Bob Belden’s extensive liner notes for Return to Forever’s The Anthology depict the chronology of the band in such a way that the evolution of the group in its various incarnations becomes very distinct. In the same way, the music on the two-disc collection delineates how the four-man group distinguished itself from its peers during the halcyon days of jazz-rock fusion.
22 Timeless Tracks comprises McGuinn’s favorite selections from over a hundred tunes and clearly illustrates why he is that rarity among rock and roll stars: a musician with a legitimate set of roots he explores with as much passion as authenticity.
There is nothing like a Phil Lesh and Friends concert on the night of the summer solstice in the balmy air on the water in Boston. Little wonder, after the conclusion of his two hour second set June 21st, the bassist of the Grateful Dead pronounced Beantown one his three favorite places to play.
The new Rose Hill Drive album, Moon Is The New Earth, exhibits as much style and finesse as the same trio that composed, played and produced it.
Firmly ensconced for fifteen years now as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Nils Lofgren has never abandoned the solo career he was nurturing when Neil Young asked him to play on After the Gold Rush. The two rockers have built an abiding relationship over time and it continues to this day in the form of The Loner: Nils Sings Neil.
his forty-minute 'EP', a collection of tracks previously available individually as downloads, may not supplant what could otherwise be the de rigueur live release from the recent tours of Pat Metheny, Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez. But it does extend the dynamic of the trio in ways not capturee by the studio album released earlier this year.
Of the four original surviving members of the Grateful Dead, drummer Bill Kreutzmann has kept the lowest profile since the untimely death of Jerry Garcia in 1995. But now this long-standing resident of Hawaii has elevated that profile considerably this year with his work in the trio format with bassist Oteil Burbridge (Aquarium Rescue Unit, ABB) and guitarist/vocalist Scott Murawski (Max Creek).
n their debut recording, Vermont’s Badsuit accomplish the most difficult tasks facing improvisational musicians: bringing a genuine sense of spontaneity, comparable to their live performances into the often not-so friendly confines of the recording studio.
Same Old Man may be the most accessible album of John Hiatt’s career. But it’s worth serious note that the rewards of hearing this album (repeatedly) far outweigh its simplicity and that’s due to the strength of the songs. Tunes such as “Cherry Red” and “Hurt My Baby” are just two instances in which the author turns the usual conceits of composition inside out.
Like their left coast cousins The Greyboy Allstars, Lettuce is something of a modern urban musical myth. Formed in the 90's out of common experience and taste, members of the band went out on individual projects—Soulive, Scofield and solo—before coalescing once again into a powerful funk collective.
