There's something good happening in the Chicago music scene, where younger players like Marquis Hill, Makaya McCraven, and Matt Ulery have made strong statements recently. Add sax player Corbin Andrick's name to that list, as his recent Olmstead's Whistle release signals this musician and this band as one to watch. The band on Olmstead's Whistle includes Andrick on sax … [Read more...]
Our Favorites of 2014 So Far
As we have reached a little bit past the halfway point of the year, it's about that time to look back on some of the releases of 2014 and highlight some of our favorites, jazz and non-jazz alike (and maybe a few you may have missed). Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint After his remarkable, and often unsettlingly emotive debut (see: "My Tear … [Read more...]
Juan Pastor – ‘Chinchano’
I heard a lot about Juan Pastor before I got a chance to finally hear his music. After listening to Chinchano, I can totally understand why he’s a favorite to play with amongst many of my friends. This isn’t one of those “jazz musician discovers latin music and decides to write an album” latin jazz albums. Pastor is from Peru and now lives in Chicago, so the dichotomy of … [Read more...]