People Under the Stairs - Sincerely, the P Piecelock 70 - 2019 In a genre that’s less than fifty years old, the idea of legacy is tenuous. Rap’s fetishization of youth culture and the countless examples of rappers ungracefully aging creates an environment where multi-decade careers are exceedingly rare. In this way, Thes One and [...]
Keith Jarrett Belonging (1974, ECM) Recorded 4/24-25, 1974 in Oslo, Norway Eyes of the Heart (1979, ECM) Recorded 5/1976 in Bregenz, Austria You’d be hard pressed to find a harder working jazz artist in the 1970s than Keith Jarrett. Whether it was his solo piano albums or endeavors into the classical world – not [...]
A bit all over the map here and in no particular order, these were my favorite albums released in 2018. I emphasize albums because these were solid listens as full LPs and not just a dope joint here and there. As in I dig some of Cardi’s jams, but her full length was extra meh [...]
Ezra Collective – Juan Pablo: The Philospher Released: October 6, 2017 At this year’s Winter Jazz Fest in New York City, Ezra Collective closed out a BBC Music Introducing showcase at (Le) Poisson Rouge with stunning energy, saving an evening that never quite caught fire until the quintet set the stage ablaze. In [...]
Tony Palkovic – Deep Water Originally released 1980 via Deep Water Records; Re-issued digitally 12/21/2018 via Numero Group Guitarist Tony Palkovic’s Deep Water, initially released in 1980 on Cleveland imprint Deep Water Records, is a dash of Non-Fiction era Steve Kuhn, a nod to the guitar-synth excursions of early Pat Metheny Group, and a few [...]
B. LEWIS – San Jose, CA. Producer - Singer - Songwriter - Bass - Guitars - Keys – Percussion - Samplers B. Lewis – San Jose, CA Producer - Singer - Songwriter - Bass - Guitars - Keys – Percussion - Samplers An alum of Ex’Pression College of Digital Arts, Brad Lewis [...]
In Heavy Rotation – Needle to the Groove’s 2018 Top Spins It’s that time of year where we tell you what was In Heavy Rotation in 2018. We had the whole crew give their top 5 spins on the year. Basura “Qualm” - Helena Hauff “NTS Sessions” - Autechre “Auto-Da-Fé” - SPK “Vengeance Factory [...]
Heavee – WFM (Work For Me) Teklife Records 2018 On this latest release from footwork collective Teklife, producer Heavee maintains the booming, crisp rhythms the crew have made their calling card. He also manages to nudge the style’s rigid musical framework in evocative new directions. For those unacquainted, footwork is a contemporary continuation of [...]
Irreversible Entanglements - S/T - LP International Anthem Recording Company / Don Giovanni Records - 2018 Irreversible Entanglements don’t make music to vibe out to. They don’t craft “bops” that passively graze your eardrums as you study or read. No, the four spellbinding tracks of simmering desperation and channeled rage found on their stellar [...]
“This Time” by Umii released 7/26/2017 Fresh Selects Eight-song set This Time, the debut project by recently-minted duo Umii, almost works as an exercise to showcase the various contexts where vocalist Reva DeVito and producer B. Bravo pair well together. From club-ready dancehall riddims to bedroom ballads, both shine in their ability to create a [...]
