A review of Ben Harper & Relentless7, White Lies for Dark Times (2009) “Relentless7,” the name of Ben Harper’s new band, sounds like the title of a book by Enid Blyton or Carolyn Keene. And they are an adventure to … [read more]
A review of Bruce Cockburn’s Slice O Life (Live Solo) (2009) A lovely and complex CD this, Bruce Cockburn‘s first live album of just him and his guitar. Recorded in 2008 at a variety of shows, this is a strong … [read more]
A review of Brad Mehldau Trio’s Day is Done (2005) This is a surprisingly remarkable record. I’m not sure why it’s surprising, exactly: Brad Mehldau is one of the foremost young jazz pianists working today, and I enjoy most of … [read more]
A review of Manu Katché’s Neighbourhood (2005) and Playground (2007) Manu Katché is a French drummer (born 1958), originally famous for being an in-demand session and live drummer on the 80s/90s ‘world fusion’ circuit (Peter Gabriel, Sting, etc.). Now, his … [read more]
A review of the Tomasz Stanko Quartet’s Lontano (2006) Tomasz Stanko is a Polish jazz trumpeter who sounds a little like Miles Davis without anger. Lontano contains a series of thoughtful, quiet and slightly angular (maybe geometric is a better … [read more]
Thelonious Monk, from Library and Archives Canada via Wikimedia Commons Seen today on Wikipedia: Bassist Al McKibbon, who had known Monk for over twenty years and played on his final tour in 1971, later said: “On that tour Monk said … [read more]
Cascading, effervescent, energetic, virtuoso, surprising, accomplished. You’d need a stream of adjectives to describe how these two play together. An easier way to say it might be to think of four hands attached, somehow, to the same brain. An orchestra … [read more]
A review of UB40’s Twentyfourseven (2008) An elegant, slightly dark and dubby swansong, Twentyfourseven affirms for the last time what a strong and intelligent reggae band UB40 was. Forging its own path on the periphery of reggae, and – at … [read more]