Slang Of Ages Interview Series (2020): Alex Wintz, jazz guitarist discusses ‘Live To Tape.

Jazz guitarist, composer, and educator Alex Wintz joined Preston Frazier to discuss his just-released trio album, Live to Tape, choosing just the right cover song, what Idris Muhammad’s death meant to him, and how the pandemic has impacted his plans. PRESTON FRAZIER: Tell me how your new project came about?ALEX WINTZ: This was not my original plan. Yet, I like how […]

Short Track: ALEX WINTZ TRIO – LIVE TO TAPE (JAZZ)-2020

Alex Wintz’s Live to Tape was a compelling display of the guitarist, composer and educator’s chops, taste, and improvisational powers. Working with bassist Dave Baron and drummer Jimmy Macbride, Wintz went a more direct route than his formidable 2017 debut as a leader, LifeCycle. “Idris” opened this Best of 2020 Jazz entry with Wintz’s warm, evocative tone and […]

Short Cuts: ‘My Waterloo’ Walter Becker (live at Slims 4/7/95)

Steely Dan’s Walter Becker was born on February 20, 1950. To celebrate the birth of the late guitarist, bassist, and producer, Walter Becker has released yet another previously unreleased gem from the Becker vaults. This year, we get a stirring live version of “My Waterloo”. The song, originally released on the brilliantly sublime 1994 album […]

Short Tracks: Short Tracks: Mark Wade Trio – New Stages (2026)

Ambitious concepts in jazz can sometimes collapse under their own weight. Fortunately, New Stages from the Mark Wade Trio does the opposite. Instead of feeling like a lecture on classical adaptation, the album plays like a fluid, imaginative jazz suite that draws centuries of music into the trio format. Double bassist, Wade—joined by long-time pianist […]

Short Tracks: The Longest Way Round – Ben Rosenblum Nebula Project (2026)

Eclectic is surely an overused word in music journalism, yet it applies perfectly to The Longest Way Round, the latest release from the Ben Rosenblum Nebula Project. Rosenblum, an accomplished sideman who has taken his accordion and piano skills around the world, is unafraid to stand on the edge of jazz and look outward. Fortunately, […]