And they wandered in From the city of St. John Without a Dime Spotify link Sitting in a dead-end street across from the Boston Common, The Orpheum Theater – it says here – is one of “the oldest theaters in the United States. It was … Continue reading Concert Review – The Royal Scam – Steely Dan at the Orpheum Boston
All you need to know about British jazz-rock guitarist John McLaughlin is that he has won just about every major poll and award, is on Rolling Stone’s Greatest Guitarists list and has been referred to at various times by both Jeff Beck and Pat Metheny … Continue reading Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Wilbur Theater is an old performing arts venue in Boston’s theater district. It seats about 1,000 people or so and is one of those places that has stopped showing plays to pretty much focus on music and comedy. Last time I was there, just about … Continue reading Concert Review – Dixie Dregs – Wilbur Theater, Boston
I last wrote about guitar whiz Al di Meola a while back when I spoke about his tune “Mediterranean Sundance.” I mentioned there that he has been a force in jazz and fusion since at least the early ’70’s when he was a member of … Continue reading Concert Review – Al di Meola at the Tupelo (NH) Music Hall
This started out as a post about three different songs by three different artists. But I found Ponty’s music so compelling and I’ve written about him so little (i.e., not at all) that I figured it was about time I gave him some space. “Trying … Continue reading Jean-Luc Ponty
They stab it with their steely knives But they just can’t kill the beast —-Eagles in “Hotel California” as a nod to Steely Dan’s mention in their song “Everything You Did.” As you know, we lost Walter Becker last year. The guy’s contribution as guitarist, … Continue reading Mr. Steely and Mr. Dan – Swing out to Lake Nostalgia
The Dixie Dregs formed while several of its members were attending the University of Miami in the early 1970’s. I’m not sure exactly what the status of that school is musically today, but in the ’70’s it was a hotbed of jazz greatness. Keyboardist Bruce … Continue reading Dixie Dregs
Blow by Blow signaled a new creative peak for Beck, and it proved to be a difficult act to follow. It is a testament to the power of effective collaboration and, given the circumstances, Beck clearly rose to the occasion. In addition to being a … Continue reading Featured Album – Blow by Blow – Jeff Beck
Larry Coryell, one of the pioneers of jazz fusion, died on February 19, 2017. The obituaries on him in the press were pretty accurate. But on looking through WordPress feeds, I could find not one word about him. Perhaps his heyday was long enough ago … Continue reading Larry Coryell – Jazz Guitarist Extraordinaire
If you read about Weather Report in Wikipedia, there is a section called “The Jaco Pastorius years (1976-1981).” This is because, quite simply, not only did he change the sound of the band but he also changed the way the electric bass is played. From … Continue reading Weather Report – Jaco, Birdland and on (final of 2)
Music Enthusiast - At the junction of rock, blues, R&B, jazz, pop,and soul 