Posts by Doug Collette

On Son Volt's new album, American Central Dust, Jay Farrar only plays an acoustic guitar, not its electric counterpart. The bandleader's choice of instruments is as much a direct reflection of the overall approach he applies to the album as the choice of label for which Son Volt debuts.  Rounder Records has become one of America's primary independent music distributors, largely by focusing on the folk, blues and country music that form the foundation of Farrar’s new songs.

Five more shotgun jazz CD reviews by Glide contributor Doug Collette – this month he visits: Branford Marsalis, Sonny Rollins, Ravi Coltrane, Steve Bernstein, Bill Evans.

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood clearly elevate each other's performances throughout Live From Madison Square Garden. This live recording, a set list heavy on blues and vintage Traffic tunes intermixes crowd-pleasers like the too-obvious encore "Cocaine” as well as "After Midnight." Yet the headlining pair and their savvy accompanists refuse to indulge in mere nostalgia.

Gary Burton and Pat Metheny have reunited occasionally in interim since working together regularly in the 70's, but Quartet Live is their first bonafide collaboration since that time. Their commitment, as well as that of their comrades, is wholly evident on Quartet Live.

Though perhaps not so startling a work as its predecessor, the Grammy-winning Dirt Farmer, Levon Helm’s new album nevertheless extends its authentically rootsy earthy themes.

The second batch of expanded remastered cd’s of The Replacements is as much of a labor of love as the first four. The exhaustive liner notes and the meticulous detail former manager Peter Jesperson attributes to the bonus tracks (which sometimes double the number of cuts on a given cd) depict a dramatic backdrop to music that is wholly gripping on its own terms. Truth be told, the casual music lover who discovers The ‘Mats via these releases, not knowing their history, might very well come away convinced this Minnesota quartet is one of the finest rock and roll bands America’s produced in the last twenty years…or perhaps longer!

Any musician with a well-defined style must also be the consummate recording artist to prevent with each successive recording from sounding like mere repetition of it predecessor. The Church are artists of just that caliber and their latest album, untitled #23, bears evidence to those high standards.

When The North Mississippi Allstars' Luther Dickinson began working with The Black Crowes, his partners, brother Cody and bassist Chris Chew, formed Hill Country Revue, whose music is a composite of the raw early sound of The Allstars and the riff-heavy style of Lynyrd Skynyrd,

Chris and Rich Robinson revitalized the Black Crowes in 2008 by en-listing two new members who then participated in the recording of inspired original material on the band’s first studio set in seven years Warpaint. The extensive touring that followed, from which this double live CD is taken, finds the quintet even further invigorated…and invigorating to hear.

Following the iTunes exclusive Live from Las Vegas – Exclusively at The Palms; Celebración De La Ciudad Natal is the second live EP My Morning Jacket's released just this year. Recorded in Louisville, Kentucky, at their hometown record emporium Ear X-tacy and Waterfront Park (the dual reference to the meaning of the title), this approximately forty-seven minute release is available only at indie record stores, whose customers no doubt form the source of the band’s greatest loyalty.

A magnificent songwriter and bonafide cultural icon, Bob Dylan has  never been a truly skilled recording artist in the sense of using the studio as a versatile tool in enlarging the scope of his music. On the contrary, his best recordings are those in which savvy musicians capture their chemistry by instinct, inspired by the great material they’ve been given to play. That’s not what happens on this new album.

It should come as no surprise that, in conversation as in his playing, John Medeski is quick to respond and makes his points emphatically though never heavy handedly. As one third of Medeski Martin & Wood, the keyboardist has played an integral role in exploratory work that has rendered jazz ultra-contemporary while never losing sight (or grasp) of the genre’s roots. Like his two musical partners, Medeski has made the time to contribute to any number of side-projects over the years as both musician and producer, collaborating with The Word, The Campbell Brothers and The Will Bernard Group.

So wondrous was the sound of R.E.M.’s Murmur upon its release in 1983, that the deceptive simplicity and haunting air of this music is no less perfect in re-mastered and expanded form over twenty-five years later.

Whether or not it gives you pause to consider why so many of this young band's songs contain recurring references to death (“St Stephen's End”), guns (“Hey Hey Revolver”) and alcohol (the two aforementioned), the fact of the matter is the quintet–even without brother Simone who's on a temporary leave from touring  -perform in such a disarming fashion, Felice Brothers can charm you wholly and completely into their world.

Tickets for Dumpstaphunk's March 27th show at the Highline Ballroom read "Post Allman Brothers Show,” but there were precious few Peachheads present for one A.M. start time or beyond. Not that it mattered because anyone entering the venue would've had the same reaction: an irresistible physical response to the overpowering rhythms exploding from the stage.

An all-star band the likes of which accompanied Will Bernard March 26th doesn't always work in the studio or on the stage. But the extended performance in the Highline Ballroom gave further credence to the chemistry of the diverse foursome

Medeski Martin & Woods' Radiolarians II suggests that each of the three musicians are taking turns setting the tone for the respective installment of the series. John Medeski takes precedence here, but not to the detriment of his partners or the music they create together.

The Clifford Ball is as good a summation as anything else officially available of the instrumental and vocal prowess at the heart of the Phish persona. The seven-DVD set of catches the band on the outer fringes of its innocence, consorting on stage with Ben and Jerry as headlines of ‘The Burlington Free Press’ emblazon the story of the August weekend in a tongue and cheek style that mirrors the quartet’s own sense of humor.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba/Avatar (Blue Note) ***1/2: The Cuban pianist has ventured into a variety of stylistic realms both contemporary and traditional during the course of his career, but he sounds as if he has found his niche here for himself and his band as well. The latter front is particularly noteworthy, since the bulk of the […]

As John Scofield’s career has evolved, he has turned into almost as much of a musicologist as a musician. The transformation has occurred, however, without slighting the latter most and significant role: “Sco” remains one of contemporary jazz’s most distinctive guitar players.