John Coltrane

The ten greatest East Coast rappers of all time

The East Coast, particularly New York, is the mecca of hip-hop. It's birthplace and still the most reliable source for pure, uncut, unadulterated rap music. Chronicling the great MCs from the region would result in a list of hundreds. Ranking the top ten proves somewhat limiting, but it's also an en ... More >>

The best concerts in Denver this weekend

YO GABBA GABBA! @ PARAMOUNT THEATRE | SUN, 2/24/13 Sesame Street couldn't handle mixing kids' programming with Katy Perry cleavage, but Yo Gabba Gabba! gets it right every time. Perhaps it's because one of the show's creators, Christian Jacobs, is MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats. After becoming a f ... More >>

The ten best concerts in Denver this week

ELECTRIC SIX @ LARIMER LOUNGE | TUES, 2/19/13 Electric Six has been bringing the party to the unwary for a decade. The group's songs combine '80s rock, disco and New Wave into a cranked-up, ultra-catchy sound all its own, with lyrics that mix a David Lee Roth-esque bravado with surreal barrages of i ... More >>

Fred Hess Big Band

Speak
Alison Records

The ten best concerts this week: 10/29-11/2

Happy Monday, amigos. Hope you didn't go too hard this past weekend -- though, judging from the pics from Rockbar's last call, some of you apparently did -- because there's at least four truckloads of shows (including Ryan Adams acoustic set at Boulder Theater tonight) going down this week, which me ... More >>

Karl Denson on musical roots, moving on after Lenny Kravitz and creating Beastie Boys tribute

Karl Denson (due on the main stage at this weekend's Westword Music Showcase) is hard to pin down. The saxophonist and bandleader may have strong roots in the traditional jazz of giants like John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter, but that hasn't stopped the musician from exploring funk, R&B, hip-hop and m ... More >>

Greg Garrison's Improvised Roots Series mixes Denver's best improvisers with national greats

Curtis Fuller to headline Five Points Jazz Fest

​While this year's line-up for the the 8th Annual Five Points Jazz Festival is still being solidified and won't be announced until April, we do know legendary trombonist Curtis Fuller will headlines this year's fest, which is Saturday, May 21 at venues along Welton Street in historic Five Poin ... More >>

The National, Bassnectar, Sleigh Bells, the Slits filled our playlists this past week

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Of Montreal, Kayne West and Air Dubai fill our playlists this week

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" So whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens, Bad Religion, John McLaughlin shows announced

​Indie troubadour Sufjan Stevens, who's set up a month-long fall tour that will include some of the country's most historic theaters and venues, is set to visit the Paramount Theatre on Tuesday, November 2. Stevens will be performing fully realized versions of songs he initially debuted at sma ... More >>

Hank Williams wins Pulitzer Prize and helps redefine the award

The above clip probably offers a better introduction to this article than we ever could: "(Hank Williams) is a feller that writes just as many songs as most anybody in the country, and sings them just as well, when it comes to the country style on singing." Oh, right, and all that country singing ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of October 26, 2009

​As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of August 10, 2009

​As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Sounding Off on Zionism

Whether he’s speaking or playing the sax, Gilad Atzmon is a powerhouse.

Beyond Playlist: Eminem and more

Eminem Relapse (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope) The haters have been laying for this one, and there's no denying that Eminem has provided them with plenty of ammunition. Devoting an entire album to his drug problems and rehab struggles invites accusations of solipsism (yeah, yeah, it's a hip-hop trad ... More >>

Nels Cline Has the Best Gig in America

From Wilco to fronting his own band, this forward-thinking guitarist is happy about the shape he's in.

Mini Reviews

Delegating Denver #37 of 56: North Carolina

Kurt Rosenwinkel Visits the Vanguard

Hear all about it in an amazing new two-disc set.

Rakim

This revered hip-hop framer isn't crazy about the state of the game.

Waterloo Ice House

An Austin institution opens a new location in Louisville.

Dead Kenny G’s

There’s nothing smooth about the subversive jazzy punk funk these cats play.

Beyond Playlist: Charles Mingus and More

Terell Stafford

Friday, August 24, Dazzle, 303-839-5100.

Kurt Elling

Wednesday, March 14, Soiled Dove, 303-366-0007.

Ralph Alessi

This trumpeter breathes knows a thing or two about improvisation.

Jack of All Trades

Jack DeJohnette promotes drumming diversity.

Vital Organs

Pat Bianchi prepares to meet his master, Joey DeFrancesco, for a night of dueling B-3 beauty.

Eyes Half Open

Cameron Crowe takes Jerry Maguire on a dizzy trip through dreamland.

The Musings of Miles

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

Cultural Stew

Danilo Perez rocks the Boulder Theater, while a local girl makes good at the Grammys.

Get Into the Groove

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

The Cat Came Back

Fifty years plus a dozen styles equals one Gato Barbieri.

Hank Mobley

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

Broun Fellinis

Out Through The N Door
Dipstick
Transistor Rodeo
(Weed Records)

Night & Day

August 27 - September 2, 1998

Letters

Getting Better With Age

Two decades does the music of Yusef Lateef and Rahsaan Roland Kirk a world of good.

Toning Up

Guitarist Neil Haverstick makes music with plenty of options.

Jazz in Synergy

Michael Fitts wants Colorado jazz musicians to have a label of their own.

Say What?

The Very Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love of A3 preaches the American gospel in a rather foreign tongue.

It's Sanskrit to Me

Shorter Over the Long Haul

Faced with the tragic death of his wife, saxophone titan Wayne Shorter chooses life.

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Playlist

MASSIVE ATTACK, BOULDER STYLE

SWEET AS JAM

TALKIN' 'BOUT A REVOLUTION