Darren Jay may not be in Gregg Allman’s class as a singer, but he’s still effective. As a guitar player and arranger, though, he can stand with many, and he leads this big eight-piece delta soul band like an expert muleskinner. It doesn’t hurt to have a rhythm section like bass player Laura Cupit and [...]
The late Cub Koda wrote that Rick Holmstrom’s “inventive ideas are topnotch,” comparing him to the great Earl Hooker. That was in reference to Holmstrom’s solo debut, released in ’96, when he was 31. Sixteen years and five solo albums later, Holmstrom has matured by leaps and bounds into a master of tone and taste. [...]
If you’ve been waiting for the future of jazz to arrive, this may well be it. The young trumpeter is creating a beguiling blend of post-bop, dark rock, and hip-hop – try to picture Miles Davis in Radiohead and you’ll be getting warmer. Better still, Christian Scott has a young, gifted band featuring guitarist Matthew [...]
Drew Zingg isn’t exactly a household name, but he should become one to all guitarists. Best known for stints with Steely Dan, Donald Fagen’s New York Rock and Soul Revue, and Boz Scaggs, he’s a complete guitarist. And he’s gone a unique route with this record, working with producer George Walker Petit and a group [...]
It’s always a treat when a young player arrives on the scene with an understanding of what came before him. Dechter is a traditional jazz player who lets us know right off the bat that he gets it by offering a swinging version of Wes Montgomery’s “Road Song.” Not content to just hang with the [...]
Standing at a crossroads of reggae and jazz, Ernest Ranglin has crafted a unique voice. His mellow-toned and laidback fusion is singular. And stunning. To anyone familiar with Jamaican music and reggae, Ranglin is legend. He began on ukulele, then built his first guitar from a sardine can and wires. He played and recorded mento [...]
After the hype, accolades, and Eric Clapton endorsements of the past few years, Gary Clark, Jr.’s first full-length record has finally arrived. With tracks culled from previous EPs, producer Mike Elizondo (Mastodon, Fiona Apple, Eminem) and Clark have crafted a record that illustrates how great musical influences, an honest point of view, and timing can [...]
Heartfelt personal developments inspired Phelps to write 11 of these 12 biblically themed gospel/blues songs. Accompanied only by his brilliantly played slide acoustic, he helps expand appreciation of blues styles other than vintage Mississippi Delta and Chicago electric varieties. Those popular styles define the blues for some, drawing much of their character from vocal and [...]
The first of Flores’ 11 solo albums came out in ’87, but by then she’d run the gamut from singer/songwriter (in sort of an L.A./Ronstadt mold) to punk (including a 1984 LP by her all-girl Screaming Sirens). Along the way, she dueted with Wanda Jackson and Ray Campi, hosted NPR’s “Whole Lotta Shakin’” rockabilly series, [...]
Dwight Yoakam’s 1986 Guitars, Cadillacs… etc. etc. infused Bakersfieldstyle twang into the New Traditionalist trend then sweeping a country scene weary of frothy country pop. Two years later, he revived the career of long-time hero Buck Owens with their hit duet on “Streets Of Bakersfield.” 3 Pears, his first album of new material since 2005, [...]
