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B.B. King
By 1977, when this French live album was recorded at the Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival, the “King of the Blues” had truly crossed over. He’d played Fillmores West and East and won a Grammy in 1970 for “The Thrill Is Gone.” In typical major-label fashion, subsequent albums saw him surrounded by rock stars and studio…
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Allen Hinds
The latest from the Lord of Legato features compositions that blur the line between prog, fusion, and Americana. From the majestic to the bucolic, Hines leaves it all in the ring with epic tunes and sophisticated arrangements that grip the soul, the heart, and the mind. While songs like “Fearless” showcase his writing, use of…
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Check This Action: A Year In Their Life
Recently, I stumbled onto one of those “reaction” videos by a New Zealander named Courtney, who wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen footage of the Beatles or even heard their songs. This shouldn’t be surprising. The video she watches of the Fab Four, playing “All My Loving” on Ed Sullivan in 1964, was created probably…
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Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium is a special venue for Isbell & the 400 Unit. As their stature has grown beyond roots music, they’ve performed on that vaunted stage more than 50 times in the past decade and recorded a previous album there. This new collection reprises material from their most-recent albums, Reunions and Weathervanes, with a…
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Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai
Recorded at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on their 2024 U.S. tour, G3 Reunion Live reunites the virtuosos who started it all. Three sets plus the encore jam capture the energy and passion of the performances, packaged here as two CDs, a 16-page photo booklet, four LPs, and a 64-page coffee table book. Set…
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Michael Manring
Most music fans who learn that the eclectic trio 3Below is all bass players will react with, “You gotta be kiddin’!” However, musicians who appreciate the unusual will stay for a listen, especially given the lineup – Michael Manring, Trey Gunn, and Alonso Arreola. Spearheaded by Alonso on his six-string or a hybrid ascoustic, their…