Phish Releases 3 Full Amsterdam Shows from 1997 on New Set
Phish played some of its most experimental live music during shows in Amsterdam back in 1997. Now three complete shows, played there between February and early July, 1997, are available on an 8-CD set called simply Amsterdam. The band, featuring bassist Mike Gordon, played all the shows at the 1,500-capacity Paradiso, a former church transformed into a rock venue/cultural center....
The Robert Glasper Trio Reunites for New Live Album
Pianist Robert Glasper has reunited with his trio, which includes bassist Vicente Archer (Terence Blanchard, Kenny Garrett, Wynton Marsalis, Stanley Jordan, Amos Lee) for the acoustic jazz record Covered (The Robert Glasper Trio Recorded Live at Capitol Studios). The trio, with drummer Damion Reid, is the same one that recorded Canvas in 2005 and In My Element in 2007. The...
Classic Michael Hedges Album, Featuring Michael Manring, Gets Vinyl Reissue
The late Michael Hedges’ landmark 1984 acoustic guitar album, Aerial Boundaries, has been reissued on 180-gram vinyl. The album, considered groundbreaking for acoustic guitar, also featured a bass heavyweight — bassist/composer Michael Manring, who was not only Hedges’ regular bassist, but also house bassist for Windham Hill Records, for which Hedges recorded. Manring, who has played with a wide variety...
Double Album Completes Consider the Source’s “World War Trio”
It’s not often you encounter sci-fi Middle Eastern fusion music, but when you do, it’s probably being played by Consider the Source. The band has released parts two and three of its crowdfunded World War Trio as a double album that clocks in at more than two hours long. (Part One of the trio was released in October 2014.) The...
Brazilian Jazz Great Nilson Matta Releases New Album
Master of the acoustic bass and Brazilian jazz Nilson Matta has achieved a unique groove on his latest album, East Side Rio Drive. The album from Matta, also a well-known bass teacher, has drawn accolades from The Wall Street Journal, and joins players from both North and South America to interpret jazz classics like “Blue in Green” and “Boogie Stop...
Franz Ferdinand & Sparks Release Collaborative Album
So, what happens when two very distinct bands with their hands in the pop, electronic, dance and rock spheres decide to start recording together? They release an album like the eponymous FFS, which abbreviates the names of each of the bands involved: Glasgow-based Franz Ferdinand (formed in the early 2000s) and the American sibling duo Sparks (formed in 1971). With...
Royal Southern Brotherhood Connects With Soul History on “Don’t Look Back”
Blues-rock-funk supergroup Royal Southern Brotherhood visited the almost-magical environment of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to produce Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions. The band, featuring stalwart Louisiana player Charlie Wooton (ZABADODAT) on bass, is a powerhouse of blues/funk players, including Cyril Neville (The Meters, The Neville Brothers) on percussion and vocals; Yonrico Scott (Derek Trucks Band, Yonrico Scott Band) on...
The Stones Give “Sticky Fingers” Extensive Reissue
The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers is an iconic album, from its Andy Warhol-designed cover featuring a fly that really zipped open, to its songs, like “Brown Sugar,” “Wild Horses,” “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,” and “Bitch.” Now, the 1971 record has been reissued in all its glory, to coincide with the Stones’ North American “Zip Code” Tour, in a vinyl...
Seven Yes Concerts Released in Their Entirety in New Set
Early 1970s Yes is in all of its glory on the 14-CD box set Progeny — Seven Shows from Seventy-Two. The set features recently unearthed recordings from seven full concerts performed in North America between Oct. 31 and Nov. 20, 1972, back when Close to the Edge was a new album. Live material from that year’s tour is also well-known...
Graham Parker & The Rumour Bound by “Mystery Glue”
Graham Parker and the Rumour has continued to build on its 2011 reunion with the release of Mystery Glue. The band, in its original lineup, includes bassist Andrew Bodnar, known for his years of work with Parker and on recordings like Elvis Costello’s “Watching the Detectives.” What is the mystery glue of the title? Parker explains: “When Swiss astrophysicist Fritz...
Gary Peacock Trio Releases “Now This”
Top jazz double bassist Gary Peacock (Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Bill Evans) has released Now This with his Gary Peacock Trio, which includes Marc Copland on piano and Joey Baron on drums. The album isn’t just a new record, though, its release also celebrates Peacock’s 80th birthday, which occurred on May 12. For Peacock fans, the record also features new...
Morglbl Releases Sixth Full-Length Album
Jazz/metal band Mörglbl has released its latest album, Tea Time for Punks. It’s the sixth full-length studio album for the French band featuring Ivan Rougny on bass, Christope Godin on guitar and Aurelian Ouzoulias on drums. The group’s sound merges metal chords, jazz, and humor to arrive at something that evokes artists as disparate as Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth, and...