I was just thinking about extraordinary feats in musical history.
It’s somewhat common for an artist to make one or two great albums and then decline or have a short, intense period of creativity which then falls off (Sly Stone). But a sustained output of superb music is much more rare.
Here is a short list […]

It seems that the forum, to the extent that it’s being used at all, has become a destination for hackers and assholes who shamelessly promote themselves and products that have nothing to do with jazz.
With apologies to the few folks who use the forum for legitimate purposes, I’m shutting it down, effective immediately.
Also, I am […]

Hi, everyone.
For those expecting a rundown of the best B3 dates with a horn section, sorry to disappoint — this blog is still basically dead.
Actually, I’m asking any lingering readers out there to weigh in with their opinions of what the best Hammond B3 organ records are that feature a horn section. To […]

Jan Hammer is traditionally given short shrift in jazz histories because of his shift into rock-based music and ultimately, his soundtrack work for Miami Vice, which brought him the most notoriety, not to mention moolah.
Considering how capable Jan Hammer was in so many music genres, it’s ironic that the one he chose to concentrate his […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Alright, a little disclosure here. I’m not a big fan of either Milt Jackson or Wes Montgomery (I know — total heresy). So you might want to take my opinion of Bags Meets Wes with grain of salt.
I actually think it’s really good.
First off, it’s a straight bebop date, which […]

WORTH A LISTEN
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I was pretty excited when I picked up The New Standard. I mean, talk about a dream team: Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, and Don Alias. It doesn’t get any better than that.
The challenge in a date like The New Standard comes in taking a batch of […]

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
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Double Edge was to be David Liebman and Richie Beirach’s last great duet performance together, meaning that it has their characteristic combination of uncommon lyricism and intense swing. After this, as a duo, they leaned too far into 20th Century classical music harmony for me, at the expense of communication.
If you’re […]

WORTH A LISTEN
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There can never be too many recordings from the early 70s featuring keyboardist Jan Hammer. At the time, Hammer was simply on fire. On John Abercrombie’s Timeless, he’s featured on organ, synthesizer and piano. Too bad he had to be playing with guitarist John Abercrombie. I’m sorry, but no way is Abercrombie […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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I’ve got to admit, I’ve been sleeping on Terence Blanchard. I had the impression that he was a traditionalist in the Wynton Marsalis mode. Guess not.
Flow Part 1, starts out with a tasty groove, courtesy of Derrick Hodge on acoustic bass and drummer Kendrick Scott. Blanchard’s head plays around the […]

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Pianist Makoto Ozone can be a problematic musician. On the one hand, he has an unquestioned wealth of musician scholarship and his technique is hard to fault. On the other hand, he can fall prey to cuteness at times. On the other hand, sometimes his ambition exceeds his grasp.
The last time I […]