Roy Ayers Ubiquity – Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival Original release 1972 Polydor (Japan) 1996 CD reissue Verve Records 314531641-2 Dipping back into the Roy Ayers Ubiquity catalog, this live performance hails from pretty early in their trajectory, and this version was expanded from the original LP to include 4 extra tracks for what…
In memoriam, Jerry Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995)
Twenty-five years ago, when Jerry Garcia passed on this day in 1995, I was jaded and angry. Still reeling with unprocessed grief from the death of my only sibling a few years earlier, I had distanced myself from the scene I had once felt an affinity to (which had grown increasingly sketchy in the 1990s…
Eddie Hazel – Rest In P (1994) (P-Vine Records PCD-2884)
Eddie Hazel – “Rest In P” 1994 P-Vine Records PCD-2884 Released in Japan Eddie Hazel would have turned 70 years old in April of this year. This collection of rarities by Hazel is a delight for longtime fans and should impress the neophyte, though I wouldn’t recommend it for the totally uninitiated – those people…
Jackson do Pandeiro – Raízes Nordestinas (1999)
Jackson do Pandeiro – Raízes Nordestinas 1999 EMI / Copacabana326 520558 2 Tonight is the night honoring São João, St. John the Baptist. It’s a very traditional holiday in northeast Brazil and this blog used to have a tradition of São João and Festa Junina-themed posts at this time of the year. But with everything…
Freedom Rhythm & Sound: Revolutionary Jazz & The Civil Rights Movement 1963-82 (Soul Jazz Records 219)
Various Artists – Freedom Rhythm & Sound: Revolutionary Jazz & The Civil Rights Movement 1963-82 2009 Soul Jazz Records I apologize for my absence during these challenging times of turmoil. The truth is I am exhausted by everything happening in the world, but not anywhere near as exhausted as my black friends, especially those in…
Al Jarreau – Glow (1976)
Al Jarreau – Glow 1976 Reprise MS2248 This reissue, late-80’s German CD pressing There has been another round of recent deaths of talented people in the arts, and I might be tempted to print another list here or to work up a bunch of “tribute” posts on this blog. But my last post here…






