Articles by Doug Collette
Tony Monaco Trio and Mark Egan-Shawn Pelton-Shane Theriot: Three Is Not A Crowd
by Doug Collette
Say what we might about quartets, quintets, sextets and beyond, it might be fair to say the trio is the most potent instrumental lineup of them all. Three-piece ensembles hold a special place in the annals of improvisational music (and not just in the jazz milieu: the term 'power trio' was coined in the rock realm to describe Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience), if for no other reason than groups led by piano and organ have created some of ...
read moreNoah Haidu and Dave Bass: Mirror Images
by Doug Collette
Noah Haidu and Dave Bass may be too much the traditionalists to become true innovators, but such observations hardly dismiss their efforts as exceptional stylists. Both men's recent releases certify them as musicians who can reliably remind us where the most fruitful sources of inspiration lie in terms of both material and musicianship. Bass' Trio Nuevo is, like its trio of predecessors, a mix of excellent originals and covers that complement each other in such a way that their respective ...
read moreBook of Queens
by Doug Collette
Released in 2023 with next to no fanfare, the very gestation of the Eric Krasno/Stanton Moore Project's first effort carries a cachet all its own. Recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York, and mixed by Jim Scott (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Wilco), Book of Queens is tribute to women in music wherein the nine covers offer homage to the work of musical cons such as Nina Simone, Peggy Lee, and Aretha Franklin as well as contemporary figures of note ...
read moreCatch A Fire: 50th Anniversary Edition (3 CD)
by Doug Collette
Bob Marley and the Wailers' Catch A Fire 50th Anniversary Edition is a logical extension of the 2001 Deluxe Edition of the title. Whereas that latter double-CD package included this seminal reggae record in both its original and overdubbed form, this latest exhumation from the vault includes the studio album as originally released, the complete concert of the band 'Live at the Paris Theatre in London' (previously only ever bootlegged) and a third compact disc of alternate, extended and instrumental ...
read moreDickey Betts: Another Man Done Gone
by Doug Collette
Although Forrest Richard 'Dickey' Betts did not share the surname of the Allman Brothers Band to which he contributed so significantly, in terms of success both creatively and commercially, he was arguably as responsible for the seminal blues rockers' legacy as the two namesakes of the group, Duane and Gregg. And it does not take a sorrowful perspective on the man's passing to contemplate how, in a very real sense, Dickey Betts' significant participation in the Allmans came ...
read moreTeenage Wasteland: The Who At Winterland 1968 and 1976
by Doug Collette
Teenage Wasteland: The Who At Winterland 1968 and 1976 Edoardo Genzolini 256 Pages ISBN: # 978-0764367359 Schiffer Books2024 Teenage Wasteland: The Who At Winterland 1968 and 1976 is much more than simply contiguous chronicles of two concerts by the iconic British rock band. As with the deceptively attractive dust cover, half in flat and half in glossy finish, the 256 pages of photos and text within 8.75 x 1 x 11.25 inch ...
read moreChristian Parker: Change Is Now - A Tribute To The Byrds
by Doug Collette
Christian Parker's Change Is Now is as laudable in its own way as its predecessor, a combination reimagining and expansion of Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Columbia, 1968), the Byrds' first full-length foray into the fusion of rock and country music. Subtitled A Tribute to the Byrds, this sequel overseen by the resident of Elmore James' New York state birthplace stands on its own terms as a work unto itself. Fifteen tracks that span the nine years of the ...
read moreJulian Lage At Higher Ground
by Doug Collette
Julian Lage Higher Ground Ballroom South Burlington Vermont March 16, 2024 Watching and listening to Julian Lage and his band the evening of March 16th at Higher Ground, it was hard to believe this stop was the first on a new leg of the roadwork wryly dubbed the 'More Than A Trio' tour. The guitarist and his four bandmates demonstrated as much confidence in their musicianship as in their material. The quintet wasted ...
read moreGary Clark, Jr.: JPEG RAW
by Doug Collette
In contrast to Gary Clark Jr.'s thunderous stage performances, the keen impact of which permeate Live (Warner Bros., 2014) and Live in North America 2016 (Warner Bros., 2017), his studio albums, including JPEG RAW, are ambitious eclectic pieces of work the force of which grow inexorably with repeated listening. Its title an acronym for 'Jealousy, Pride, Ego & Greed / Rules, Alter Ego & Worlds,' the man's sixth full-length album is hardly an exception to that rule. In ...
read moreMike Clark: Humble As He Goes
by Doug Collette
Drummer/composer/bandleader Mike Clark's resume is as diverse as his talent and, in turn, his discography. The man who dramatically raised his public profile by sitting at the kit for Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters has gone on to record in a wide variety of settings, with a panoply of people, including guitarist extraordinaire Charlie Hunter, British fusioneers Brand X plus once and future member of the Meters, George Porter Jr. Somewhat contrary to Clark's restless, eclectic spirit, both of these ...
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