When Lyle Lovett and His Large Band was released in 1989, it was clear that Lovett, for his third album, wasn’t interested in playing by Nashville’s rules. Lovett created something bold and utterly unique by fusing big band jazz, gospel, blues, and Western swing with his already offbeat country style. This wasn’t just an album […]
– Preston Frazier I have the great pleasure of interviewing producer, guitarist and writer Fernando Perdomo. We last talked in June of 2024 about his wonderful album, ‘Self’. How are you? – Fernando Perdomo I’m fantastic. I’m this has been a really inspiring year so far. It’s been my most chaotic music period, but I’m […]
The sixth installment of Fernando Perdomo’s critically acclaimed Waves series picks up where Waves 5 left off, and that’s a good thing. With ten distinctive tracks, Perdomo continues his electric and adventurous approach to the instrumental album series. “Heavenly Rainbow” kicks off the album with his usual expressive electric guitar leads over a meditative 3/4 […]
City Life, initially released in 1975 and now expanded and remastered, is a defining album by The Blackbyrds, a jazz-funk group formed by trumpeter Donald Byrd and composed of his students from Howard University and featuring heavyweights such as Gary Bartz and Ernie Watts (sax), Merry Clayton and Patrice Rushen (vocals) alongside guitarist Orville Saunders, […]
Thelonious Monk’s solo piano album Thelonious Himself gets a new life with Craft Recordings’ reissue. The album, part of Craft’s relaunched Original Jazz Classics, features a 180-gram high-quality pressing. A digital 192/24 hi-res digital release is also available; however, the Kevin Gray LP cut from the original tapes sounds especially glorious. The vinyl also contains […]
– Preston Frazier Jaime, Nice to meet you. I’m a fan of your band, Superfonico. This album is your first solo album. Tell us how ‘Vessels’ came about. – Jaime Ospina I’ve been in love with music, which has roots in Africa, for as long as I’ve loved music. Regardless of whether […]
Ben Tweedt and his trio mates, Tom Buckley on drums and Justin Dawson on bass, have cracked the code for delivering a powerful yet nuanced trio album. Tweedt, a classically trained Ohio-based pianist and composer, proved his improvisational skills with his solo piano album, Scenes, released in 2020. A musical journeyman, he has made his […]
Jaime Ospina, working with a powerful group of musicians for five days in the Lechehouse Music studios in Buda, Texas, produced a challenging and innovative album, ‘The Vessel,’ which is available now on Bandcamp. Ospina, a founding member of the group Superfonicos, enlisted Grupo Fantasma member Beto Martinez to engineer and mix these ten engaging […]
Fernando Perdomo’s Wave series of albums keeps coming out, and this month’s release, ‘Waves 5,’ is no exception. It’s another deep dive into the producer, songwriter, and guitarist’s musical treasure trove. The album starts with “Meditation For Jesse Gress,” an electric sitar-driven track that pays tribute to the late Todd Rundgren guitarist. Perdomo uses vintage-sounding […]
I know I should quit my bitching. I was excited by the prospect of live recordings from the Steely Dan band featuring Donald Fagen and jazzed to hear the ultimate Fagen album, 1982’s Nightfly, recreated by this crack group and fantastic singers. Sure, I would have preferred a recording from Fagen’s current band, the Nightflyers, or […]
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