Posts by Jim Hynes

This duo of trombonist, singer, and songwriter Natalie Cressman and guitarist, composer, and vocalist Ian Faquini have forged their partnership through two successful albums, 2022’s Auburn Whisper (covered here) and 2019’s Setting Rays of Summer. The instrumental pairing is indeed rare and Cressman and Faquini are likely the only ones rendering Brazilian music as a duo on these instruments.  On their […]

Echoes Of The Inner Prophet is the second Blue Note release by Melissa Aldana. The saxophonist and composer gained significant acclaim not only for her compositions but for the colorful arrangements and harmonious textures delivered by her quintet on her debut 12 Stars. Also, the Chilean-born, NYC-based Aldana continues to forge a special musical partnership […]

Singer-songwriter and producer Jose James steps away from tributes that have marked previous releases on this, his twelfth album, the self-produced 1978, a double LP of just nine tracks that stretch just under an hour. The title has significance for a couple of reasons. It marks the year of James’ birth in Minneapolis but more […]

Along Interstate 40 in Tennessee lie two cities of immense musical importance and history – Nashville and Memphis. Check that and add a third to the list – Knoxville which hosts the annual Big Ears Festival, America’s and perhaps the world’s most diverse, eclectic, and explorative festival comprising music, poetry, literature, film, and art. Big […]

Impulse! Records are getting a head start on a batch of archival releases hitting next month with its release of Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert, the full recording from the historic performance in 1971. That night’s bill also included Laura Nyro and The Rascals with Coltrane in the middle spot. Such were the […]

By his own volition, the days of Gary Clark Jr. as blues guitar hero are long gone, as he continues to forge an eclectic path as complex and confusing as this album title for his fourth major label release. Okay, let’s explain that before proceeding. The acronym is Jealousy, Pride, Envy, Greed…Rules, Alter Ego, Worlds. […]

The 24-year tenure of New York’s longest-running hard-bop supergroup, the sextet All for One, is now 17 albums strong. This run is marked with long hiatuses between albums, including almost eight years between this, Big George, and 2016’s The Third Decade. Such breaks are understandable given the status and in-demand nature of the lineup comprised […]

It’s difficult to believe that saxophonist and composer Charles Lloyd hasn’t delivered a studio recording since 2017’s Vanished Gardens and Tone Poem, given his prolific output of live offerings, all of which we have covered on these pages. That alone makes The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow important but beyond that, this may well […]

Though their first collaborative full album, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis teased us in 2023 when he teamed with the erstwhile trio with punk roots, , on the last track, “Fear Not,” on his rock/punk-infused trio 2023 Eye of the I. That followed an invitation to sit in with the trio at NYC’s 2019 Winter Jazzfest. […]

Roots rocker Adrian Sutherland from Canada’s Far North, and specifically the Attawapiskat First Nation on James Bay, brings us his singular sound on Precious Diamonds, a collaboration with Colin Linden, who not only produces but splashes his multi-instrumental talents all over the album. From the opening notes of “Notawe (Father),” one of two songs sung […]

Beloved singer-songwriter Malcolm Holcombe has left us at age 68 from respiratory failure and ongoing health issues. Holcombe was singular in every sense of the word whether it was his quirky, oft irreverent lyrics, his one-of-kind blues guitar riffing, and a weathered from another age voice unlike any. Holcombe had long battled health issues and […]

Brother Dege’s sixth album, Aurora, now has the unfortunate distinction of being a posthumous release as we learned that the artist passed late on Friday, March 8, 2024.  This sudden, unexpected event comes with no details as this time, but the music herein certainly reflects a troubled soul. This magazine dubbed Brother Dege Legg as […]

Saxophonist and composer Chris Potter finally had the stars align for a session that’s been years, if not decades in the making. It can be challenging to find a break in the schedules of such giants on their respective instruments – pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade. The eight compositions on […]

In 2020 Norah Jones foreshadowed the gloomy pandemic period with her brooding, melancholy Pick Me Up Off The Floor, a fine album but not exactly one to play at a party. By contrast, here on her latest, Visions, she refused to write multiple verses on “I Just Wanna Dance,” instead simply embracing the words of […]

Pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti has a mantra of “double up” for his ninth album as a leader, Plot Armor, which follows his Grammy-winning Tree Falls. The proverbial “pulling out all the stops” certainly applies in this case as features two musicians on almost all instruments. Double quartets (Ornette Coleman) and double trios (Tomas Fujiwara) […]

Fans of the desert blues of Northwest Africa, principally Mali and the Sahara lands, and the music of Ali Farka Toure and Tinariwen, will find this double LP of “The Godfather of Tuareg Music,” Abdallah Oumbadougou, the innovative late guitarist, essential. It’s not only for its music but for the intriguing biographical information in the […]

Part Black Crowes, part Creedence, and throw in even more raw, swampy boogie and you have the sound of the blues-rock trio Handsome Jack.  Hailing from the upper reaches of New York state, the geography may not seem to fit, but the music speaks for itself, albeit in more a retro than contemporary way. The […]

Shane Smith & The Saints have built their following, one show at a time, one album signing at a time, with an unrelenting work ethic and rigorous touring schedule from dives and honky tonks to major venues peaking at 240 shows in a single year. Following a live appearance on the TV show Yellowstone and […]

Fans of the Allman-Betts Band or Duane Betts & Palmetto Hotel are likely familiar with songwriter Stoll Vaughan who has penned lyrics for their recorded output. Yet Vaughan’s resume extends far beyond just those endeavors. A protégé of John Mellencamp, this is Vaughan’s fifth album This effort, Dream in Color, finds Vaughan back in his […]

Just as he did for his widely acclaimed Blood Brothers with Albert Castiglia, Mike Zito convened with guitar greats Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith for this solo effort, Life Is Hard. To say that this was a cathartic release for Zito would be a vast understatement given that he recorded the album just months after […]