New Single from Okonski "October"

The Asheville, NC based jazz trio Okonski have released a new single "October" on Colemine Records.

Check out the hypnotic track below:

Full Show Friday: Cyrille Aimée, Birdland, April 25 2024

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing). This week...Cyrille Aimée! 

A very recent show from Birdland just last spring for this edition of our Full Show Friday series. This will also wrap up Jazz January, thanks for checking it out.

Pro shot, pro sound, enjoy!

Cyrille Aimée (vocals/ukulele), Michael Valeanu (guitar), Pedro Segundo (percussion), Tamir Shmerling (bass), Wayne Tucker (trumpet), Julian Lee (sax). Birdland, April 25 2024, 9:30pm show.

Album Review: Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band - Prawn Shop

Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band

Prawn Shop

*** out of *****

The New Orleans, LA based Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band's have made their name by holding down the late night Thursday slot at The Spotted Cat Music Club on Frenchmen Street and their newest release, Prawn Shop, tries to capture some of that live energy along with the bands varied musical influences. 

Live Streams: FireAid: A Benefit for California Wildfire Victims with Billie Eilish, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder and many more

We are now heading into the new normal with live music. Live shows will need to be flexible and streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE.  We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing/listening pleasure. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Live Stream: FireAid: A Benefit for California Wildfire Victims with Billie Eilish, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder and many more

Tonight on Veeps, a benefit for the victims of the California wild fires. please support a good cause. 

To get in the mood, here is some music from the performers. 

Album Review: Bill Frisell, Andrew Cyrille and Kit Downes - Breaking The Shell

Bill Frisell, Andrew Cyrille and Kit Downes

Breaking The Shell

*** out of *****

The trio of Bill Frisell, Andrew Cyrille and Kit Downes came together to record Breaking The Shell for Red Hook Records, at the historic St. Luke's In The Fields church in New York City's Greenwich Village. This unique setting inspired the artists, as did the church's large pipe organ. The resulting experimental jazz album, hums, buzz's and bang's as the avantgarde playing from the trio reverberates off the historic walls.

New Single/Video from The McCharmly's "You'll Be Fine"

The Santa Ana, Calif., based quartet The McCharmly's have a new retro-rockin' tune out, "You'll Be Fine", on Nu-Tone and Hi-Tide Records. 

Give the video a watch below:

Album Review: Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns Live at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns

Live at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

***and1/2 out of *****

The traditional New Orleans based jazz outfit Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns have called the Blues Tent their New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival home for a few years now and 2024's recording shows why. The group, while rooted in the trad jazz style, opens up their sound to blues, country, folk and more over this enjoyable set of covers and originals.  

New Single from Marc Stone "Love Is Everything" featuring George Porter Jr.

New Orleans based singer songwriter Marc Stone has a new single out, "Love is Everything" featuring the great bassist, George Porter Jr. 

Check out the swirling, funky tune below:

Album Review: Dax Riggs - 7 Songs For Spiders

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'Here!!!

It is of Dax Riggs first album in 15 years, 7 Songs For Spiders. RtBE are huge fans of Riggs' and were very excited when this new album was announced out of nowhere. We have seen him multiple times in the past and can't wait to catch him again live. He has one of our favorite voices in rock. 

Support the artist, buy the album, read the review, and peep some video below:

New Single from Surprise Chef "Fare Evader"

The Melbourne, Australia based Surprise Chef release new a funky instrumental single "Fare Evader"

Check out the head bopping tune below:

Dylan Cover #666 Joshua Redman "The Times They Are a' Changin'"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a cover by Joshua Redman  playing "The Times They Are a' Changin'"

Thoughts on Original:
Short and sweet from the first time we tackled a cover of this tune:
Well it is his most famous song for a reason, it is one of the greatest ever produced in any genre, ever.

Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
Have seen Mr. Redman live in the past, reviewed his studio work and dug his overall approach to music. He is vibrantly keeping jazz flowing at a high level.   

Thoughts on Cover:

Very, very cool take on the classic tune. Extended, melodic, exploring, this is a exciting rendition of the song.

New Single from Sure Fire Soul Ensemble "Las Olas"

The San Diego based Sure Fire Soul Ensemble returns with their new single, "Las Olas". RtBE dig the group, having reviewed them before. 

Check out the funky, soulful tune below:

Full Show Friday: Tigran Hamasyan - Shadow Theater Cité de la musique, Paris (5 September, 2013)

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing). This week...Tigran Hamasyan! 

Aremenian piano player Tigran Hamasyan live in 2013 for this full show Friday.

Pro shot, pro sound, enjoy!

2024 Recap: Favorite Albums, Shows, etc.

With all the hectic happenings at the end of the year, things can be missed. This is a catch-up post to point out a few of our favorite things from 2024 that shouldn't go unnoticed.

What a year! Lots of reviews and live shows attended. Thanks for reading and following along on Instagram and Bluesky or wherever

Also thanks to Shane and the whole Glide team for allowing me to continue to write for them, working on a wide variety of reviews.

Now...in case you missed it here are our Best of 2024 series of posts:

• Our picks for favorite album art from the last calendar year.
• Our picks for our favorite archival releases and live albums released last year. 
• Our picks for favorite live shows of the year. 
• Finally our favorite albums of the year. The honorable mentions and top ten list are all lined up. 

If you are looking for more suggestions, we also have our list of the top fifty albums of the past decade which you can check out and yell at us about. 

Feel free to let us know your choices for all of the above in the comments and thanks as always for reading and exploring...as the patron saint of this site stated:

What are those of the known, but to ascend and enter the Unknown? 

New Single from Nicole McCabe "Balloon Race"

Los Angeles, CA based saxophonist Nicole McCabe has a new single out, "Balloon Race".

Check out the skittering/smooth effort below:

Album Review: Miles Davis - Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings Box Set

Miles Davis

Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings Box Set

**** out of *****

Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings Box Set was released in December 2024 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of these recordings on the Prestige label, which capture Miles Davis in a transitional year of his career.  Remastered from the original recordings the sound is crisp and lively as Davis and a rotating cast of players still sound fresh all these years later. 

Live Review: Joe Russo's Almost Dead @ The Capitol Theater 1/17/25

Joe Russo's Almost Dead

The Capitol Theater, Port Chester, NY 1/17/24 

Opening up their three night stand over Martin Luther King Weekend, Joe Russo's Almost Dead welcomed the sold out crowd to the majestic Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. The band, Joe Russo on drums, bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton Jr. guitars have a rabid following in the NYC area as people lined up hours ahead of time to get into the venue. 

Album Review: Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra - Crescent City Jewels

Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra

Crescent City Jewels

***and1/2 out of *****

The newest offering from Delfeayo Marsalis' Uptown Jazz Orchestra finds the big band delivering their takes on original tunes and standards as they mix new and old wonderfully throughout Crescent City Jewels. There is a sense of joy flowing through these efforts as Marsalis and company get down, get funky, and stretch out. 

New Single/Video from OnlyHeaven "In Here"

The New Orleans, LA based rapper OnlyHeaven has a new single/video out, "In Here".

Check out the banging track below:

Album Review: The Weather Station - Humanhood

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'Here!!!

It is of The Weather Station's newest album Humanhood. We enjoyed 2021's Ignorance, it even made our best of the year list. This one is good, and in the same vein, but less pop and more jazz/artsy. The album art fits the sound, with layers and layers of music stitched together and crazy font/writing. 

Support the artist, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

MLK Day: March on Washington 1963

This is a tradition here at RtBE. While we are including this in our Monday Dylan series, this is a necessary break from the routine.

We here at RtBE have lots of heroes and most stem from America's hard fought bloody and disturbing past. We have talked about the godfather of this site, we will probably touch on Lincoln at some point, but the man who we celebrate today is right up there with both of them. Martin Luther King Jr. is an American who deserves to be honored right alongside the greatest our country has ever produced.

We are happy to dedicate this Monday to him. To help celebrate the day we will post Bob Dylan singing "Only A Pawn In Their Game" from the1963 March on Washington DC.



Have a great day and make sure to watch this, MLK's last prophetic public words:


It is still so incredibly moving.

The full speech is located here and worth listening to as well and you can read this amazing writing which unfortunately is still relevant today from King:

Happy 50th Anniversary to Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks

Happy 50th Anniversary to Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. 

One of the best albums of his storied career, Dylan mined his soul while dealing with a painful separation/divorce, recorded the album at least twice, and in the end produced a masterpiece.

New Single/Video from Silver Synthetic "Yr Gonna Be Happy"

One of RtBE's favorites, Silver Synthetic, have a new tune out, their first single "Yr Gonna Be Happy" off of the upcoming sophomore release Rosalie on Curation Records. 

 

Check out the retro grooving track below:

Full Show Friday: Charles Lloyd, Jason Moran & Eric Harland - Jazz à Porquerolles - ARTE Concert

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing). This week...Charles Lloyd! 

Today is Charles Lloyd, Jason Moran & Eric Harland - Jazz à Porquerolles - ARTE Concert from last year.

Pro shot, pro sound, enjoy!

New Single/Video from Caley Conway "Hours In The Day"

The newest single/video from the Milwaukee, WI based indie rocker Caley Conway is the tripped out "Hours In The Day".

Check out the catchy, oddball offering below:

Live Stream: The New Orleans Forever Benefit Concert with PJ Morton, The Soul Rebels and more

We are now heading into the new normal with live music. Live shows will need to be flexible and streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE.  We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing/listening pleasure. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Live Stream: The New Orleans Forever Benefit Concert with PJ Morton The Soul Rebels and more

Tune in tonight and donate to a great cause during the New Orleans Forever Benefit Concert with PJ Morton The Soul Rebels and more live from the Dew Drop Inn. 

To get in the mood here is some music from PJ Morton. 

Album Review: Jon Batiste - Beethoven Blues Vol 1.

Jon Batiste

Beethoven Blues

***and1/2 out of *****

Coming off the back of two major pop releases (World Music Radio, WE ARE) Jon Batiste retreats slightly to his foundations, classical music and the Blues as he mixes up Beethoven with his own style throughout the aptly named Beethoven's Blues Vol 1. 

New Single from Sofia Härdig "Kingdome Come"

 Swedish born multi-instrumentalist and producer Sofia Härdig has a new single out, "Kingdome Come"

Check out the track below:

2025 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Artists Announced

Yesterday we predicted some artists that might play this years New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. We got a few right, but the full list can be seen here.

Below we chat about some artists we are excited to catch down south in a few months.

Album Review: Brass Queens - Hot Tub Sessions Vol. 1

Brass Queens

Hot Tub Sessions Vol. 1

**** out of *****

The Brooklyn based, brass band outfit, Brass Queens continue their evolution with their first collection of all original tunes titled, Hot Tub Sessions Vol. 1. It is their strongest release so far. 

Lemon Power Release New Single "I'm an Animal"

The London-based duo, Lemon Power, have released their new single "I'm an Animal".

Check out the ripping single below:

2025 New Orleans JazzFest Artist Predictions

The lineup for the 2025 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be announced tomorrow but RtBE got the early scoop...

Album Review: Mike Stern - Echoes and Other Songs

Mike Stern

Echoes and Other Songs

***and1/2 out of *****

The NYC based, veteran guitarist Mike Stern hadn't released any new music since pre-pandemic, so here comes Echoes and Other Songs, a long running record that plays with Stern's love of fusion, jazz and rock. Having played with everyone from Miles Davis to Bela Fleck, Stern is adaptable but retains his sound.  

New Single/Video from Blondshell "T&A"

Blondshell's self titled debut record, was one of the best of the last few years, it finished high on our Best of 2023 list as well.

Now, Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum's follow up If You Asked For A Picture, is due out in May. The first single "T&A" is here and it is a continuation of the first albums sound and style.

Check it out now:

Dylan Cover #665 Cæcilie Norby "Like A Rolling Stone"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's artist is Cæcilie Norby performing a cover of "Like A Rolling Stone" 

Thoughts on Original:

From the first time we tackled a cover:
The song that launched a true revolution, with an opening snare drum like a dead man's last pistol shot baby. "Like A Rolling Stone" is mega in all fashions, Dylan is accusatory, mad, feed up, zoned out, poetic, rambling and always moving with the sound as the track is large and in charge even today. One of the Bard's top 3 songs any which way you break them down, "Like A Rolling Stone" has been covered by a ton of people and it (usually) always kicks ass. 

Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:

This is the first time we have heard Cæcilie Norby who is a Danish jazz singer. Also playing on this track is Bass, Cello, Lars Danielsson Piano, Leszek Możdżer , Electric  Guitar: Nguyên Lê.

Thoughts on Cover:

A unique version, miles away from the original, that has a lot of instrumentation and cuts out lots of verses and choruses. A unique, breezy cover and a fun addition to Jazzy January.   

Full Show Friday: David McMurray - Southside Festival of Jazz 2014

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing). This week...David McMurray! 

RtBE has been a fan of McMurray's for a while now and wanted to get him into our Full Show Friday series during Jazzy January. 

Here he and his band are in 2014:

New Single/Video from Taylor Barton "Get Off My Ship"

Taylor Barton has released a video for her her song "Get Off My Ship".

Check out the tune below:

Album Review: Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Jazz Is Dead 021

Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Jazz Is Dead 021

*** out of *****

The Jazz Is Dead label was started in 2017 by music producers Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), concert producer Andrew Lojero and industry veteran Adam Block. The goal of Jazz Is Dead has been to work with global music legends in both comfortable and unique spaces, exposing them to a new generation, sounding fresh while honoring their established sound. 

On the labels most recent release, Jazz Is Dead 021, they curated a a selection of unreleased songs from the upcoming Jazz Is Dead Series 3, resulting in a high powered "mix-tape/sampler" of funky/jazzy styles from different future releases that works well together, but also will inspire listeners to dig deeper and buy future albums.

One song from each upcoming release is presented here. The deep pulsing bass, flighty flutes and shimmering cymbals kick things off, working well on "Moreno feat The Midnight Hour" as whistling, strings and horns build up the slick track. "Os Acestrais feat Dom Salvador" is OK with strong vocals from Salvador, but much better is the Afrobeat excursion "Obi do Woa (If Someone Loves You) feat Ebo Taylor" which pumps up the excellent percussion and funky groove, highlighting the album.  

That upbeat energy recedes a bit with the dreamy/floating "Uana Ete feat Joyce e Tutty Moreno" while "Menina Do Tororo feat Antonio Carlos e Jocafi" uses electro-keys and a samba soul vibe very reminiscent of the great Jorge Ben. 

"Viajante de Planeta Azul feat Hyldon" is a cinematic offering that is swirling and dramatic with deep bass and lots of layers of sound before "Atlas" wraps up the sampler/record on a soothing note, using chimes, bells, percussion and more to ease out of Jazz Is Dead 021. 

Designed more to widen the scope of the listener and to get them ready for upcoming full length releases from these artists in 2025, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad have done an admiral job working with legends in these fields and crafting enjoyable tunes in their style. 

New Single from Nayla Savannah "Diary"

The Long Beach, CA based artist Nayla Savannah released a new single, "Diary".

Check out the tune below and here is hoping everyone is safe out in LA:

Album Review: Charlie and the Tropicales - Jump Up

Charlie and the Tropicales

Jump Up

***and1/2 out of *****

For their third album Charlie and the Tropicales take their engaging mix of mid century Caribbean sounds filtered through a New Orleans lens, and flush it out with a host of guest vocalists onboard for the exciting ride. 

Happy Anniversary to Angels & Vagabonds Debut, The A&V EP

Hard to believe @angelsvagabonds released our debut effort, The A&V EP eleven years ago today.

It has been fun writing about music on various websites and publications over the last fifteen plus years, but nothing beats the act of creating music, playing it live and recording it. Our first EP was an excellent experience, a huge learning process for me personally, and the whole band are still very proud of the final result.

From the serendipitous cover photo that stayed exactly as Bruno_Pek_ shot it, to the great production from our good friend Glen, to the contributions of everyone involved, The A&V EP is a joy to remember. More importantly, we still like listening to it and you can do that now.

You can download from our bandcamp site, you can buy it from iTunes, stream it on Spotify or below. As always, thanks for reading, and on this day I can say thanks for listening to my music.

 

Live Review: Phish - 12/28-29-30/24 MSG NYC

Phish 

Live: 12/28-29-30/24 

MSG NYC

Another year wrapping up finds Phish returning to their annual holiday run at the world's most famous arena. RtBE went to 3 of the 4 show at Madison Square Garden, skipping New Years Eve, and has a few thoughts about them.

Dylan Cover #664 Louisa Bey "Everything Is Broken"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a cover by Louisa Bey playing "Everything is Broken"

Jazzy January has invade Mondays! All this month we will check out various artists covering Dylan with a jazz vibe.

Thoughts on Original:

From the first time we tackled a cover of this tune:

If Bob wasn't the Bard "Everything Is Broken" would just be another tossed off song. However, is anything with Dylan just simply tossed off? Well..yeah...this song certainly feels tossed off to me...sorry. Oh Mercy is a hell of an album, one of Dylan's classics, and this song is fine, it just can't even stand close to any of his all-time gems, not remotely close. One of the reasons I started this cover series was to show how amazing The Bard's songs are in just about anyone's hands, but if the original of this tune was written by Joe Schmo would people think it was great, or is it just the Dylan name that gives it clout?  

Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:

This is the first time coming across Louisa Bey, who is a French Jazz singer. 

Thoughts on Cover:

Interesting cover that skitters and slides around with a mix of light rock and modern jazz sounds as Bey sings with a mix of anger and passion.

Full Show Friday - Makaya McCraven - Live KEXP 2022

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing). This week...Makaya McCraven! 

It's Jazzy January again here at RtBE, so get ready to kick off 2025 with some different styled shows every Friday. For this series we skew into new (or more recent) jazz lands. Keeping it current proves there is amazing live jazz still being performed no matter what Ken Burns says.

New Single/Video Hot 8 Brass Band "Ain't No Sunshine"

New video out for the New Orleans based outfit Hot 8 Brass Band, covering Bill Withers "Ain't No Sunshine". 

Check out the touching tribute below:

Album Review: Nubya Garcia - Odyssey

Nubya Garcia

Odyssey

**** out of *****

Nubya Garcia's sophomore release, Odyssey, on Concord Records is a follow up to her excellent solo debut Source and continues the talented tenor saxophonist, bandleader and composer's, evolution. The record finds Garcia spreading her wings, moving away from the more straight ahead grooves of her debut to excellently widen her sonic scope. 

New Single/Video from Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse - "I Told My Baby"

Check out the new single/video from Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse - "I Told My Baby" featuring Kitten de Ville. 

The rocker is a hoot, check out the video below:

Album Review: The Headhunters - The Stunt Man

The Headhunters

The Stunt Man

**** out of *****

The Headhunters, the remaining members of Herbie Hancock's backing band as well as some modern jazz greats, are experiencing a renaissance lately and the excellent The Stunt Man is another winning addition to their catalog.