jazz Archives - Rock Oracle

I must imagine that putting together a record of this magnitude would be daunting. That is, to say what you want to say in one short playlist, oh, and it’s all instrumental. I am not a guitar player or a musician of any sort, but I do understand the complexities of music to a degree. I can hear the storytelling and grasp the imagery of the bard. I can close my eyes and be swept away sonically, as easily as the next and I know what I like. I really like this record.

FEATURED LIVE REVIEWS

March 3, 2025 Jason Shrum

The New Mastersounds bring Jazz-Fusion to Nashville

I was treated to an extraordinary show last week at the world-famous Exit/In in Nashville, Tennessee with The Gripsweats supporting The New Mastersounds. The two, powerhouse, electronic-forward, funk, jazz-fusion, jam bands, put on a display of rhythm-heavy-keypunching vibe and a toe tapping cavalcade of fun on a Wednesday night. I know that’s a lot of descriptors slammed together in one nearly non sensical sentence structure, but it is well needed to identify these sets.

B Sides FEATURED LIVE REVIEWS

December 4, 2024 Steve Lynch

Kenny Garrett Infectious at Blue Note

Last Sunday I was able to cross a venue off my concert bucket list by going with my wife and daughter to the Blue Note in NYC. My 17-year-old loves jazz and wanted to go to a jazz club while we were visiting New York for Thanksgiving week. If you are going to go to your first jazz club it has to be the Blue Note, one of the most recognized clubs in the US.

FEATURED LIVE REVIEWS

November 17, 2024 Jason Shrum

A Space Disco with The Weird Sisters

They are the self-described “Dance Commanders” and that aptly chronicles the status of their compilations. Funk has collided with electronica and slammed danced with jazz and soul with punk-EDM and psychedelia ploughing into the onslaught. Are you getting it yet? You will just have to listen for yourselves. In fact, I implore you to dive into the pool. The water is nice, but you cannot see the bottom and if your feet do not touch, you are in the right place.

B Sides FEATURED

November 4, 2024 Jason Shrum

THANK YOU MR. JONES

With producing credits for legends such as Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Lesley Gore, and Donna Summer, his impact on contemporary music is legendary. He embarked on a journey that had him starting a life as a touring musician, serving as Dizzy Gillespie’s musical director in the 1950s. Jones went on to arrange songs for Ray Charles, Count Basie, Dinah Washington, and others before incorporating synthesizers into his own practice. In the 1960s, Jones began work as Mercury Records’ vice president. He concentrated on music for the small and big screen, eventually scoring nearly 40 films and hundreds of TV shows. When you look at the vast scope of his career, accolades and accomplishments it’s hard to believe that this was done by one person.