It's long been taken for granted that leading figures in the classical music world devote much of their effort to conducting or otherwise interpreting the great work of the music's past. Another sign that jazz has reached similar ends is the new CD by trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis. With the aid of crack musicians, including...

Since the revival of klezmer music beginning in the 1970s, some players have tried to fuse the wild East sound with other sorts of music. On the title cut of Victory Party, Geoff Berner achieves a powerful convergence of rock with the long-ago music of Eastern Europeâeuro;™s Jews. A raging denunciation of war...

The voice of God opening of Beethoven’s 5th is among the most familiar pieces of music in the world, and in this recent recording, the music that follows never falls slack. Under conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, the San Francisco Symphony is rhythmically strong, neither florid nor merely accurate in its reading...

Following his 2008 Toaster Fires disc with Rhythm Ethics, Milwaukee's Mathew Haeffel continues in semi-improvisational, groove-intensive folk rock. Seemingly influenced by the catalog of the Dave Matthews Band, Haeffel adapts that stadium-filling act's eccentricities in melody and arrangement for a smaller...

One-time Milwaukee resident Jason Seed has spread his reputation across many genres, playing bracing and non-cliché jazz in small clubs and performing with Present Music. The guitarist explores another facet of his interests with The Escapist. The lone cover song is a clue of its direction: “Strange Meeting...

In today’s world, New Mexico might be as good a base as any for a band exploring the profound links between the music of Eastern lands from the Balkans through the gates of India. That’s the mission of A Hawk and a Hacksaw, a group traveling the road of sonic authenticity without much reference to ethnic...

Sara Banleigh is a young artist determined to have it her way. For her debut album, she disdained the usual digital DIY in favor of a recording studio with a well-tempered grand piano and a small ensemble of acoustic instrumentalists. Her approach infuses a set of traditional Anglo-Celtic ballads with an integrity that has less...

When it comes to the effects of war on soldiers, it’s not difficult to find material, musical renditions included. But Milwaukee folkie Jason Moon's third solo album is an especially poignant reflection on the subject because he lived through it. Through 13 tracks, he muses upon everything from the time before his...

Muskego’s Kevin Mulvenna may be a Parrothead, but he's an unusually reflective and tuneful one. As his album's title indicates, he's comfortable—if a tad wistful—in the domesticity that comes with being a husband and father. His country/folk/pop amalgam meshes well with tales of past carousing, current...

With a name like Carlos “GoGo” Gomez, you expect salsa or maybe Latin-flavored pop. And while the drummer has played with Tito Puente, his own musical path runs in a different direction on New Paradigm Global Music. Sure, there is a deep Afro-Latin resonance at moments. Mostly, though, the music is a...

In the 1970s CTI was among the biggest labels in jazz, and although it became associated with fusion for the white wine on the rocks crowd, many fine straight-ahead albums were released under its imprint. Some were recently reissued on CD. Among them

A flag bearer for traditional Japanese culture, the performing arts group Kodo has toured the world for 30 years with its 900-pound drum and a polished act that suggests an Oriental Riverdance. The DVD in their two-disc set shows performers bearing flags—waving banners actually—as the group’s drum-and-dance...

Wow! A band with horns. And a steel guitar. And a Mellotron! And plenty of mood. And an ethereal voice appropriately hidden in the mix. And interesting songs. And guitars that sound like they are on loan from Chris Isaak’s Silvertone at their most atmospheric. This all adds up to a distinctive and memorable...

You've probably heard it, but you may not have known what to call it. Singing Milwaukee journalist Jim Hoehn calls it “trop rock,” as in tropical. Hoehn's enthusiasm has yielded his fourth compilation of bands from across the United States with affinity for steel drums, tequila and sunny climes. Hoehn curates the...

The notion of Americana as a distinct musical genre was in its infancy when The Jayhawks emerged from the Twin Cities in the late ’80s, but their old-time, modern-world rock fits the form like a well-toned guy in a pair of faded jeans. Their 1992 major label debut has been reissued along with bonus tracks—and for once...

Music fans can bless and blame Gang of Four for inspiring everything from some of alt rock's most resonant moments to the most unfortunate rap-metal muck. Now is as good a time as any for the genuine article to make a return appearance with their first album of original material in 16 years. The recent wave of...

San Francisco’s Wayne Wallace is a multi-talented player in contemporary jazz as trombonist, arranger, bandleader, composer and producer. With To Hear from There, Wallace and his Latin Jazz Quintet proficiently execute a set of mostly originals in an Afro-Cuban mode. Polished to a bright gleam while...

Despite cutbacks in funding on such "luxuries" as school music programs, kids still want to rock—or play any other type of music they like. The Wisconsin School Music Association's Launchpad contest for high-school bands continues to give teens a wider forum in which to be heard...

West Africa sent great musicians into the world in the 1960s and ’70s, well before the watered-down world music of today. But except for Fela and a few others, most circulated only in Africa and the diaspora and were little heard elsewhere. Washington, D.C.’s Chopteeth is determined to revive this under-recognized...

Given instruments by their protective mother as an alternative to the crime and drug abuse of South Bronx in the early ’80s, the teenage Scroggins sisters (Renee, Valerie, Marie and Deborah) had limited means and no musical training to speak of. But what their environment lacked in safety and opportunity was offset by an...

Abetted by fellow veteran Milwaukee folkie Jym Mooney, among others, acoustic music elder stateswomen The Moxie Chicks have been gigging at feedback-free venues for a few years. Recorded live at The Coffee House, Middle Aged Garage Band finds them mostly remaking old favorites with pleasantly...

A singer of Near Eastern descent who grew up in Europe, Natacha Atlas became a star of world music for her ambitious cross-referencing of Arabic, techno and hip-hop influences. With Mounqaliba, she continues to apply the caressing moan of her voice to an intriguing fusion of cultures. The hot, dusty sounds of her...

Isaac Stern was among the most acclaimed classical musicians of the last century. To honor what would have been his 90th birthday, Sony Masterworks culled the archives for rarities previously unheard on CD. The album title refers to the violinist’s prominent role in saving Carnegie Hall from the wrecker’s ball...

Fusions of global pop and local traditions are sounding increasingly threadbare rather than rich with possibility. An exception is the charming, intriguing CD Voice Over the Bridge. Producers Patrick Sebag and Yotam Asam work with singers of traditional music from Burma (or Myanmar as its military rulers...

If James Cameron decided to halt work on the Avatar sequel and the 3-D conversion of Titanic to record a progressive-rock album, it would probably sound quite a bit like David Minasian’s lofty, keyboards-rich Random Acts of Beauty. Minasian also is a film director (plus multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and...