Music
This is the 17th annual edition of the Francis Davis Jazz Poll, finally named for its founder and guiding light. The Poll collates top-ten lists from 151 jazz critics and journalists, and as such provides a wealth of insight into and data about this past year in jazz.
A commentator on Macroblank’s Bandcamp page makes this telling assertion: “AI is Macroblank. Macroblank is AI.”
“I always say if you want to write a blues album, have a nice bad breakup!”
2022 in music documentaries: Ten worth streaming, plus a disappointment.
Still, for all the gloom and doom, there’s no question that a bountiful amount of live music was finally on offer throughout the year as musicians and presenters continued to defy the odds.
Music of Machaut, the teenaged Mozart, and three vibrant American composers, plus a remarkable book about Charles Ives and his works.
This world-premiere recording of a powerfully compelling opera, based on a play by Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, is revelatory.
A trio of reviews of recordings that include sadly neglected pieces by Dvořák, pianist Mitsuko Uchida’s phenomenal Diabelli Variations, and a haunting, arresting round-up of new music by the Departure Duo.
It’s hard to imagine anyone producing a more complete and authoritative biography of baritone sax player Pepper Adams.
Jazz Commentary: Billy Cobham, Then and Now — An Awesome Jazz Drummer
Billy Cobham plays right on top of the beat, and his grooves are impeccable. Maybe he’s not the first drummer you’d call for a loose New Orleans shuffle, but if you could hire the Terminator to be your percussionist, Cobham is your man.
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