Posts by Jim Hynes

Their reputation certainly precedes them as do three generations. This band of brothers (literally as there are five of them) are descendants of Elias Earls, an enslaved man who escaped from Kentucky in 1792 as one of the early travelers on the Underground Railroad. The Blackburn name is legendary in Toronto blues history. The family […]

The late sixties and early seventies proved to be a tumultuous period for jazz as rock rendered by Hendrix, Cream, Santana, Sly and The Family Stone and so many others were the rage. Miles Davis of course led the jazz-rock fusion movement with In a Silent Way and more forcibly with Bitches Brew. Hard bop […]

Third Man Records and Blue Note Records have formed an exciting partnership that presents re-releases of important jazz artists from Detroit. Included are Donald Byrd, Elvin Jones, Grant Green, Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quintet, and this one from Thad Jones – Detroit-New York Junction (1956), which, along with Donald Byrd’s Electric Byrd (1970), […]

Timba a la Americana marks a new chapter for the Cuban-born pianist and composer Harold Lopez-Nussa, who recently left the oppressive regime of Cuba to settle in Toulouse, France. The album not only emits a new sound commensurate with his move but is also his debut for Blue Note Records. Snarky Puppy bandleader Michael League […]

Bobby Rush, at 89 years old, is not only a living legend, but he is also a marvelous testament to a healthy lifestyle that has him still capable of dancing and jumping in his entertaining live shows. Having made his first record at 31 years old, he once told this writer – “I’m probably the […]

We’ve arrived at the vibrant intersection of contemporary R&B and jazz on Cautious Clay’s Blue Note debut, KARPEH, named for his given name, Joshua Karpeh. The album is revelatory. Few artists dabble in as many genres or play as many instruments as Karpeh, heard here on vocals, flute, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, guitar, […]

Rhiannon Giddens is broadening her scope. Her first album of all original songs, You’re the One, goes well beyond her profile as an esteemed folk singer and traditionalist, as it embraces pop, rock, blues, jazz, and gospel. Recently Giddens was touring Europe with her partner, pianist Francesco Turrisi and the renowned, seemingly ubiquitous jazz bassist […]

One could/ practically find almost a dozen great tunes penned by the late great Robbie Robertson (who left us on 8/9/23) from any album from The Band at their peak in the early seventies. Of course, there has been controversy about his stealing the copyrights to songs that could be credited collectively to his colleagues. […]

As the old becomes new again once more; the surviving members of the original Headhunters, drummer Mike Clark, and percussionist Bill Summers are co-leading the unit that continues to carry on, albeit without Herbie Hancock and the deceased members bassist Paul Jackson and saxophonist Bennie Maupin. Most know that the original drummer on the first […]

Blue Note artist Johnathan Blake follows up his acclaimed 2021 Homeward Bound with his same quintet, Pentad, for Passages, an album that mostly pays tribute to his late dad, jazz violinist John Blake Jr., and one that rather closely follows the pattern of its predecessor. Blake is a versatile and powerful drummer who is a […]

The 2023 Newport Jazz Festival was held in Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI, from August 4-6, the same site that hosted Newport Folk Festival a week prior.  The Newport Jazz Festival is the “Grandaddy of all festivals,” acknowledged as the first major festival when it began in 1954, and is renowned for jump-starting […]

Chances are that you’ve heard of South Carolina’s Gullah cultural community through the Grammy-winning ensemble Ranky Tanky which features drummer/percussionist/co-producer Quentin Baxter and trumpeter Charlton Singleton.  Each had solo albums in 2022 as well. Representing both, Quentin more prominently, this Ropeadope-issued eponymous vocal/instrumental collective Lowcountry, exposes the hidden history of the Gullah culture. The Gullah are an […]

Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning marks New Orleans artist Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah’s (fka Christian Scott) first studio album under his reclaimed name as a tribal leader. It also marks a major departure from his previous efforts. This will not come as a major surprise to those who have witnessed Chief Adjuah’s live shows over the past […]

The experimental jazz collective (using the term ‘jazz” loosely) High Pulp made their ANTI debut in 2022 with Pursuit of Ends and this follow-up, Days in the Desert is in some ways an extension of that sound. After all, they recorded these ten tracks, at their core, during the same session. In the interim, band […]

Nina Simone has been seemingly as visible as an active artist in recent years with reissues and unearthed recordings. Now Verve Records commemorates her 90th birthday with the newly discovered release of her performance at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival, entitled You’ve Got to Learn. You’ve likely seen her performance in the Academy Award-winning documentary, […]

It’s never easy to follow up a Grammy-winning album but arguably Molly Tuttle and her band, Golden Highway have done just that as City of Gold teems with terrific songs and a tad more energy than 2022’s winning Crooked Tree, which won Best Bluegrass Album.  Established early on as picker par excellence (IBMA Guitar Player […]

Assuming you’ve heard about this never-before-heard recording of John Coltrane’s month-long residency at NYC’s Village Gate in August,1961 but have only heard the single, “Impressions” so far, here are some quick observations: Although Dolphy is present on later recordings {Live at the Village Vanguard (Impulse!), Ole (Atlantic), Live in Europe (Pablo), and Africa Brass (Impulse!)}; […]

Octogenarian George Benson is still performing, having appeared at the Montreal Jazz Festival earlier this month. Once a premier jazz guitarist, (he played with Miles Davis after all) mostly through his many appearances as both a leader and sideman for CTI in the seventies, Benson’s association with Quincy Jones, took him down a similar road […]

The phrase “Best weekend of the year” has grown to be synonymous with the Briggs Farm Blues Fest which celebrated its 26th year, this past July 6-8. The event, held on the Briggs family farm that dates to the 1700s, consistently draws thousands of mostly camping fans in northeast Pennsylvania and surrounding states. With fourteen […]

On so many levels The Legend of Sam Davis is a rare gem and should, if there’s any justice in the music world, be recognized as one of this year’s outstanding projects. The CD comes complete with a hard-bound book that provides the narrative behind each song, with artwork, maps, and family photos about a […]