Karl Denson spent more than a decade at the top of the jazz-funk-jam heap, and his band Tiny Universe became legendary for non-stop funk frenzies that tested the limits of time and space. On Brother’s Keeper, it’s clear that he’s trying for more sophistication, continuing to focus on his own vocal stylings while offering new [...]
Posts Tagged as ‘fusion’
September 3, 2009
Medeski Martin and Wood Album Review on JamBase!
My review of Medeski Martin and Wood’s Radiolarians III is now up on Jambase.com! Check it out, along with all the other awesomeness they’ve got going on…
August 25, 2009
Five Spot: Five Album Reviews
Once in a while, I’ll be writing short reviews of things on my hard drive that are probably already old but I haven’t gotten around to. They’ll be very informal and less analytical. The music will be chosen at random, too, so complete disorganization is assured.
Archive – Controlling Crowds – This is the first release [...]
August 22, 2009
Live Review: Phish – Merriweather Post Pavilion, August 15, 2009
Having recently pressed their collective “reset” button after a half-decade of nonexistence, the guys in Phish have so far used 2009 as – to cop a phrase from the sports world - a “rebuilding year.” The indulgent comeback shows in March served as an enticing prelude to an early summer tour that satisfied but merely [...]
July 10, 2009
Album Review: Soulive – Up Here
After setting sail from their funk-jazz roots for a few years, Soulive has re-invented their raw, danceable sound on Up Here. It’s appropriate that 2009 marks their first decade as a band, because it’s taken them a good portion of the last ten years to finally settle down and play some funk a la 1999. [...]
June 3, 2009
Album Review: Tortoise – Beacons of Ancestorship
Beacons of Ancestorship brings Tortoise’s sound firmly into the future. Once known for their majestic, open-ended post-rock instrumentals, the band have turned engineer John McEntire’s fascination with breakbeats and off-kilter rhythms into an altogether new venture.
The album gives listeners a clear indication of where Tortoise’s sound is probably headed. Change is manifested in dense, [...]
April 11, 2009
Live: The Oatmeal Conspiracy and Triple Wide, Raleigh, NC, April 7, 2009
A genuine jam session broke out at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Pour House Music Hall this Tuesday, as local bands The Triple Wide and The Oatmeal Conspiracy shared the stage. By the end of the night, the free show’s thirsty attendees had heard everything from jazz and pop to blues, funk, clever covers, and electronic music [...]
April 9, 2009
Album Review: Five Peace Band – Live
Hyperbole is a dangerous and intoxicating drug. In the rapidly changing music scene of the digital information age, terms like “best ever” and “legendary” are tossed around with nonchalance. Every music writer is prone to it. While there is a lot of great music being made this year, not all of it deserves the praise [...]
December 7, 2008
Album Review: Medeski Martin and Wood – Radiolarians 1
Though they’ve spawned a litany of imitators over the span of their lengthy career, there’s no mistaking the sound of MMW. Their latest album, Radiolarians 1, sneaks right into the listeners ears, assuming the role of life’s soundtrack as if it had always been there, taking a comfortable spot right next to the rest of [...]
