It's easy to play the blues—or at the very least it's easy to learn the basics—but keeping the form fresh and interesting is another matter entirely. Likewise, any beginner can tackle a quiet ballad, ...

Blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd released a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Ballad Of A Thin Man.” The track is set to appear on the 25th anniversary edition, Trouble Is…25, of Shepherd’s 1997 sophomore ...

Alto saxophonist Phil Woods is a consummate musician whose mastery of improvisation is second to none. He extends from the holy alto trinity—Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges, Charlie Parker—and has carved ...

Time is a funny thing when it comes to when music is released. Lonnie Johnson was a pioneering guitarist who recorded in the 1920s and 1930s. He toured and accompanied many of his day’s most notable ...

Lonnie Johnson’s Blues & Ballads gets an audiophile-grade vinyl reissue via Bluesville and Craft. Intimate, detailed blues for hot summer nights. As summer kicks into high gear and the heat starts ...

Disc I. Hump in my back ; Brother low down (Jesse Fuller) -- Berkeley's junko partner ; Tight like that (Skid Band) -- Moose march (Bob Mielke's Bearcats) -- Highway 49 (Big Joe Williams) -- Oakland ...

Brad Mehldau might be a bit overlooked these days, with the field of jazz pianists who are taking the music into the future so rich and crowded. Robert Glasper brings hip hop to the acoustic jazz ...

Brad Mehldau is one of jazz’s most sensitive interpreters of song, with a rare gift for putting his own stamp on a composition without betraying its soul. That gift is on ample display throughout ...

The American pianist’s current trio has been together for over a decade, yet this set of covers is their first release since 2012. Each track is a beautifully crafted, richly detailed miniature with ...