At the time of his death in 1964, Eric Dolphy wasn’t exactly a household name. Despite a career working alongside heavyweights like John Coltrane and Charles Mingus, his career as a leader was packed into…
“An Orchestra of Minorities” by Chigozie Obioma
January 30, 2019
Oral storytelling’s a key feature of many cultures; it’s said that Homer sang his stories to audiences in ancient Greece. And in his new novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, Chigozie Obioma uses oral storytelling as…
“Invasions.” by Calvin Gimpelevich
December 21, 2018
Author and novelist Mavis Gallant once wrote that a book of her stories should be read individually, so each of her stories is spaced out and given that much more power. I can’t think of…
Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks
November 20, 2018
On it’s release in 1975, Blood on the Tracks was seen as a return. To Columbia Records, to songs based on his experiences, and to form. After years playing with The Band, dabbling in rock,…
“My Way” by Willie Nelson
October 12, 2018
When news broke about Willie Nelson doing an album of Frank Sinatra tunes, the first instinct was to read the headline again. He’s doing what? But after a moment of reflection, it makes sense. Nelson…
At the time of his death in 1979, Grant Green had been part of the jazz scene for close to two decades, a career seeing him as part of Blue Note’s stable of musicians during…
Always something of the bridesmaid of the 70s crop of British progressive rock bands, Procol Harum burst onto the scene with a hit single, and despite a run of compelling records, never quite had the…
“Little Fish” by Casey Plett
June 9, 2018
Final Rating : 8.5/10 A bittersweet, moving story set in Winnipeg, Casey Plett’s new novel Little Fish follows Wendy Reimer over the course of a few weeks in November and December, as her life comes…
“Dock of the Bay Sessions” by Otis Redding
June 7, 2018
Rating: 7.5/10 Somewhere in the annals of albums that never were is Otis Redding’s The Dock of the Bay, and it has to be one of the most anticipated of any of them. If this…