Herbie Hancock

New Denver shows on sale this week: Megadeth, Tricky, Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky and more

Megadeth's Gigantour, which features HellYeah, Newstead, Black Label Society and is making a stop at 1STBANK Center in August, goes on sale this Friday, May 10, while Tricky at the Gothic, and Wiz Khalifa and A$AP Rocky at Fiddler's go on sale on Saturday, May 11. Keep reading for the full rundown t ... More >>

The fifty greatest rap groups of all time

There's something great about a hip-hop group. From the beginning, it was never intended to be a solo endeavor; rap began in cyphers at block parties, and the first established rappers were components of a collective centered around the more important DJ. Even now that the rapper is the star, it's n ... More >>

The fifty greatest rap groups of all time: 50-26

There's something great about a hip-hop group. From the beginning, it was never intended to be a solo endeavor; rap began in cyphers at block parties, and the first established rappers were components of a collective centered around the more important DJ. Even now that the rapper is the star, it's n ... More >>

Denver's ten best jukeboxes

More and more, you've probably noticed an influx of Internet jukeboxes, the kind that offer a seemingly endless assortment of songs, cropping up in bars. But there are still a handful of spots rocking old school CD jukeboxes that require a bit of taste-making. Here's the ten best, including this yea ... More >>

The five best jail-inspired musician memoirs

Pop culture incrementally improved the chances that books would outlive CDs when news spread that Lil Wayne had inked a deal to write a memoir about the eight months he spent locked up on gun charges. Titled Gone 'Til November, the book is scheduled to be released in May. While the hip-hop blogosphe ... More >>

The five best jazz shows in Denver this month

5. IMPROVISED ROOTS #4 @ DAZZLE | FRI & SAT, 3/15-3/16 While Greg Garrison plays bass for local bluegrass act Leftover Salmon, he also knows his way around jazz changes. With his Improvised Roots series, he brings the two worlds together with roots music. The previous two shows in his Improvised Roo ... More >>

If jazz wasn't heady enough, Chris Potter wrote an entire album inspired by The Odyssey

As a teenager in the late'80s, tenor saxophonist Chris Potter performed with the great Red Rodney. He later went on to collaborate with luminaries like Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Paul Motian, Dave Holland, and, more recently, he was a member of the Pat Metheny Unity Band. While he's played as a sidem ... More >>

Moovers and Shakers 2012: Backbeat writers praise the year's best local albums

See also: Backbeat writers sound off on the year's best national albums

Ten essential gangsta rap albums

Many hip-hop fans, those who love rap -- hell, even some rappers -- have an aversion to gangsta rap for its objectionable content. Common named the rise of gangsta rap as one of the many steps in hip-hop's downfall in "I Used to Love H.E.R.," a sentiment that, of course, began a contentious relation ... More >>

Ron Carter on the evolution of jazz bass and how "guys are writing more difficult parts" these days

Ron Carter has been on over 2,500 albums and secured a spot as one of the world's finest bassists in the history of jazz. Doing much more than merely helping anchor the rhythm, Carter is a quite the melodic master. In his five-decade-long career, he's played with countless jazz legends, including a ... More >>

The Cookers bring their recipe for jazz to Golden

The weekend's best live bets: The eighteenth annual Westword Music Showcase 2012

Welcome to the weekend! You made it. And of course, this is not just any weekend. It's the Westword Music Showcase weekend! Whoo freaking hoo! So with that in mind, here's a rundown of what you have in store tomorrow afternoon/evening on the main stage. Be sure to check out this page for a full rund ... More >>

Denver's ten best jukeboxes

Just as music collections say a lot about people, a jukebox can do the same for a bar; it often reflect the place's personality. A lot of times, variety is key to a well-stocked jukebox, and 3 Kings Tavern, this year's winner in the Best of Denver, had that with balls, to boot. Here's a look at the ... More >>

Weekend's best live music bets: Fun., Gotye, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, SP Double and more

Welcome to the end of the work week! Unsurprisingly, your musical options are plentiful this weekend: Gotye packs the Ogden tonight for a sold-out show with Kimbra, Fun. is at the Fox Theatre, John Scofield returns to Colorado after the successful three night stand with Phil Lesh not too long ago, B ... More >>

Ryan Leinonen on "Mr. Wizard," Velveeta, pig's nipples and the raw vegan

Ryan Leinonen Trillium 2134 Larimer Street 303-379-9759 www.trilliumdenver.com Hey!" hollers Ryan Leinonen to one of his cooks. "How's that cauliflower soup doing? Make sure you keep an eye on it." And for the next two hours, Leinonen, the chef-owner of the month-old Trillium, watches from afar at ... More >>

Kurt Elling on his new album and working with Don Was

​With a number of Grammys under his belt, and being named "Male Singer of the Year" by the Jazz Journalists Association six times in the last decade, Kurt Elling is one of the world's top jazz vocalists. On his latest effort, The Gate, released in February on Concord, Elling teamed up with leg ... More >>

Guitar guru John McLaughlin's spiritual path has been a long one

The Robert Glasper Experiment

Thursday, March 18, and Friday, March 19, Dazzle, 303-839-5100.

The Bianchi brothers break up their empire and come full circle with Quixote's True Blue

Q&A w/ Isaiah Owens of Free Moral Agents

​Isaiah "Ikey" Owens is better know these days as the keyboardist of the Mars Volta. His versatile and creative musicianship, though, was honed in the '90s when he played with Sublime and later Long Beach Dub Allstars. Ikey first played with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala in the ... More >>

Hey, DJ! Q&A with Ivy

​Every Friday we spotlight the hottest cats behind the decks in the MHC, grilling them to gain some insight on what it takes, exactly, to get the party rocking, to find out about their most treasured crate digging experiences and what they really think when we stumble up to them half cocked and as ... More >>

John Scofield's Piety Street Band

Wednesday, April 29, Boulder Theater, 303-786-7030.

Kurt Elling, Eliane Elias headline JazzFest Denver this weekend

Kurt Elling and Eliane Elias, both Grammy-nominated vocalists, headline this year's JazzFest Denver at Dazzle this weekend. Elling's warm baritone can stretch over four octaves and he honed his chops by listening to Mark Murphy, Jon Hendricks and other crooners before him. The guy's a mad scatter, a ... More >>

Spontaneity Is the Spice of Life for Kenny Garrett

Like the masters he learned from, this alto-saxman likes to fly by the seat of his pants.

Q&A: David Murphy of Sound Tribe Sector 9

Funky Symmetry

The Charlie Hunter Trio strikes a jazzy balance between brains and heart.

The Beatdown

A long day's journey into the Wild Divine.

East Is Eden

Karsh Kale spins the soundtrack as blissful worlds collide.

Lab Dance

George & Caplin's mutant electronica is the sound of science.

The Beatdown

Four elements make one movement.

Mash It Up

Z-Trip turns the tables and elevates the art of the DJ.

Critic's Choice

Gigi

That Fleeting Feeling

The music of the Bobby Collins Death Metal Armada is just what you'd expect: light, funny, pop-laden and free.

The Musings of Miles

Almost ten years after his death, jazz fans remain fascinated by the man who gave birth to cool.

Get Into the Groove

The seven members of Groove Collective are of one mind in their pursuit of a new kind of jazz.

Hank Mobley

No Room for Squares(Blue Note)
The Turnaround(Blue Note)

Like a Record, Baby

QBert and the Invisibl Skratch Piklz put a new spin on the DJ craft.

Chemistry Set

Chicago outfit Isotope 217 approaches jazz through the scientific method.

Spread the Jam

Medeski, Martin and Wood branch out beyond jazz.

In the Name of the Father

T.S. Monk is making music that's all in the family.

Mama Knows Best

THE GOODS

THERE WEREN'T THOUSANDS OF FIRST-RATE RECORDS RELEASED IN 1995. BUT THERE WERE NINETY.

JUST SAY NOEL

THIS YEAR'S CHRISTMAS DISCS PROVIDE SOME ROUGH SLEDDING.

THRILLS

THRILLS

THE CASSANDRA CROSSOVER

CASSANDRA WILSON MAKES JAZZ MEANT FOR THE MASSES--AND SHE KNOWS IT.

PLAYLIST

PLAYLIST

3'S A CROWD

UNMASKING THE TWO BRITISH MASTERMINDS BEHIND THE JAZZ-RAP SENSATION US3.

THE GRANDMA AWARDS