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 […]

Recently, I got nailed hard in the comments section for being sloppy in some of my criticisms of a mid 70s Mingus release, Changes One (I actually like the record, by the way).
It made me wonder why I bother being critical of anything. Certainly, there’s no percentage in it.
If you go on Amazon.com and look […]

Hello, all. One of these days, I intend to put up links to a bunch of musician websites. I’ve been looking at several of them lately.
A couple of sites really impressed me. Perhaps not surprisingly, they were from two of my favorite musicians: Chick Corea and John McLaughlin. These two have had amazing lives. It […]

Hi, Everyone.
I just put a bunch of links to jazz labels on the site, but I know I didn't get them all.
If anyone knows of a jazz label that has an online presence that I haven't included, could you please answer this forum post? Here's what would help:
1) The URL of the web site
2) A […]

Some of you might be noticing I’m writing less raves these days, and a lot more “WORTH A LISTEN” and “DON’T BOTHER” reviews. It’s not that I’m grumpy. There’s actually a good reason.
I started thinking about all of the great jazzmen, the ones who have a dozen or more great albums to their credit, people […]

I’ve made a decision.
Everyone once in a while, when I just can’t stand not to do so, and I think that my audience just might appreciate it, I’m going to recommend a CD that isn’t jazz.
Now, give me a chance to explain myself. I know this is a jazz site, and I do want […]

Starting today, I’m premiering a new ratings category, Worth A Listen.
Sometimes, I won’t be able to recommend a release to the majority of jazz fans for a variety of reasons. Maybe there’s one standout performance on the record, but everybody else is just okay. Maybe there’s one incredible composition, but the rest are just […]

BLANK CDS
If you’re planning to burn CDRs to replace store bought CDs that are no longer functioning properly, you’re going to need some blank CDs. The cheapest way to go about it is to get a spindle of blank CDs and then get the cases separately. Here’s a well reviewed spindle of CDs, followed by […]