drum maestro and all around musical wizard Justin Pinkerton dropped his first record as Futuropaco back in 2018 on El Paraiso Records. Futuropaco’s debut was a mix of late 60s grooves and Italian countryside psychedelia. Fuzzy guitar lines intermingled with tight, groove-heavy drums and lean into the musical spirit of cats like Ennio Morricone, Fabio […]

Elephant9 & Terje Rydpal : Catching Fire

I’ve been listening to Elephant9 & Terje Rydpal’s live album Catching Fire for a couple months now. Letting the immense 80 minute concert recorded in 2017 soak into my brain just to try and put words together to describe it. Putting this into some narrative has eluded me, but I figured what the heck. Elephant9 […]

Out Of/Into : Motion I

Jazz quintet Out Of/Into – formerly known as The Blue Note Quintet – makes it perfectly clear that there are some exciting things happening in the world of jazz still. Following in the footsteps of the giants of jazz that came before, the band that consists of pianist Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, drummer Kendrick […]

Jeff Parker ETA IVtet : The Way Out of Easy

Jeff Parker is one of those unsuspecting musical geniuses. He’s been a figure in the Chicago underground music scene for years, having played in Tortoise, Chicago Underground Quartet, Chicago Underground Trio, and Isotope 217 to name a few. He’s also worked with Makaya McCraven, Rob Mazurek, Joshua Abrams and Hamid Drake. That doesn’t include his […]