This page will feature record and concert reviews from our DJs John Hammel (Mozart To Motörhead) and Jeff From Oxford (The Perfumed Garden).

November Edition

What We’ve Been Listening to Lately

I’m an old fart and man do I relish singing like this. It’s considered an old, passe style, and believe me, when I crab, that it is a style of on your heart, emotionally invested singing that is lacking somewhat these days. The voice, no matter what type, be it tenor, soprano, baritone, bass, alto, was projected from the mask, a forward placement between the eyes and at the top of the bridge of the nose. It allowed for an edge that could cut through instrumentation even at relatively loud sections as well as an infinite variety of color and nuanced dynamics. The placement of the voice was sure and centered in pitch. Am I accurately describing the artistry of Donald Stenberg? Yes! This is a superbly programmed recital disc of American art songs from the early days of our founding through to some of the leading vocal composers of the 20^th century. It should be required listening for all vocal students, for its artistry, emotional integrity, and overall vocal quality, as well as a demonstration of the art of accompaniment where the pianist both supports and at times is an equal partner in conveying the core of the material to the audience. A+ for execution and please ignore the antique sound quality in favor of the inherent performances. Kudos to Other Minds for bringing this forgotten gem out from the shadows of time. - JH

October Edition

Betty Buckley – Enough is Enough – Live at Joe’s Pub – Palmetto Records - musical director and pianist Christian Jacob, bassist Carlitos Del Puerto, guitarist Jordan Peters, percussionist Keita Ogawa. May 15-17 residency at Joe’s Pub – NYC – One of the grande dames of Broadway enjoyed a residency at the great venue Joe’s Pub in 2025 and took selections from those shows to release this, her 20^th solo album. At 78, Ms. Buckley has lost nothing to age in terms of emotional depth, nuance, and her extraordinary interpretive abilities to inhabit the heart and soul of a lyric no matter the genre. She brings a breath of fresh air to Dylan’s timeless The Times They Are A’Changin’, & Don’t Think Twice among other tunes not normally associated with her. Paul Simon’s American Tune also gets a fresh coat of paint and in doing so Buckley reveals the timelessness & universality of this material. B.B. shows the youngsters how it’s supposed to be done in the astonishing vocal integrity of Sara Bareilles Enough. She also allows members of the band plenty of room to stretch their legs and solo, adding weight and meaning to the lyrical content of the songs. A standout recording. – JH

 Zoe Rahman – Hull Suite – Live – Manushi Records -

Zoe Rahman – piano - Gene Calderazzo – drums - Alec Dankworth - double bass

Recorded at London's The Vortex jazz club, the album was commissioned by Hull Jazz Festival for World Piano Day June 21, 2025. – Written on commission, the suite is an exploration of familial history, ties, emigration and of course the sea, considering that Hull is north of the great coastal port of Liverpool with an over 800 year old sea faring history of its own. The musical themes are expertly laid out structurally and of course allow plenty of room for improvisation. All of the players are world class and Dankworth is a legend. His bass improv on Voyage, along with his interplay with Rahman are gorgeous. This music is alternately reflective, vibrant and exhilarating. Rahman is a strong composer capable of laying out her compositions with brilliant exuberance & expressivity. – JH

 Charli XCX – Music Fashion Film – Atlantic Records -  If you like your pop music spiked with some electronic & raw guitar energy coupled with a mischievous attitude, then have I got a musical bridge for you! Charli’s been delving into some French Existentialism and her slip is showing. Most especially on the album closer No One Lasts Forever with David Cronenberg’s narration and endless looping of his voice intoning, “No one lasts forever, they are dead, they are gone….) The record is punchy and succinct and bleak and I’m liking it. It appeals to that Germanic dna buried deep in my soul I guess. A solid effort from da brat. – JH

 youbet – youbet – Hardly Art Records - Nick Llobet (vocals and guitar) and bassist Micah Prussack – Great record, great sound. Lots of fervent distortion on display here and they make it work as well as Jimi did with feedback. Just another musical tool in their bag of tricks. They handle the balance between soundscapes, which have become a template since the heydays of Nirvana & Pearl Jam, of delicacy & explosiveness with aplomb & with dynamic releases of tension that sizzle and pop. Although this is a post-modern sound full of internal & external angst, somehow, they make it all seem not only palatable, but positive. Great vocals, great playing, great presentation. You bet! – JH

 Catrin Finch – Notes to Self – Bendigedig Records - Catrin Finch– harp. What a beautifully intimate recording. The beautiful Carmen Wiles of Baltimore Maryland doesn’t often jump out of her chair to interrupt, er, comment, when I’m listening/reviewing/previewing a recording, but she burst into the room demanding to know who was making this gorgeous music. Finch has created these stylish melodies, as the title suggests, to herself, but in this case to her thirteen-year old self with lots of backward glancing along the arc of her career. The first track 13 is the one which immediately grabbed Carmen’s attention and mine as well. This album is rife with ravishing melodic content created by Finch with a single acoustic harp. Hey, why not give another shout out to a stand-out track, only this one ending the album. Angels. Wowser. JH

  Willow – The Thread – Three Six Zero Records – With all due apologies to the Smith family, but Willow is the big talent in this assemblage of talented individuals. Her musical dynamism, coupled with a strongly centered & assured personality makes listening to her albums a sheer delight. She has always been a musical genre bender and this record is no different, easily transitioning between pop, soul, jazz etc. The album is tightly focused and Willow utilizes her vocals from an intimate whisper to a thrillingly soaring soprano. If some criticize her sometimes obscure science fiction-y lyrical bent, sobetit. She’s allowed to artistically tap into her creatively spiritual side. She doesn’t take us into the outer spaceways ala Sun Ra, but I would be willing to take that ride with her if she ever so chooses. This is her second release this year and the stronger of the two and who knows. Does she have a third one in her? Still months to go before 2027. – JH

 Wild Up - Julius Eastman Vol. 5 Gay Guerrilla – New Amsterdam Records - Composed by Julius Eastman.  – Originally scored for four pianos, we find Wild Up expanding this music via heavy emphasis on strings & winds to explore this extravagant score in which Eastman makes allusions to Lutheran hymns, most significantly, A Might Fortress is Our God. This music is fierce and urgent with its pulsating repetitions garnering & gaining force throughout. Musicologist Luciano Chessa once wrote that if Eastman had only written Gay Guerrilla, his place in the compositional firmament would be secured. I would second that and add that thank God he composed numerous other masterpieces (as well as being a noted vocal performer) which this ensemble has taken the time to record in their ongoing exploration of his intriguingly magical compositions. Google Wild Up, Julius Eastman and spend some quality time with volumes 1 through 4. – JH  

 Charles Lloyd – Sangam & Friends – Blue Note Records - Charles Lloyd – tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, bass flute, alto flute, tarogato, piano, percussion - Zakir Hussain – tabla, voice, percussion - Eric Harland – drums, percussion, piano – Guests - Vijay Prakash – vocals -  Rakesh Chaurasia - bansuri, Sabir Khan - sarangi, Ranjit Barot – keyboard - Niladri Kumar - sitar.

Recorded in Mumbai in 2009 and finally released as a tribute to the passing of Zakir Hussain, again reveals a highly-charged simpatico relationship between eastern and western music. Music of this nature demands (as Pauline Oliveros insisted throughout her estimable career) deep listening and an almost empathic sense of freedom and use of space. Lloyd revisits some older material such as The Blessing which is expanded from its initial 1993 inception and Sam on the Ganges which is a tongue in cheek but paradoxically highly serious take on his classic Sombrero Sam. Charles Lloyd is a national treasure and this release with equally world class musicians continues to add to his own expansive legacy. – JH

 Hannah Cohen – Earthstar Mountain – Bella Union/Congrats Records – A very strong indie singer/songwriter release from Hannah Cohen. A new artist to me and one brought to my attention by our son Ray. Her seemingly simplistic lyrical bent gnaws at one’s sensibilities revealing with prolonged listening a profundity of emotional depth regarding loss, grief, our place in nature, & human connectivity. The production is sparse but highly effective at creating soundscapes that further add in drawing the listener more deeply into Cohen’s artistic vision. I was further struck by her conversational singing style which plays with bar lines with a near genius level of phrasing. Her use of slanted rhyme verse with effective use of inner rhythmic schemes belies the seemingly naïve nature of these tunes. A keeper. - JH

 Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar – MotherLoad – Bright Shiny Things Records - Tasha Warren, Bass Clarinet and Clarinet - Dave Eggar, Cello - Also featuring: Phil Faconti, Guitars - Anne Drummond, Flutes - Norah Jones, vocals - Pete Remm, piano - David Schommer, percussion - Keita Ogawa, percussion - Martha Redbone, vocals - Gatoori Primary School Children’s Choir Main Street Kids, Tazwell County TN - Dan Sadowski, percussion.

Artists and composers these days are compositionally fluent in blending genres to our universal aural delectation. Variety in the right hands is truly the spice of life. The foundation of this recording are the soundscapes embedded with melodic & harmonic rebar by Warren and Eggar. Norah Jones is featured as one of the composers (Love is Born co-written with Pete Remm) and as a vocalist adding some celebrity heft to the production, although none is needed. Love is Born evolves beautifully as a mini-suite and is simply one of a multitude of lullaby tunes which serve as the thematic basis of the recording, meant to evoke childhood & the emotionally seismic shift of parenthood. All the tunes were written by women who are mothers. A quote from Man of La Mancha spoken by the venerable Don Quixote, “….women are the soul of mankind.” Soul is the essence fully on display on the beautifully wrought and rendered record. – JH

Christina Ruf – Innenteiche – www.cr.bc.com - Christina Ruf: Electric Cello, Acoustic Cello Samples, Voice & Electronics.

If it seems like I give too much “time” to checking out recordings by Christina Ruf (and Juan Dahmen) you are correct! I got turned on to these two artists in the past year and they are wonderful and continue to wonderize me with their imaginative, creative, improvisational abilities. Christina’s new record is comprised of two long tracks recorded live in May of this year, Innenteiche & Tunnelblick, roughly translated as Indoor Pond & Tunnel Vision. Whether you can discern meaning from these titles attributed to the inherent sound is vitally of no importance. What is of importance is the diversely effulgent unique extended sounds which emanate from the instruments and imagination of Christina Ruf. This is music you can background to work your own creative magic to, if you so wish. A plethora of sounds. Muted roars, trains, industrial growls, whistles, high pitched elongated buzzes et al ad infinitum. Fecund sound worlds emergent. - JH

 Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra– Blackbirds Music from the 60’s – Alpha Classics - Nicolas Altstaedt – cello - Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra - Maxim Emelyanychev – conductor – A scintillatingly delightful program of diverse works composed during the 1960’s, a heady time for an explosive music scene(s) in virtually all genres, including The Beatles, who are represented with a bon bon encore at the end of the record with Blackbird, recorded with Thomas Dunford on lute & vocals in duet with Alstaedt. We get Grazyna Bacewicz’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with full orchestra. A finely honed work which should have its rightful place in the standard repertoire. Britten’s Cello Sonata Op. 65 is sensitively articulated with attuned empathy at all times from both players, in this case, conductor Emelyanychev setting aside his baton to inhabit the piano bench and proving to be totally immersed as an equal partner, in this ravishing work. Morton Feldman’s Durations II also has both artists adding depth & dimension to an otherwise semi-obscure work. Sándor Veress’ Sonata for Solo Cello proves to be an outstanding work that in its three highly effective movements encompasses an intriguing balance between modernism and European folk traditions. - JH

 Elliott Sharp – Ere Guitar – Intakt Records -Elliott Sharp: Guitar - Sally Gates: Guitar - Tashi Dorji: Guitar – Mr. Sharp is an amazing guitarist/artist. A habitue of the downtown NYC arts scene for decades, he has presented as a virtuoso guitarist, author, performer and visual artist. Nothing he puts his mind & creativity to is worth missing and this abstract outing with fellow guitarists Gates & Dorji is an exception. This can best be described as avant-garde blues via the fractaled mind of Derek Bailey and Sonny Sharrock via free improvisation. Only two tunes are Sharp compositions, Drill Core & Popular Science, To me they sound of the same musical cloth as the full-on improvisations and that is no small feat. At seventy-five E# shows no signs of creatively slowing down and with this mixology of metallic skirling microtonal tornadoes he and his mates lay down a template for much younger artists to follow. – JH

 Fantastic Negrito – Alive – Storefront Records - Xavier Dphrepaulezz – (Fantastic Negrito) - Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitar - Bryan Simmons – Keys & Backing Vocals - Clark Sims – Lead Guitar & Backing Vocals, Lily Stern – Bass & Backing Vocals - James Small – Drums - Various live venues.

Boy, I would love to see a double bill of Fantastic Negrito & Jack White. You’d either need a lobotomy afterwards or a month in recuperative aroma therapy with daily massages surrounded by whisperingly soothing vocals. This is fantastically rough music making with no slack given or asked for. Psychedelicism personified with abrasive guitars, screeching, howling vocals, soul thumping bass and drums eager to bash their way to the center of your cerebellum. Lyrically Mr. Fantastic embraces his usual subjects of social injustice, inequality and modern conflict which alas is the same as it ever was. The music mirrors the lyrics superbly and the rapport between artist(s) and audience borders on symbiosis. Standout track is In the Pines at nearly 11 minutes of pure adrenalized genius. Whether whispering or screaming, this music is about as energetic as it gets. – JH

 Stefon Harris & Blackout – Legacy Dances – Motema Records - Stefon Harris (vibraphone, marimba); Christian Sands (piano & keyboards); Dezron Douglas (bass), Terreon Gully (drums); Casey Benjamin (sax, aerophone, vocoder) Special guests: Braimah “Weedie” Morris - djembe (1,4,9,10); Anne Drummond - flute (3,6,8,11); Oran Etkin - clarinets (3,6,8,11); Eric Eaton - cello (3,11); Dwayne Clark - spoken word (10) Orchestrations for tracks 3, 6, 8 & 11 by Scott Arcangel.

Alas, this was the last ever recording of Casey Benjamin before his untimely demise and it’s a stunning showcase of his virtuosity and expertise. He was co-founder of this ensemble with Stefon Harris and his work was always integral to its sound world. His sax playing was world class and his use of vocals/vocoder was nonpareil. He made it all sound as natural as breathing and experimental at the same time. This is music made radiant with the sheer positive vibes and melodically adventurous improvisation of all involved. Harris remains for me the foremost proponent of his instrument working in jazz today. The band’s rendition of What a Wonderful World is worth the price of admission alone. This is music steeped proudly in its roots of Afro-centrism, soul, & jazz, imbued with depth of mind & creativity. – JH

 Nils Petter Molvær - Be Quiet – Edition Records Nils Petter Movaer – trumpet. – Molvaer has one of the most enticingly atmospheric trumpet sounds on planet earth and on this outstanding album his virtues are in duet with some of the most diverse musicians imaginable. The albums title is meant to invoke an inward drawing of our emotional & intellectual resources the better to allow the peace and space within to be an antidote to the wildness of that without; those forces seeking to capture our attention with not a care about the PTSD of the blasting, blistering images assaulting our senses daily. This is music meant to captivate & calm the spirit and it succeeds admirably with every track a stand-out of quietude and virtuosity, although I will cite a few favorites. Opener Bangkok with guzheng player Chang Jing; London-Finsbury Park with John Paul Jones, piano; Copenhagen with Marily Mazur on piano; London-Hackney with Imogen Heap, voice/electronics & Jan Bang on keys/sampling and München with cellist Anja Lechner. - JH

Fergus McCreadie – The Shieling - Companion Pieces – Edition Records - Fergus McCreadie – Piano - David Bowden - Double Bass, Stephen Henderson – Drums.

This EP is the trio’s extension of their acclaimed 2025 release The Shieling. Boy, these guys, especially McCreadie grab your attention with sharply attenuated playing that captivates and energizes the senses. This music is both intimate & soaring at the same time with spaciousness and buoyancy propelling this music forward at a ferocious yet pliant pace. Their revisiting of two tunes from the original album, Lily Bay & Windshelter adds even more depth of emotion to the first takes. Infectious! – JH

 Souad Massi – Zagate – Backing Track Records - Souad – vocals - guitarist and producer Justin Adams. Congolese rapper Youssoupha and Rwandan French rapper Gael Faye make guest appearances alongside a stellar band, which includes John Baggotton keyboard (Massive Attack, Robert Plant), and Billy Fuller (Robert Plant) on bass, Howie Gill on drums. – An Algerian Berber performer now living/based in Paris, Souad Massi has a pleasing voice usually pitched above a whisper but below full throated-ness allowing her a greater palette of vocal intimacy and emotion. The title of her ninth solo album roughly means things are getting worse. Although she does not sing in English you get the drift of her songs by careful listening to the timbre of her voice and the excellent instrumental accompaniment. Her main themes revolve around humanitarian, social & political issues, as in opener, Samt (Silence) and Ana Inssan (I Am Human). For the most part she chooses folk and Algerian chaabi stylings although there are tracks which employ definitive Western rock n roll elements, i.e., Chibani (Elder) & album closer 6 Heures du Matin (6 O’clock in the Morning). A new artist for me and one to explore further for sure. - JH

  Schanzer-Speach Duo with Guests Live in Brooklyn 1992-2002 – Neuma Records - Schanzer/Speach Duo (all tracks):  Jeffrey Schanzer, classical and/or electric guitar - Bernadette Speach, piano. – If your head and ears are bent in the creative, improvised music direction, then you will find this two cd recording of previously unreleased musical meetings extraordinary. I have had the privilege of meeting two of the “guests” in person at several gigs and my wonderful wife Carmen has performed with one in the past so let’s get that disclaimer out of the way. There are too many world class guest musicians to name individually but a few deserve special mention. Mark Dresser, Oliver Lake, Lester Bowie, Wadada Leo Smith to name but a few up front. All of these encounters were recorded in Brooklyn in pre-gentrification daze and it’s a wonderland document of what that scene was like. Wide skied spatiality; foreshadowing’s of the future & imaginations unchecked; allowed to roam wherever the creative juices were willing to go. CD 1’s highlight for me is the astonishing 24 minute plus workout between Wadada on koto, trumpet, mbira, harmonica, wooden flute and Speach on toy piano on the track Rain Flowers, Vertical Spears and Diamond Sunrays. CD 2’s standout is the last track Hollows Five: II - Sincere Words/Can’t Compromise or Overpower featuring Joseph Jarman on alto sax, flute and percussion and of course the Schanzer-Speach Duo, who throughout not only hold their own with their amazing comrades in musical arms, but lead the way into the golden firmament of creativity. Let the good tunes rollick! – JH

 Gracie Abrams – Daughter from Hell – Interscope Records – Highly confessional, whispery singer/songwriter emotionality although there is a plethora of crunchiness at times mostly from the guitars. The album seems to have generated a fairly wide divergency of opinions amongst reviewers, but wotta gonna do. It’s a tough life for artists these days. Tons of artists out there competing for that brass ring. Abrams is more sincere than most to my ears and these tunes work as a reflection of a maturing artist trying to stretch herself a bit. There is a sameness to the production which I believe detracts from the strength of the songwriting. Lyrically I find her probing and poetically interesting. A cool solid B record for me leaning hard into a B plus. – JH

 - Sarah Davachi – The Will of Tongues – Late Records - Sarah Davachi - on five pipe organs tuned in historical temperaments. Various: The Sung Blood Players, Phaedrus, Depason ensembles. Chamber Choir Ireland. – To paraphrase the hotel scene in Midnight Cowboy; “I hope you’ve got a strong musical constitution Joe Buck, you’re gonna need it.” It takes one to dive into the music of Sarah Davachi, but I believe you’ll come out of the water a much better person for it. Drones. And I don’t mean the kind that destroys & maims’ people. I am talking about the kind that offers solace, serenity, awareness, inward contemplation of the meaning of the self and our individual place amidst the cosmic whole. This music can take you there. This two-disc set leads you by the hand and requires you to sublimate your spirit for about two and a half hours. It employs pipe organs pitched to tunings which would have been familiar in Bach’s time; several different instrumental ensembles and a choir seeded throughout the various compositions are utilized, in music which can either stand alone and/or share loosely connected tissue. These pieces are wonderfully recorded, and I assure you will be appreciated, whether you are employing Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening technique(s) or simply allowing itself to meander in the background whilst choring or as background at social gatherings. Sublimity personified. – JH

 - Graham Parker – The Lady Bugs & The Goldtops – Quality Footwear – Big Stir Records - The Goldtops: Martin Belmont (guitar), Simon Edwards (bass), Geraint Watkins (keyboards), and Jim Russell (drums). The Lady Bugs: Paige Stubley and Martha Evans (backup singers - September 30, 2023 performance at The Brook in Southampton, UK. – Fifty years on Graham still sounds as lively and energetic as ever. For me one of the big two coming out of England in the late seventies. Costello & Parker. I always thought both were songwriting equals with Parker’s sneer a little less forced and have always wondered why his career didn’t skyrocket more. The Goldtops are a crackerjack simpatico band, and the Lady Bugs vocally support these tunes superlatively. Parker can still exude thunderbolts on stage or knock you sideways with his more introspectively insightful compositions, (Lost Track of Time), and this live set exhibits that superbly. There is nice mixture of golden oldies, (Hotel Chambermaid, Soul Shoes), with deeper cuts (Black Lincoln Continental) interspersed with tracks from his 2023 release Last Chance to Learn the Twist to satisfy all fans of one of the finest songwriter/rockers to ever come out of the U.K. Although Graham opts for a more relaxed presentation, there is tension & energy a-bounding. – JH

 - Samuel Barber – Vanessa – National Symphony Orchestra Records - Nicole Heaston (Vanessa), J'Nai Bridges (Erika), Matthew Polenzani (Anatol), Susan Graham (The Old Baroness), Thomas Hampson (The Old Doctor), National Symphony Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda – conductor. – A rather fine new addition to the recorded legacy of this great American opera. The sound is exemplary with the Soundmirror engineering creating a marvel from live concert performances captured over three evenings, January 30, 31 & February 1 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. This is lyrically grand music and all of the yearning romanticism and emotional turmoil are exactingly captured by the outstanding cast & orchestra. Simply world class music-making imbued with lushness and sincere naturalism. All of it sounds lived in. Noseda leads the orchestra AND supports the singers throughout with incisiveness & insight. There is not a false note vocally or emotionally from this cast and from top to bottom you won’t find a better rendering of this remarkable operatic achievement from the compositional genius of Samuel Barber nor the libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti. – JH

 - Harry Styles -Kiss All the Time Disco Occasionally – Columbia Records – This will be the shortest review this month. I like Harry Styles. This record is expertly recorded and highly personal. Harry is pretty open with his feelings and gets his ideas & lyrics across directly. Production is crisp and well balanced making this record EZ to enjoy. Judicious use of auto tuning for vocal effect more than necessity. A plethora of musicians garnered to make this record work including an orchestra and all to the good. Nothing more to add other than, to some who might find it inexplicable, I like Harry Styles. – JH

 VA - Johnny Boy Would Love This – A Tribute to John Martyn – Hole in the Rain Recs – This is an extravagantly mixed bag with mixed results although I do believe everyone’s heart is in the right place. John Martyn was a giant, flawed and beautiful, as a musician, songwriter and human being. One of the great, relatively unknown to the general public, artists in my lifetime. This is not a new record. It is a huge two-disc homage to his extraordinary creative genius released in 2011. I’m just getting to it. It’s great to hear his songs under any circumstances but the best place to do so is Martyn’s own interpretations coupled with his amazing guitar work and looping. Perhaps we could have done with a single release. I’m happy so many diverse artists wished to be part of this project and you won’t be disappointed by the overall results. Here’s a few highlights from my humble perspective. Robert Smith leads the pack with his moodily introspective & ultimately hypnotic take on Small Hours. Beck’s Stormbringer brings a slow roiling tension and edge to bear; Paolo Nutini captures the ethereality of One World well; The Swell Season brings us to the heart of I Don’t Want to Know & for me another highlight is Vashti Bunyan’s scintillating vocal delivery on Head and Heart. Brendan Campbell’s Anna is one of the few tracks to emulate Martyn’s signature guitar looping. Phil Collins brings the record to a close with a warmly heartfelt rendering of Tearing and Breaking. Ultimately, there are no major disappointments on these discs & this is a record which should bring new fans to John Martyn’s oeuvre for any listener – JH

 Robyn Hitchcock – The Confuser – Tiny Ghost Records - Robyn Hitchcock – guitar/vocals - Jeremy Fetzer (electric guitar) - Todd Bolden (bass) - Eric Slick (drums)  - Specially imported from the UK: Kimberley Rew (electric guitar) – As always the irrepressibly irresistible Robyn Hitchcock has created an energetic upbeat take on mortality, aging et al. A bit more pleasingly jangly than I was anticipating, nevertheless it didn’t take more than a few tunes for me to be nodding along, keeping beat on my tabletop and trying to sing along to songs I had never heard before. And just when you’re not sure you can keep the happiness vibes cranked up to ten, R. H. permeates you with one of his gorgeous ballads, i.e., Breathless. Only he can create lines like, “We’re dancing, we’re dancing with animals we’ve lost”….. and in the same song, “don’t judge me, I can judge myself.” The production is sharp & keen and the playing is suitably apt and pithy. Not a wasted note throughout. One of the best records in years from Robyn or anyone. – JH

 Julian Lage – Scenes From Above – Blue Note Records

Julian Lage - electric and acoustic guitars - John Modeski - Hammond B3 organ, piano - Jorge Roeder - doudle bass - Kenny Wollesen - drums and percussion - Patrick Warren - dulcitone, chamberlin percussion, piano and bells, strings.

Rather than take the reins and lead, Lage prefers to integrate deftly within a more unified group sound on this release. His playing is always imaginative & captivating and is in no short supply here. Less flamboyant overall the players aim for a cohesively gentler sound reminiscent of pop-jazz-blues-folkish ambitions landing lightly on and engaging to the ear. Disciplined & focused albeit lacking tensile strength and dramatic catharsis, (with the exception of the quiet stretch-out, Storyville), this is nevertheless a record content to revel in its own lightly textured sound world with self-assurance. – JH

 Orff – Carmina Burana – Detroit Sym Orch – Jader Bignamini – PentaTone Classics - Chen Reiss (soprano), Reginald Mobley (countertenor), Andrzej Filończyk (baritone), Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Opera Youth Chorus, Audivi, Jader Bignamini.

This fantastic piece of music composed by Carl Orff in 1935-1936 and inspired by monkish texts from the 11^th & 12^th centuries, dealing with quite modern concerns such as life’s ephemerality, the joy & juices of returning spring, fortune & fames fickleness and the pleasures of the flesh, requires incisively taut direction and an almost relentless sense of forward propulsion. If you are used to that and looking for it in this live recording…..look elsewhere. The chorus steals the show and that in itself is not a bad thing as the choir introduces, comments on and reflects on these weighty thematic subjects. They are simply superb. The conducting lacks energy and in fact is a bit too enervating throughout for my tastes. The countertenor acquits himself well, but I would have preferred the original scoring for tenor. He misses some of the brutality required in the voice that a natural tenor with an extended top would have provided. Baritone Filonczyk impresses mightily with his committed and vibrant characterization. He is easily the standout among the soloists. Chen Reiss, soprano, possesses a pleasing tone albeit too liberal usage of vibrato for my taste or this music. – JH

 Lenny Kaye – Goin’ Local – Yep Roc Records

John Jackson – multi instruments – David Mansfield – multi instruments/string arrs 10 – Lenny Kaye – guitar/vocals.

Yay! There’s still hope for everyone. Determination coupled with a creative imagination are the key to success at any age. Lenny Kaye made up his mind to release his first solo album at age 79 and it has more joie de vive & energy than folks half his age. I mean give this a listen and ask yerself, who at 39 is making music with this much innate propulsive-ness & honesty? Reveling in his garage rock lovin’ roots, and with his CV firmly ensconced in the rock ‘n’ roll heavens, LK doesn’t have to dig too deep for musical favors, and he gets outstanding support from Patti Smith herself (Solstice), Tim Carbone, Matthew Shipp (Let’s Make A Memory),  Jay Dee Daugherty and co-producer Tony Shanahan. Music with themes of reflection on a life outstandingly spent & well lived. This is a beautiful synthesis of post-punk vitality and Americana singer/songwriter intimacy. More please! – JH

 Marshall Allen – 101 – An Audio Odyssey – Ropeadope Records - Marshall Allen - Alto Sax, EWI, Kora - Jamaaladeen Tacuma - Electric Bass Guitar - Nels Cline - Electric Guitar, Electronics - Immanuel Wilkins - Alto Sax, Acoustic Upright Bass - King Noli - Drums, Keyboards - Braxton Bateman Trumpet, Piano - Malcolm Charles - Drums, Keyboards - Tara Middleton - Vocals
DM Hotep - Electric guitar - Ru-Deep - Electric Guitar - Roberto Verastegui - Keyboards & String Arrangement.

Brilliant & beguiling cosmic jazz lives on and thrives, and this record is proof positive. I’m so glad Marshall Allen is alive and still creating vibrant music like this. Surrounding himself with a neck-deep group of musical compadres, he has created an absolutely undefinable genre bending blend of music that is thick, funky, improvisational, catchy as all get out & psychedelisized baby! Sprinkle in the resonant vocalizing of Tara Middleton and you gotcha self a forward leaning record of futuristic jazz/punk/rock that’ll keep your toes tapping well into the future. I fervently wish M. A. lives another 101 years. Oh, and special kudos to Nels Cline’s somewhere from the other side of the universe guitar solo on Funky Robot (and elsewhere) and of course the deep-rooted bass playing of Jamaaladeen Tacuma throughout. – JH

 Michael Blake – Halloween Tales – Baby Tank Records - Michael Blake - tenor and soprano saxophones - Gary Versace – piano - Ben Allison – bass - Michael Sarin – drums.

What a great concept. Take tunes from movie soundtracks, t.v. specials, and a few stand alone Great American Songbook titles and create an eerily spooky holiday album for the kiddie within all of us. Michael Blake and his superb band start things off appropriately with the theme from John Carpenter’s Halloween. Raggedy piano chords, an undulating 5/4 time signature, and suitable atmospherics along with Blake’s sure and steady phrasing create just the right mood to get things going. He composed a new tune to bookend the album, the modally minor key workout The Creep. Halloween is followed by Duke Ellington’s Stalking Monster from The Night Creature and it’s a nice 4/4 swing that still manages to encapsulate some eeriness. After those two tracks things become a bit more moody and less energetic but still a fine outing from M.B. & these players. He eschews some obvious tunes from films such as The Exorcist, The Omen, Poltergeist et al, but it’s always refreshing to hear tunes from Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown along with Witchcraft, that old Sinatra standard. Not a great record but a solid four for me. – JH

 Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin – Second Attempt – Libra Records - Satoko Fujii – Piano - Gebhard Ullmann – Tenor saxophone - Mathias Schubert –Tenor sax - Paulina Owczarek – Baritone sax - Nikolaus Neuser – Trumpet - Lina Allemano – Trumpet -  Natsuki Tamura – Trumpet - Matthias Müller – Trombone - Liz Kosack – Synthesizer - Jan Roder – Bass - Michael Griener – Drums - Peter Orins – Drums.

To paraphrase Jimi Hendrix…..bold, bold creatively improvisational recording and man I love it! Had me spinning on my emotional axis. Satoko Fujii is one of my favorite composer/performers on the planet and she never disappoints. This masterpiece is entitled Second Attempt, and it’s broken down into five parts. It can be enjoyed of whole cloth OR can be within any of its constituent parts. Recorded live in Berlin on May 3, 2026 & rush released, this is the ensembles third outing and it’s imaginatively “constructed” music is less rigidly structural than gestural, all allowing the soloists for create in the moment. Rumor has it that Fujii employed hand cues rather than formal conducting leading to a more organic approach. Whenever called upon to step forward, each soloist shined. Liz Kosack’s synth in Part I; Natsuki Tamura’s trumpet work particularly in Part 5; and both percussionists in Part 2. – JH

 Caleb Wheeler Curtis & Jason Moran – Incantation – Imani Records - Jason Moran – piano – Caleb Wheeler Curtis – stritch, soprano sax 1,4,7, trumpet 9 - Tracks 1,3,8,11,12 – C. Curtis – 4,7 – Jason Moran – 5,9 – Curtis/Moran - 2 – Arthur Blythe – 6 – Noah Garabedian – 10 – Orrin Evans.

Two jazz masters meeting on common ground and getting the good musical work done. You would expect the communication between these two to be intimate and communal on a level approaching ESP and you would not be incorrect to think so. This is spiritually rewarding avant-garde music that both stretches the imagination whether employing a more frenetic palette of sounds or caressing the emotions with slow, softly undulating chords and modally melodic lines interweaving through & around each other. The above details who wrote what, and what Caleb is playing on each track. Deeply rich & rewarding music making. – JH

 Susan Fancher and Ināra Zandmane - Strange Lights – Neuma Records - Susan Fancher, saxophone - Ināra Zandmane, piano – I have seen this release reviewed on classical & jazz websites and THAT is a testament to the virtuosity and richly resonant commitment to these compositions & their respective instruments for these two extraordinary artists. Strange Lights composed by Harriet Steinke allows the two players to revel in a kaleidoscopically fecund sonic palette for the saxophone and with lavishly evocative accompaniment from pianist Inara Zandmane. Mark Engebretson’s Sonata, written expressly for Susan Fancher, is a three-movement work with titled sections, In the Pocket, I look out on the day & The Directions, allowing for wonderful cohesion between the two artists, further cementing their simpatico sense of musically imaginative interplay. The nuanced tone & contrapuntal playfulness is sheer positive musical elation. Finally, Dorothy Chang’s New Stories, draws influence from Chinese folk tunes, marching bands, Western classical & even popish elements, and it’s a seamlessly composed & rendered potpourri of communicatory inventiveness. Both Susan Fancher & Ināra Zandmane are two artists working at the tops of their games and this is simply a world class chamber music release that will deeply resonate for a long time. – JH

September Edition

Things We’ve Been Listening to Lately

Bear's Sonic Journals – Concordance – 150 Years of Charles Ives (Owsley Stanley Foundation) – John Kirkpatrick – piano; Donald Berman – piano.

This O.S. Foundation release floored me on several levels. I did not realize the Ivesian influence on the Dead, particularly Phil Lesh, but once it was revealed in the astonishing accompanying book to this recording, it was an aha, of course, moment. Kirkpatrick was a champion of Ives and particularly this composition with a history of over 35 years’ experience with it by the time of this live performance at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium on 3/7/1974. He had recorded this amazing sonata, (perhaps the most challenging and greatest of all time) but to have a live document is a revelation. It is offset by a concert recording by Donald Berman in 2025 in Concord MA. Berman was Kirkpatrick’s last student and what he learned from the master, he was able to incorporate and extrapolate with his own personality. He is more forced & energetic versus Kirkpatrick’s fluidity and finesse in flowing around these jagged juxtaposed rhythms et al. The sonata is Ives’ homage to the great Transcendentalists of the mid 19^th century and the movements are given their names, in order, Emerson, Hawthorne, The Alcott’s, Bronson and Luisa May & Thoreau. The music is as avant-garde today as it was when it was completed by Ives in 1915. The Berman concert also includes four short pieces commissioned by him from contemporary American composers in which they musically create portraits of other Transcendentalists, Emily Dickinson, by Eve Beglarian; Harriet Tubman by David Sanford; Louisa May Alcott by Marti Epstein, and Margaret Fuller by Elena Ruehr. All these works are more than welcome additions to the contemporary classical catalog, and I pray they have long extended lives. All in all, perhaps the classical keyboard recording of the year so far, and one that will be hard to beat. – JH

Ambrose Akinmusire Mary Halvorson - Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings (Nonesuch)  Ambrose Akinmusire – trumpet - Mary Halvorson – guitar. How do you even rate or score music like this? Two luminaries in the avant jazz world choosing to combine forces (guitar-trumpet duets anyone?) to stretch each other out and perhaps expand the listener’s consciousness along with their own. This music takes intent listening skills along the lines of being an empath and I don’t just mean on the part of the listener but the players especially. I’m hearing both artists making sounds I’ve never heard either employ previously and to my ears they are a ravishment. BTW – there are also electronics used liberally & deliciously throughout. 4.5 stars in the firmament. – JH 

Tucker Zimmerman – Dream Me A Dream (Big Potato Records) – This is a gorgeous recording. Simplistic sounding folk tunes swathed in sensitive harmonies and synth washes that layer the lyrics with warmth & humanism. Tragically Tucker and his wife (who appears generously in harmony with him) were lost in a house fire that took both their lives on January 17^th, 2026. Although holding a degree in music theory & composition as well as being a Fulbright Scholar, Tucker never let that hold him back from his love of folk music(s) and paring his lyrical content down to its most sincerely heartfelt core. Whether carving his thematic material around life in general (Rooftops of San Franciso, based on a poem he wrote at age 19), art or life-long love (Sun in Scorpio), his work was (as it is on this recording) full of wit (Cross Walk) and profoundness through simplicity. Interestingly he covers Adrienne Lenker’s (Big Thief), song Stay (I Want You to Stay), another love song and a rare deviation from a career only performing his own music. Tucker Zimmerman was a rare talent and shamefully underappreciated by the general public. A ++ recording. – JH

Brittany Haas – Natalie Haas – North Node (Padiddle Records) – Natalis Haas - cello – Brittany Haas – fiddle – Sam Bush – mandolin - Tracks 4, 10) – Darol Anger – fiddle (Track 12)

Remarkable album of fresh tunes that sound timeless and almost futuristic at the same time by two of the foremost exponents of their respective instruments in the folk genre today. Two things conspiring to make this album sound so genre defying/defining are the sister’s experience making music with international ensembles through the years. Couple that with a couple of outstanding guest appearances and then you have what some have dubbed chambergrass. I love that. And it fits aptly for a duo making and playing music that effortlessly crosses the boundaries of folk and classical with such musical integrity. - JH 

The War and Treaty – The Story of Michael and Tanya (Atlantic Outpost Records) – What great singers. Michael Trotter & Tanya Trotter nee Blount are searing old school vocalists operating with new school technology in order to emotionally burn down the house around your ears. And talk about emotional courage & honesty. Whew. I felt like an intrusive eavesdropper on these daring revelations concerning their life & marriage. Any track could be THE standout in the hands of these singers. Emo subculture can’t hold the shadow of a candle in the presence of music making like this. Nothing about this is self-pitying but instead raw, brutal and unpretentiously soulful storytelling. - JH 

Cécile McLorin Salvant Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley - With Every Breath I Take (Nonesuch Records) - Coproduced and arranged by Darcy James Argue, with Jules Buckley conducting the Metropole Orkest – Within this orchestra there is a core trio making sure that the arrangements (which are superbly stunning) stay grounded in order for Salvant to soar into the stratosphere or plunge to the emotional depths she is so ably capable of. Pianist Sullivan Fortner, bassist David Wong, and drummer Kush Abadey are the musically emotional anchors that allow Salvant to richly explore every nuance of the lyrical content. Jules Buckley keeps the orchestra fully reined in & supportive so that the voice is right in your ear allowing the songs to unravel with stunning intimacy. This record lays bare the argument that Cécile McLorin Salvant is the closest thing we’ve got to the inimitable Sarah Vaughan working in the tradition of the Great American Songbook alive today. - JH

Chris Coull Quartet w. Imogen Ryall – Songs from Porgy and Bess (Rubicon Records) - Imogen Ryall – vocals – Chris Coull – trumpet - John Turville – piano – Simon Thorpe – bass – Matt Fishwick – drums.

Chris Coull, for me, is the standout performer on this release. His trumpet playing and the arrangements and playing by the band are in the best post-bop tradition, with Coull encapsulating the essence of these tunes both in his fluid improvisational lines and soaring ebullience, as well as his ability to play with melodious nuance. Imogen Ryall gets to the heart of the matter more often than not displaying immaculate intonation in these more subtle rather than theatrical performances. A cool breezy way to spend an evening with Gershwin’s magnificent music from his groundbreaking opera. I do love ending the record with an acapella rendition of Summertime. Brilliant! – JH

Tift Merritt – Sugar (One Riot Records) – I just don’t know how to categorize music like this. It’s countrified singer songwriter roots rock et al. All I know is it’s a terrific return for Merritt after nine years of silence. A core band including her producer Lawrence Rothman, provides the diamond hard backing on these riveting songs of emotional maturity & vulnerability. And it’s not just human relationships but also coming to grips with performance & fame (Sugar), or the stunning plea with the line “I’m trying to sing all the locks off your heart”, (Locks). The arrangements incorporate subtle use of keys, percussion and guitar throughtout, further underscoring the depth and quiet passion of this album. Tiff, don’t make us wait so long next time. More of your kind of mature artistry is sorely needed in these or for that matter any other times. - JH

Martin Owen – Mozart – The Four Horn Concertos (Chandos Classics) - Martin Owen – Horn - Manchester Camerata – Gabor Takacs-Nagy – conductor. – Geez Louise but Martin Owen is the real deal. Playing an instrument as ornery as the French Horn requires tremendous technique, dedication, breath control & an emotional makeup able to withstand the most stressful conditions known to musicians. Martin Owen is a rock. His playing is spot on, his technique superb and his intonation (always a challenge for Hornists) is simply otherworldly. When he hit his first triple tongue series I almost fell off of my chair. Nonpareil. This is an exhilarating exhibition of the Mozart concertos which is pulled off with flair & aplomb. He is by turns lyrical, flamboyant, dramatic and sweetly alluring in this exemplary set. The Manchester Camerata led by conductor Gabor Takacs-Nagy is nimbly fleet-footed, providing extraordinary support to the soloist and adding depth to the amazing music of Herr Mozart. Eight months in and I don’t believe a better Mozart record will appear this year. – JH

Chris Potter – Alive With Ghosts (Edition Records) - Chris Potter - tenor and soprano Saxophones - Bill Frisell -  guitar - Burniss Travis - bass - Nate Smith -drums - Rane Moore - clarinet - Zekkereya El-magharbel - trombone - Sara Caswell - violin.

This is an ambitious beyond ambitious project on the part of Potter and the fact that it succeeds so well is testament not only to his compositional capabilities but also to the masterful ensemble he has assembled for this project. Hey, is Bill Frisell eventually going to be on everyone’s record? Geez, I kinda hope so. His guitar presence always adds to the olio and his indelible sound-scaping is a continuous source of musical wonder & joy for me. The band, particularly violinist Caswell, moves sinuously around Potter’s lead lines to create music that is a rare combination of chamber jazz with folkish elements. The ambition of the project is amplified by all these tunes being thematically connected to the story of abolitionist John Brown who believed that the power of persuasion had to be ratcheted up with overt action. I don’t believe you could read/interpret any political/polemical leanings directly via the music other than the titles and that’s okay. My and I’m sure Chris Potter’s hope is that the provocative titles, i.e., Osawatomie Brown, This Earth Would Have No Charms For Me, Into Africa et al, will prod the listener into further study and reflection thus allowing some of these historical ghosts to finally find their rest instead of permeating our culture through the cycling of the kind of demagoguery that, alas, finds its way into our lives and discourse all too frequently.– JH

Steve Swallow – Winter Songs (ECM Records) - Mike Rodriguez – Trumpet - Chris Cheek - Tenor Saxophone - Steve Cardenas – Guitar - Gil Goldstein – Piano - Steve Swallow – Bass - Adam Nussbaum – Drums.

Swallow’s first album as a leader since 2013 and after the passing of his partner & musical muse Carla Bley. The tracks are simply titled One, Two, Three, Four……..et al, perhaps in order to keep the listener focused more intently on this deeply felt chamber jazz. Nothing to distract with any imagined themes other than the deep connection music of this kind can make with its limpid melodic flow and subtly harmonic profundity. No ego driven distractions either, just persuasive conversing among a group of master musicians sharing their innermost thoughts and expressions. And nothing cold or “wintry” about any of these tunes which instead exude much needed consolatory warmth. – JH

Christina Ruf – That Light in the Night Sky Could Be (www.cr.bc.com) - Christina Ruf: Electric Cello, Electronics, Acoustic Cello (1) – I love the music and the sentiment of the first track, Open Windows, Collide with Birds, with its blending of the natural world and cellos (acoustic & electric) and electronics adding more nuance to the fabric of this unique encounter. Christina Ruf is one of those artists who has leapt into the fray and carried the Eno ambient universe forward into ever new prismatic & imaginative sound worlds. One of my favorite two new artist discoveries over the past few years. It has been my pleasure to track her growth as an artist which has expanded my musical universe immensely. – JH

Ryan Adams – The Suicide Handbook (Pax Americana Records) - Ryan Adams – Vocals, acoustic guitar - Bucky Baxter – Pedal steel guitar, occasional backing vocals, and guitar.

Lemme get this outta the way. Ryan Adams has admittedly acted reprehensibly in the past regarding women, including with his ex-wife. He eventually apologized publicly for his behavior and quietly resumed his extraordinary career, and I use the work extraordinary because he simply is an astonishingly gifted songwriter. This release has been sought after and heralded by collectors for years and Ryan decided to clean up the bootlegs and officially release the songs in the middle of this year. He kept the production stripped back enhancing the sheer profundity of the intimate power of these variegated stylistic compositions. Some have belittled the seemingly one note melancholic quality of the songs but screw ‘em. They are melodically and emotionally rich renderings of the most personal human experiences. BTW. If we refused to engage with the art of every artist who has exhibited foibles & failings we wouldn’t be engaging with much art. I get that some argue they don’t wish to enrich “those” types of people but I would propose that you could buy/dl the music and possibly enrich yourself (and shun the live performances if you must, where most of the real artist money is made) and read the section of the bible in which Christ exhorts those who are totally free of sin to please feel free to cast the first stone. – JH

Claire Booth – Jams Coleman - Life Stories (Orchid Classics) - Claire Booth (soprano), Jâms Coleman (piano). This is a beautifully crafted and performed album of Weimar Republic & French cabaret songs balanced with interpretations of more modernistic classical song via the compositional pens & genius on display via Poulenc’s Banalities, Hans Eislers’ Hollywooder Liederbuch & Thomas Ades' Life Story op. 8b, and the album kickoff cycle Zoe Martlew’s brilliant & ironically hilarious Hotel Babylon. Clair Booth exhibits a wide range of emotional verisimilitude, inhabiting each song/cycle expertly & fully. She easily slips on and sheds multiple personas as required with terrific theatrical flair. Jams Coleman is the most sensitive of accompanists, providing not only ample & able support but imbuing the songs with the requisite underscoring, acting as a fully engaged partner in the presentation. He gets the spotlight in the Gershwin tunes interspersed as palette cleansers through the album with wit, & insouciance. – JH

Rodney Crowell – Then Again – (New West Records) - What is it with these artists waiting decades to release brilliant material. Well, in Rodney’s case he has stated that the record did not jive with his artistic vision in 2005-06. Point taken and if such be the case then this rack of finely wrought tunes has aged like the finest cabernet. His usual slightly off kilter, provocative wordplay and finely tuned songcraft are in magnificent fettle here. His musical partners on some of these tunes mesh easily and well, whether it be the sadly departed Guy Clark on Are You One of Us?, Kieran Goss & Annie Kinsella on Sing Your Heart Out, to Lyle Lovett & Chely Wright on Whatcha Gonna Do Now # 2, and finally Emily Harris & Lera Lynn on the specular Go Light A Candle, the album closer. My favorite cut may be If I Could Speak to Leonard, a deep muse on poetry, art and mortality that drips with heart felt sincerity. – JH

Samantha Fish – Paper Doll Live (Rounder Records) - Bijou Theatre – Knoxville TN - S F – guitar/vocals - Ron Johnson (bass), Mickey Finn (keys) & Jamie Douglass (drums) - special guests – The McCrary Sisters (Ann, Regina, Alfreda).