While J.J. Cale has always been grateful for the recognition his songs have received, particularly when performed by other artists, he has remained somewhat of a recluse. Eight years after his last studio album, and two years since his last tour, Cale returns with To Tulsa and Back, another timeless, enduring recording from the man that Eric Clapton has called, “One of the masters of the last three decades of music.”

When Clapton recorded “After Midnight,” which Cale had written in the mid-sixties, in 1970, this Tulsa native, who began performing in the fifties, emerged from relative obscurity and, suddenly, became known as a profound influence on some of the biggest names in the business. In addition to Clapton (who has also make recorded versions of Cale’s “Cocaine,” “Travelin’ Light,” and “I’ll Make Love To You Anytime”), artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Deep Purple, Johnny Cash, The Band and Santana began covering his tunes. Read the rest of this entry »

For nearly two decades, Les Paul has performed a pair of shows every Monday night in New York City. The Iridium Jazz Club has played host to these gigs for the past seven years, offering fans the opportunity for an up close view of the man who built the first solid body guitar, and who is also credited with inventing echo delay, multi tracking, and many other revolutionary recording techniques.

On March 15, nearly 17 years after first learning that this legend was not only alive, but still performing each and every week, I finally found myself seated in this tiny club, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Paul, a man who claims his biggest gift has always been being blessed with an ear for the perfect pitch. Backed by a band that he still calls his “Trio,” despite the fact that he has added a fourth member (the very talented John Colianni on keyboards), Paul joyfully took the stage for an hour and a half set of jazz standards, while always taking the time to playfully joke with the crowd, and his band mates, between each song. Read the rest of this entry »

The core of the Animal Liberation Orchestra (more commonly known as ALO) began performing together at the age of 12, while still attending junior high in Saratoga, CA. After tasting early success, Zach Gill (keyboards/vocals), Steve Adams (Bass guitar/vocals), and Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz (guitar/percussion/vocals) knew they wanted more.

“We had our first gig at a local talent show,” Lebowitz recalls. “We won and it ended up being pretty awesome, so we thought, ’we should does that some more.’”

After several name changes and multiple attempts to find the right drummer, the band eventually evolved into the Animal Liberation Orchestra, a nine-piece ensemble, complete with a brass section. Read the rest of this entry »

Allison Moorer is an artist whose albums have long been marked by a restlessness passion. On her latest release, Mockingbird, Moore works with producer and acclaimed roots artist Buddy Miller to create a lush and lively tribute to many of America’s best female songwriters.

In this collection of (mostly) covers, Moorer conjures rich, lush images of the lives, needs, and very yearnings of the hearts of women everywhere. Moorer proudly embraces Kate McGarrigle’s “Go, Leave,” delivers an intriguing take on Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot,” and pays elegant homage to Shelby Lynne’s tale survival, “She Knows Where She Goes.” Read the rest of this entry »

Born in to a family filled with musicians, it seemed obvious at an early age that Victor Wooten was destined for a career in music. By age five, he was playing bass with The Wooten Brothers (along with Regi, Rudy, Roy and Joseph), touring constantly throughout their native Virginia, as well as on national tours opening for Curtis Mayfield and War. Later, after playing bass in the country show at Busch Gardens, Victor headed south, landing in Nashville.

Before moving to Nashville, Victor was introduced by a mutual friend to Bela Fleck, a meeting that would eventually lead to the formation of the one-of-a-kind jazz/bluegrass fusion group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

Victor recalls the meeting fondly. Read the rest of this entry »