Album Reviews

Joni Mitchell’s move to jazz on this 1974 game changer upset her hippie contingent, who wished she’d remained a “lady of the canyon,” and it didn’t exactly thrill fans who considered themselves jazz aficionados either—not with the likes of “jazz-lite” guys like Tom Scott, Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and Larry Carlton involved.

Sadly, during the early '60s Muddy Waters and other Chicago blues masters were better known to white English youth than to their American counterparts. Mick and Keith weren't alone in their fandom. Search YouTube and you'll find an amazing Howlin' Wolf performance before an adoring audience of well-scrubbed English white kids that was probably never repeated in America where blues was dubbed "race music" and relegated  to the ghettos.

This psychedelic noise-rock band from Japan is  definitely not for everyone but if your tastes run towards free-jazz when you think of jazz and you find the opening of Axis: Bold As Love structurally symphonic, you will surely dig Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso  U.F.O. and this album in particular, which definitely has a Hendrix vibe, right down to the cover art that has lettering like Are You Experience and some scantily clad gals like the UK Track edition of Electric Ladyland  that Jimi hated. 

This hard /progrock trio never got the media hype and they are rarely mentioned outside their own musical world, but Muse has made it big. How? The old fashioned way: hard work in the studio and constant touring. They have an intensely loyal fan base. Their worldwide touring grosses are impressive and they chart  well around the world

Even atheists will swoon for Mahalia's unlikely Sunday morning thanksgiving at the 1958 Newport Jazz festival.  Accompanied by piano,  organ and bass Ms. Jackson begins with the solemn song "An Evening Prayer" and then moves to a more celebratory  "I'm On My Way." Then it's back to the mournful  "A City Called Heaven."

The relationship between Jewish-Americans and African Americans has been long, complicated, confusing, controversial and not without reciprocal animosity. Yet, clearly as this fascinating collection of African-American artists singing Jewish songs demonstrates, there’s also been a lot of mutual love and support.