Saturday, September 28, 2024

Golden-age rappers make a digital-age leap — and survive

LL Cool JThe FORCE finds the rapper looser and more agile than he's sounded in years, assisted by eclectic production from Q-Tip.'/>

On surprising new albums, '80s trailblazers LL Cool J and MC Lyte sound thrillingly revitalized, thanks to sharp production choices and a willingness to bend their signature styles toward the moment.



* This article was originally published here

Friday, September 27, 2024

Marking the centennial of jazz pianist Bud Powell

Born Sept. 27, 1924, Powell helped set the style for jazz piano after WWII. While earlier pianists played busy bass patterns, he helped establish a more fragmented, punctuating role for the left hand.



* This article was originally published here

Saturday, September 21, 2024

Remembering Dan Morgenstern, a revered jazz historian, archivist and critic

Morgenstern, who died Sept. 7, directed the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies for 35 years, building a one-of-a-kind collection of recordings, memorabilia and writings. Originally broadcast in 2004.



* This article was originally published here

Thursday, September 12, 2024

MJ Lenderman joins rock and roll’s lineage of heartbreak kids

MJ LendermanManning Fireworks, finds inspiration in The Band and the Drive-By Truckers.'/>

Ann Powers considers the breakthrough of indie rock up-and-comer MJ Lenderman, and finds that he’s got some classic rock in his tales of romantic woe.

(Image credit: Charlie Boss)



* This article was originally published here

Sunday, September 08, 2024

'Woodland' is the sound of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings rebuilding together following disaster

<em>Woodland</em>, the new album by Gillian Welch (left) and David Rawlings, is the latest in a long collaboration between two musicians who have built careers — and an influential legacy — out of the magnetic interplay between their voices and the strength of their musical ideas.

The magnetic bond between Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, partners in life and in music, has always been central to their songs. On their latest album, the "we" becomes existential.

(Image credit: Alysse Gafkjen)



* This article was originally published here

Friday, September 06, 2024

Doechii is too big for your small screen

 Doechii channels a panoramic relationship to her own thoughts and voice on the new mixtape <em>Alligator Bites Never Heal</em>.

Viral stardom is often a prison — but on the dazzling and frequently hilarious Alligator Bites Never Heal, the "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" rapper proves those walls can't contain her talent.



* This article was originally published here