All Activity

August 30, 2025: Doreen Ketchens, Pete Escovedo, Riverfront Jazz Festival, Fair Park, Dallas August 31, 2025: The Texas Tenors (Shelley Carrol, Jason Davis, Quamon Fowler), Riverfront Jazz Festival, Fair Park, Dallas September 2, 2025: Isiah J; Thompson Quartet, JazzTX, San Antonio September 6, 2025: Xuefei Yang, Unity of Dallas Andrew Griffith Quartet, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth September 11, 2025: Miguel Zenon Quartet, Parker Jazz Club, Austin Ben Lamar Gay, Damon Locks, Sonic Transmissions Festival, Draylen Mason Music Festival, Austin September 12, 2025: Ibelisse Guardia Feragutti and Frank Rosaly's Mestizx, Sonic Transmissions Festival, Austin Scottish Rite Theater, Austin Miguel Zenon Quartet, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Houston September 13, 2025: Miguel Zenon Quartet, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Houston Clarence Johnson III, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth September 20, 2025: Bnois King, Denton Blues Festival September 21, 2025: Mathias Latin, Denton Blues Festival September 23, 2025: Mdou Moctar, White Oak Music Hall, Houston September 24, 2025: Mdou Moctar, Radio/East, Austin September 27, 2025: Quamon Fowler, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth October 1, 2025: Jon Cowherd, Parker Jazz Club, Austin October 5, 2025: Kushal Das (sitar), Abhijit Banerjee (tabla), Unity Church of the Hills, Austin October 9, 2025: Paul Cornish Trio, JazzTX, San Antonio October 10 2025: Paul Cornish Trio, Monk's Jazz Club, Austin Stanley Clarke, Carver Center, San Antonio October 12, 2025: Joy Clark, Little Freddie King, Bobby Rush, Crescent City Blues Festival, New Orleans October 17, 2025: Walter Smith III Quartet, Wortham Theater, Houston October 21, 2025: Lila Downs, Jones Hall, Houston October 23, 2025: Joe McPhee, No Idea Festival, Dallas October 24, 2025: Jackie Venson, Tulips FTW, Fort Worth Camille Thurman Quartet, Walton Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas October 24-26, 2025, Joe McPhee, No Idea Festival, Austin October 29, 2025: Chuck Redd, Parker Jazz Club, Austin November 10, 2025: Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Walton Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas November 12, 2025: Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Meyerson, Dallas November 14, 2025: Nicholas Payton Quartet, Wortham Theater, Houston Wynton Marsalis, Grand Opera House, Galveston November 15, 2025: Wynton Marsalis, Hogg Auditorium, Austin Mike Stern Band, Walton Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas Kunal Gunjal (Santoor) & Amit Kavthekar (Tabla), ICMC, Plano November 16, 2025: Wynton Marsalis, Hobby Center, Houston February 22, 2026: Branford Marsalis Quaret, Wortham Theater, Houston March 7, 2026: Pat Metheny Side-Eye, Wortham Theater, Houston March 13, 2026: T.K. Blue and African Rhythms Alumni, A Tribute to Randy Weston, Walton Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas March 21, 2026: Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival, Southside Preservation Hall, Fort Worth March 26-29, 2026: Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee April 2, 2026: Kaia Kater, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, Arkansas April 10, 2026: Coltrane at 100 (Joe Lovano, Melissa Aldana, Ndudzo Makhathini, Matt Garrison, Jefftain Watts), Cullen Theater, Houston April 23-26, 2026: New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival April 30-May 3, 2026: New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival May 9, 2026: Hiromi's Sonic Wonder, Cullen Theater, Houston May 16, 2026: Chucho Valdes, Paramount Theater, Austin

I at one time did ship CD's to Europe, but had some nightmare experiences with some of the non-USA post offices (Italy was especially memorable), and decided it just wasn't worth the stress and trauma. Plus, as you point out, rates have skyrocketed.

Italian Postal Service has just announced that they will not ship small parcels to US. For sure one can ship FedEx and UPS, usually more expensive then Italian Post.

The Piano Works. Preludes

Last night in Brooklyn Steve Baczkowski, Brandon Lopez & Chuck Roth Baczkowski is among the greatest saxophonists on the planet. the opening unaccompanied solo to start the short second set was one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard. Brandon was beyond even his very high standards. Most intense playing I’ve heard from him a while. And besides John Edwards, no bassist brings it like Brandon Lopez. Too bad I don’t see Edwards live. I’m very grateful I see Lopez play at least 10-15 times a year. Probably more than that. He’s playing shit that no one else even knows exists. Chuck Roth was a bit differential but it’s understandable. First time playing with Steve. Chuck was typically brilliant again playing stuff I’ve never heard him play before. Like Brandon but to a lesser extent, I’m gifted to be able to see the *great* Chuck Roth play often probably at least once a month for the last 2 plus years. No one has ever played the guitar like Chuck Roth. tonight at The Stone Trevor Dunn, Webb Crawford & Chris Corsano

The Are Murders - Netflix

Patty Griffin: Crown Of Roses

I've been listening to a lot of Art lately. Neon Art, the above and a Pete Jolly + friends on Atlas. The latter was so dull that its the first Art to hit my for sale pile. Smack Up however is one of his best early phase albums. Generally I prefer late Art but still have a lot of time for the earlier material. Art Pepper Quintet --- "Smack Up" .........( Vogue UK mono)

Mine too. Past Perfect Silver Line label. Time to spin it again now, I guess.

At least up here in Maine, this is mainly due to asinine pricing by the cable monopolies. When I first got cable here in Maine, it was $99/month for a "triple play" package (cable/internet/phone), which I got simply for the price as I never even hooked up a landline phone when I moved here. Within a year of moving in, Time/Warner cable was bought by Spectrum. This company is run by idiots. Total idiots. When my initial $99 offer ran out, they wouldn't give me any deals. Year after year it kept going up until it got to $220/month. When I called to ask for a better deal, they said it would continue to go up until it hit $320/month, which they said was the "standard" price for my package. I tried YouTubeTV, liked it and dropped their cable. They were still charging me $80/month just for internet. When Fidium Fiber arrived, I switched to them for $25/month. So Spectrum could have easily kept getting at least $100/month from me but due to their stupidity, they get $0.00.

I really liked him in Pink Floyd.

Starting off with another disc from the “Enjoying the Ride” Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary box set, Frost Amphitheater, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA (8/20/83), disc 1 Only 5 more discs to go in this set. I’m pretty ambivalent about this set overall, fun to go through, don’t think I’ll be revisiting it often, may put it up for sale. 234×155 23 KB

Niculin Janett Quartett feat. Rich Perry - No Parking Any Time (QFTF)

Paul Schrader, who is reasonably active on Facebook, posted that when he first heard about the remake, he thought it was a fool's errand. After seeing it, he thought that Lee had proved him wrong, and that it compared quite favorably with the original. A lot of the followup comments disagreed quite strongly with that assessment, characterizing it in terms ranging from a mess to flat-out terrible, but there were also quite a few people that loved it.

And in the end this is just the mirrored image of all those sellers on Discogs (and eBay - and Organissimo, FWIW ) who will not ship outside the USA. Understandable, sometimes a real pity, but that's the way it is. Not just now with all those weirdass tariff "politics" right now but for quite some time already due to ever-increasing USPS rates (and probably more involved paperwork or other - perceived or real - uncertainties at the seller's end). BTW, @Stefan Wood: Did you at one time live in Washington, DC? If so, I bought from you through eBay in 2004.

Going to see Gilmore on Saturday night at Lydia's in Stoneridge. appearing with Syracuse, Siegel plus Don Byron.

Release date September 12: One unmistakable sign of a true creative is an uncanny ability to find new ways to express themselves. Sometimes this manifests in new methods for exploring and developing their art. Pianist/composer Michael Wolff looked to beat-making and looping software to help him write new music, which he then arranged for his talented and dedicated Trio, featuring bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard. The results are heard on Wolff's new recording, Sunny Day, a fantastic example of jazz swinging in and out of the tradition.Wolff has covered a lot of ground musically in his career. His Trio with Allison and Mednard coalesced while Wolff was miraculously recovering from a near terminal bout with cancer. Allison was one of the first to visit and jam with Wolff as he built his chops back up. Mednard came on board with Allison's suggestion for a fundraising concert for WBGO. As the Trio was present for Wolff's reenergizing, they have remained the pianist's go to ensemble for his diverse projects, never missing a beat. During the pandemic, Wolff began a collaboration with his Berkeley High School friend, producer Nicolaas tenBroek. The two began to experiment with Maschine beat-making software, a regular tool for hip-hop artists. Maschine gave the musicians electronic percussion and synth sounds that they would mold into loops. From there, Wolff would improvise on the loops and record the results. Wolff and tenBroek would then cut and splice together compositions in a sort of musique concrète fashion. Wolff then would orchestrate the pieces in arrangements for the Trio. Allison and Mednard were added to the preassembled loops at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn on May 18 and 19, 2024. Without any instruction, the Trio was able to provide loose and adventurous takes of the material over the source loops. Once the versions with instrumentalists were finished, Wolff and tenBroek went back to the recordings, taking out pieces and amplifying others to create a unique and exciting mix of live acoustic and looped digital sources. There is a joyous nature in the music of Michael Wolff. He has been able to amplify this through his work with his Trio of Ben Allison and Allan Mednard over the past decade. On Sunny Day, the group finds a new way to burnish their trademark sound with a new contemporary approach with loops crafted to lift the music even higher.

Following a 15-year immersion into the vivid, kaleidoscopic world of the legendary Hermeto Pascoal's Group, pianist Jovino Santos Neto made his way from Rio de Janeiro to Seattle in 1993 to set up shop at the Cornish College of the Arts, a thriving incubator of eclectic creativity since the early 1900s. Within weeks he was initiating Seattle musicians into his unique blend of Brazilian, classical and jazz, and quickly formed a group with fellow faculty members to workshop his non-stop output of new compositions. This live recording captures the very first public performance of his now 30-year-old Quarteto, featuring Jovino's compositions unveiled to an enthusiastic crowd at Seattle's historic Kerry Hall on April 28, 1995. With Hans Teuber on saxophones and flute, Mark Ivester on drums and Chuck Deardorf on bass, the evening marks the beginning of a love affair between the city and the abundant force of Pascoal's legacy through his apprentice's exhilarating musical presence. Jovino discovered the tapes from the concert recently and saw the release of them as a fitting and loving tribute to Chuck Deardorf, who was a pivotal member of the ensemble until his passing in 2022. "Everything Santos Neto plays feels like an affirmation of life, creativity and love." Dora Stoutzker Hall, Cardiff, Seen and Heard International. "A brilliant and intuitive keyboard player and flutist who explores jazz, classical and Brazilian traditional music with equal zeal" - Seattle Times With this debut recording, Belgian pianist Milan Verbist takes another leap in a career that's felt destined to thrive since he was a young boy. The music and activities that filled the days of his father, esteemed bassist Piet Verbist, supplied Milan with a deep well of influences, lessons, and direction, all well-apparent in the patient, dynamic and utterly mature approach his trio takes on this collection of mostly original compositions. Opening with the spacious ballad, "Time Change," Milan, bassist Toon Rumen and drummer Jens Meijer allow the music to unfold through all manner of moods and harmonic landscapes, supplying hints of the masters he's been influenced by as they play the music of Ornette, Gary Peacock, and even Bach, interspersed with five of Milan's compositions. Without a doubt, a career and voice to pay attention to. "A new generation of jazz musicians appears to be taking over, and you couldn't ask for better news. Their interplay is impeccable, and their camaraderie is impeccable. A mountain of atmosphere awaited us - powerful, convincing, subtle..." - PitNieuws (Belgium)

For over four decades, Danish guitarist and composer Pierre Dorge has pushed the boundaries of jazz with a highly personal voice-combining Nordic lyricism with global rhythms, and crafting what critics call "pan-cultural jazz." On Songs for Mbizo, Dorge returns in a stripped-down quartet setting that showcases his singular tone and spiritual depth, this time in tribute to South African bassist Johnny "Mbizo" Dyani, whose legacy courses through Dorge's music like a vibrant thread.Following celebrated small-group releases such as Ballad Round the Left Corner and Blui, this new live recording features Kirk Knuffke, Thommy Andersson, and Martin Andersen (drums)-a dynamic international lineup that breathes fresh intensity into Dyani's compositions. Award-winning trumpeter/composer/arranger Jason Palmer, a fixture of the Boston jazz scene and frequent SteepleChase recording artist, presents his boldest artistic statement to date with this intimate duo recording. Shorter Songs marks Palmer's first commercially released duo album and pays homage to jazz legend Wayne Shorter through a series of original contrafacts based on Shorter's compositions.Joined by acclaimed pianist Kevin Harris-his longtime musical ally-Palmer explores the emotional and harmonic depth of Shorter's writing while bringing his own contemporary sensibilities into play. "Palmer has proven to be one of the most compelling artists of his generation." (Ken Dryden - NYC Jazz Record) Release date October 10: Saxophonist-composer Chris Byars, praised as a modern master of ensemble writing and conceptual storytelling, delivers new album The Dark Forest his fifteenth release on SteepleChase and perhaps his most introspective to date. Byars' signature Original Jazz Sextet achieves remarkable harmonic and emotional depth through intricate voicings and counterpoint. Critics have celebrated Byars as a visionary of new bop vocabulary. His previous albums like Boptics and Rhythm and Blues of the 20s drew accolades for their smart, infectious writing and engaging solo showcases. "... he knows his musicians so well, Byars is masterful in his writing, blending the reeds and trombone in intricate ensembles while letting the soloists all shine throughout." (Ken Dryden - New York City Jazz Record on SCCD 31929) Release date September 12: Veteran bassist Scott Lee, renowned for his innovative compositions and masterful performances, brings a fresh and dynamic energy to this his fourth release on SteepleChase. Lee's vision of the bass as a melodic force, alongside pianist Vazquez and drummer Hirshfield, pushes the narrative in unexpected directions. Since moving to NY in the late 70s. Lee has worked with Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Zoot Simms, Al Cohn, Freddie Hubbard, Red Rodney, Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano to mention a few. Bill Smith of JazzTimes comments on One Thought (SCCD 31687)," Leader and bassist Scott Lee offers simple yet thought-provoking music. Those who feel that jazz is losing it's creative edge should hear this album and other basically mainstream offerings of the last few years."

Release date September 26: Jazz guitarist Thom Rotella is back and this new release finds him spinning some soulful, sophisticated jazz that fans of his previous Savant Record, Side Hustle, won't want to miss. Over the years, Rotella has worked with some serious heavyweights like Norah Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Diane Schuur, and Stanley Turrentine, carving out a name for himself as a go-to guitarist in the world of jazz, pop, and studio work. On this project, though, the vibe is all about connection, chemistry, and that illusive spot where taste meets feelings. The always-funky Wil Blades on organ and the dynamic Charles Ruggiero on drums are on hand, laying down a rich, organic foundation for Rotella's blues-tinged guitar work to build upon. And that's just the beginning. Saxophone great Ernie Watts lends his unmistakable tone and lyrical phrasing to a few standout tracks, while trumpeter/composer Jeremy Pelt adds some brassy brilliance of his own. And on a couple of cuts, the always-stunning Tierney Sutton steps in with some haunting, wordless vocals that add a shimmering layer of depth, elegance, and quiet intensity to the music. Whether you've been following Rotella for years or are just joining the party, this record welcomes you from the first track. It's warm, it's savvy, and above all, it's honest. Just great players making outstanding music together. Tenor saxophonist JD Allen, well known for pushing the envelope with albums that mix electronics and advanced compositional techniques, takes a striking turn on his latest release. This time, he sets aside the modernist experiments and heads straight for the heart with an album made up entirely of ballads from the Great American Songbook. It's an unexpected move from Allen, and it reveals a different side of his playing-warm, introspective, and deeply lyrical. For this outing, he expands his usual chordless trio by bringing pianist Brandon McCune into the mix, joining longtime collaborators Ian Kenselaar on bass and Nic Cacioppo on drums. The addition of a piano brings a new layer of harmonic color, expanding the expressive range of the entire group while exploring the emotional possibilities within these classic standards. A soulful, stripped-down take on timeless tunes, this album showcases the depth and honesty JD Allen is known for, as he invites his colleagues to slow down and express something personal-with clarity, restraint, and quiet power.