Booker T. & The M.G.’s “Time Is Tight”
The preeminent instrumental rock band of all time, Booker T. & The MG's, rose to the forefront of music history.... Read More
Focus “Hocus Pocus” (1971)
A bizarre series of solos leads to the conclusion that some records are not meant to be broken... Read More
Barbecue Bob and The Spareribs “Swamp Thing” (1996)
They came after many months of painstaking planning, a not insubstantial expense, and more than a few sleepless nights sweating out the weather forecast, but hearing the sound of the first few notes of this song was one of the crowning moments of my life..... Read More
The J.B.’s “Pass The Peas” (1972)
The J.B.'s, James Brown’s inimitably funky band, put out numerous stellar albums during the ‘70’s era when they weren’t backing the Godfather of Soul on stage and on record, including this culinary crowd-pleaser..... Read More
Rush “YYZ” (1981)
The rock world lost a giant this week. Whatever your opinion of Rush, Neil Peart was a unique force of nature behind the drums (and, critically, also the band's principal lyricist). RIP to a drum deity... Read More
Oscar Peterson “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (1995)
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been acquiring a Christmas album each year. The last decade or so, though, my go-to choice has been Oscar Peterson, and his genre-perfecting, “An Oscar Peterson Christmas.” Without question, it’s the best sitting-around-the-fire Christmas album I know.... Read More
Joel Paterson “Michelle” (2019)
One of the great benefits of the forthcoming Joel Paterson album “Let It Be Guitar!” – to be released by Bloodshot Records on September 20th – is that my wife can casually enjoy some beautiful, new arrangements of completely recognizable Beatles tunes, while I can focus intently on the fabulous intricacies of Paterson’s highly developed,...... Read More
The Meters “Cissy Strut” (1969)
If you like New Orleans music, you surely owe something to The Meters. If you enjoy funk music, you undoubtedly owe a lot to The Meters. And if you revel in New Orleans funk music, well, you pretty much owe it all to The Meters. This is the... Read More
Diner “Strip Joint Piano Scene” (1982)
Long before Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David created “A show about nothing,” a first-time director and seven utterly unknown actors made a movie about nothing. The year was 1982, and the film, without question my favorite one of all time, was Diner. It was directed by Barry Levinson, a resident of Baltimore, MD. where the...... Read More
Stevie Ray Vaughan “Testify” (1983)
Not long ago I was engaged in an important discussion at a Mets game with some old friends Ike, Petey and Sean about what our “walk up” music would be if we were major league ballplayers. I didn’t hesitate in naming ‘Testify’, this absolutely incendiary Stevie Ray Vaughan instrumental from his... Read More