From Armen Donelian’s Bandcamp site: “Pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator Armen Donelian has carved out an enviable career spanning four decades, including seminal stints with Jazzmen Sonny Rollins, Billy Harper, Chet Baker, and Mongo Santamaria. But two other streams – Classical and Middle Eastern music – have influenced Donelian’s artistic Continue Reading
Jazz
Fania All Stars – Live At Yankee Stadium Vol. 1
Adalberto Santiago, Alfredo De La Fé, Alphonse Mouzon, Barry Rogers, Billy Cobham, Bobby Cruz, Bobby Quesada, Bobby Valentin, Boncana Maïga, Cali Aleman, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Eddie Palmieri, Hector Lavoe, Hector Zarzuela, Ismael Miranda, Izzy Sanabria, Jimmy Delgado, Joe Bataan, Johnny Pacheco. Look at that list. These are the kings of salsa. bolero, and so many other genres, with a few legendary jazz folks helping out. The Fania All Continue Reading
Muriel Grossmann – Plays the music of McCoy Tyner and Grateful Dead
From Muriel Grossman’s Bandcamp site: “On the surface, Tyner and the Dead appear to come from different galaxies. But listen deeply, and it becomes clear: they were orbiting the same planet. Tyner’s playing was all about shape. He built modal infrastructure—riffs and voicings sturdy enough to ground the music, malleable Continue Reading
Srdjan Ivanović Blazin’ Quartet – Sleeping Beauty
What a pleasant and elegant surprise this album is! The Blazin’ Quartet offers up a late-night smoky jazz with a hint of ECM Records‘ sonic aesthetics, early Durutti Column and a more instrumental Tindersticks. True whiskey-and-cigarette music.
Chet Baker – My Funny Valentine (Live)
No need to say anything else. Choose your favorite adult beverage and enjoy.
The Microscopic Septet – Been Up So Long It Looks Like Down to Me: The Micros Play the Blues
Cuneiform Records released this gem by The Microscopic Septet in 2017 and it has held up well. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Since storming back into action in 2006 after a 14-year hiatus, the radically old-school combo has continued to evolve and extend its reputation. The new album builds on Continue Reading
Petyaev-Petyaev – Incomparable Greatness
Brothers Peter Petyaev (saxophone) and Pavel Petyaev (guitar) released a collaborative album near the end of January 2026. It is free in its improvisational greatness but subdued in energy. This is not a nuclear blast of energy but a gentle romp that sounds active enough to be interesting without making your eardrums burst. Continue Reading
Mujician – The Journey
Mujician was perhaps one of the greatest improvisational groups to come out of England, and this album shows them in peak form. The band consisted of clarinetist and saxophonist Paul Dunmall, backed by drummer Tony Levin (not the King Crimson bassist), bassist Paul Rogers (not the hard rocker), and Keith Continue Reading
Zao – Kawana
Magma alumni Yochk’o Seffer and François “Faton” Cahen recorded under the name Zao, producing an album that is at once progressive, zeuhl, and heavily influenced by Miles-era jazz fusion. Deep and dark, it also features Didier Lockwood on violin, Gérard Prévost and Bill Gagnon on bass, Jean My Truong and Christian Saint Continue Reading
Eiko Ishibashi – For McCoy
Black Truffle is an intriguing new label that offers a fine album by composer Eiko Ishibashi, one that sounds like it would have found a place on ECM Records had circumstances been different. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Black Truffle is pleased to announce For McCoy, a new work by Continue Reading