Compiling a list of the greatest works of the last ten years is an inherently difficult proposition. The first complication lies in the fact that so many of my musical memories from the last decade are tied to recordings released prior to the period. Some of my best memories include the Charlie Parker song from 1950 that played at my wedding, the New Year’s Eve I first stumbled … [Read more...]
Edward Simon – “Triangle” (Stream)
Venezuelan pianist and Guggenheim Fellow Edward Simon is just about as well respected as anyone in the realm of jazz piano. His accolades include stints with Greg Osby and Terence Blanchard’s bands plus he’s been a member of the prestigious SFJAZZ collective since 2015. All this to say that when he puts out a record, as is the case with his latest Sorrows and Triumphs, out now v … [Read more...]
Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2017
We have a small, volunteer staff here at Nextbop. Folks who read us here contribute work, adding to the collective of voices that we so cherish here and giving additional perspective that Sebastien and I lack at times. It's why, when it comes to end-of-year lists, our collective of voices is so important. It's nice to see the overlaps in taste and to gain insights into albums … [Read more...]
Nextbop Interviews Brian Blade
Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band are celebrating their 20th anniversary as a unit with the release of their fifth studio album on Blue Note Records entitled Body and Shadow. The album albeit brief is an important one vowing to be a “meditation on lightness/darkness that arrives like a balm for the soul, ebbing and flowing with grace, subtlety and no shortness of beauty”. I cau … [Read more...]
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band’s Brand New Single “Broken Leg Days”
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band are set to drop their fifth album, Body and Shadow, November 10th marking their 20th anniversary as a unit. Formed in 1997, the Fellowship released their Blue Note debut in 1998, but the bond among the musicians goes back even further. Brian Blade, the band’s namesake and drummer, first met pianist Jon Cowherd in 1988 while attending Loyola U … [Read more...]