Hank Shteamer
@darkforcesswing.bsky.social
📤 1116
📥 157
📝 100
writer, usually about music. Having a look around… contact:
[email protected]
hankshteamer.com
pinned post!
PSA: If you're contacted by anyone on any social media claiming to be me, & promising coverage in exchange for $, this is (obviously!) a scam. Pls report, block, etc. Latest fraudulent account — actively trying to get it deactivated but could take a while
www.tiktok.com/@hank_shteamer
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Hank Shteamer's Creator Profile
https://www.tiktok.com/@hank_shteamer
11 months ago
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No one album (or 12 or 100!) could ever sum up his greatness but here are some starting points as we begin to take stock of this incalculable loss:
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/a...
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Sonny Rollins: 12 Essential Albums
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/arts/music/sonny-rollins-albums.html
about 8 hours ago
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A few thoughts on my surreal visit with Rush in Toronto:
open.substack.com/pub/darkforc...
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"A Good Word to Hear": My Surreal Visit With Rush
As I told Geddy Lee himself, "That was f--king mindblowing"
https://open.substack.com/pub/darkforcesswing/p/a-good-word-to-hear-my-surreal-visit?r=1m5tqo&utm_medium=ios
17 days ago
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PSA if anyone is in need: Some friends are subletting a room in Brooklyn for the summer (through early fall). Amazing apt/location. Pls fwd to anyone who might be interested
newyork.craigslist.org/brk/sub/d/br...
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Seeking subletter for room in beautiful Prospect Heights apt Jun-Oct - sublets & temporary - apartment sublet rent -...
Enjoy Brooklyn in an ideal summer apartment with a huge deck. We are looking for a third roommate who would love to spend all or part of the season with us. This is the best apartment in Brooklyn —...
https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/sub/d/brooklyn-seeking-subletter-for-room-in/7932477626.html
20 days ago
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Paid a visit to Toronto in March:
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/a...
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Rush Lost Its Beloved Drummer. The Band Is Ready to Get Back on the Road.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/arts/music/rush-anika-nilles-new-drummer-tour.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fFA.XWel.FpOrJu0OKr77&smid=url-share
24 days ago
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Watch 30 glorious minutes of John Carter and Bobby Bradford dueting and conversing c. 1980
open.substack.com/pub/darkforc...
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All Fair Game: Listen to John Carter and Bobby Bradford in Duet
A 1980 mini doc provides an up-close look at this remarkable and unclassifiable tandem in action
https://open.substack.com/pub/darkforcesswing/p/all-fair-game-listen-to-john-carter?r=1m5tqo&utm_medium=ios
30 days ago
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When I asked Melvin Gibbs's collaborators to describe him as a player and a thinker, they reached for poetic comparisons drawing from science, nature and myth
open.substack.com/pub/darkforc...
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Working With Melvin Gibbs Is Like 'Playing With an Aurora'
And other takeaways from the reporting of my new Times feature on the bassist's essential new book, 'How Black Music Took Over the World'
https://open.substack.com/pub/darkforcesswing/p/working-with-melvin-gibbs-is-like?r=1m5tqo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
about 1 month ago
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Spoke to
@melvingibbs.bsky.social
about the inspirations for /ramifications of his revelatory new book:
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/a...
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How Did Black Music Take Over the World? Let Melvin Gibbs Explain.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/arts/music/melvin-gibbs-how-black-music-took-over-the-world.html
about 2 months ago
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New weekly jazz listings post is live now. Follow JGI New York and stay tuned!
www.instagram.com/p/DU08kRogMz...
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Instagram
Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DU08kRogMz-/?img_index=1
3 months ago
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In 2008, I got to sit down w/ Walter Becker to discuss his then-new solo album, a bunch of Steely Dan odds and ends, and a lot more for Time Out NY. Big thanks to the venerable Expanding Dan Substack for posting the full audio of the chat:
expandingdan.substack.com/p/walter-bec...
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Walter Becker lets the mask slip
"There is a level of perfection that Donald wants to hear in his music that I ran out of patience to do," Becker says in a candid, never-before-heard interview from 2008.
https://expandingdan.substack.com/p/walter-becker-interview-circus-money-2008
4 months ago
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Ralph Towner and Sunn O))) are polar guitar opposites: the respective epitomes of acoustic intimacy and amplified sonic weight. But where it counts, maybe they’re some strange sort of kindred.
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/ralph-town...
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Ralph Towner and Sunn O))): Kindred extremes
Acoustic intimacy and amplified sonic weight — superficially opposing but spiritually aligned visions of guitar-as-higher-purpose
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/ralph-towner-and-sunn-o-kindred-extremes
4 months ago
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Had a great time talking with the Sunn O))) guys (and friends) about Seattle lore, recording in the forest and stacking up 180 tracks of guitars:
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/a...
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130 Tracks of Guitar Per Song? Sunn O))) Is Back, and Going Big.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/arts/music/sunn-o-new-album-sub-pop.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EFA.s7XZ.Uw0Ej2M3n_2t&smid=url-share
4 months ago
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I saw more than 100 live shows this year. Here's a rundown of the 25 most memorable ones:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...
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Best of 2025: 25 greatest gigs
The live music that made my year
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-2025-25-greatest-gigs
5 months ago
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A few words on my favorite reissues and historical releases of the year:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...
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Best of 2025: New old music
Reissues and historical titles ranging from adventurous jazz to progressive punk
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-2025-new-old-music
5 months ago
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Here are my 10 favorite albums of 2025, with a few words on why that's the case:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...
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Best of 2025: Overall top 10
The new releases that defined my year in listening
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-2025-overall-top-10
5 months ago
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Extended 2025 jazz list, with 25 additional favorites from the year beyond the top 10:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...
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Best of 2025: Jazz (on record)
The annual top 10 list, plus a bunch more I dug
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-2025-jazz-on-record
6 months ago
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Co-sign! One of my fave reads of the year
add a skeleton here at some point
6 months ago
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Such a cool and inspiring story
add a skeleton here at some point
6 months ago
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2025 jazz top 10:
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/a...
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Best Jazz Albums of 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/arts/music/best-jazz-albums.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6U8.Q5CG.tE0eJeP3lS0s&smid=url-share
6 months ago
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Jabali at 85. Two more sets at Smoke tonight with
@ethaniversonpiano.bsky.social
, Mark Turner, Ben Street
6 months ago
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New interview with the Messthetics on the humbling and inspiring experience of covering Sonny Sharrock's 'Ask the Ages' in full, which they'll do again on Friday in D.C., along with James Brandon Lewis:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/like-tryin...
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'Like Trying to Get to Saturn': The Messthetics on Covering Sonny Sharrock's 'Ask the Ages'
Ahead of a full-album cover show with frequent collaborator James Brandon Lewis, the genre-blending trio discusses adapting and inhabiting the 1991 avant-jazz classic
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/like-trying-to-get-to-saturn-the
6 months ago
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This week's drum-centric newsletter, in which I make the case for why Tyshawn Sorey's phenomenal trio (at the Vanguard this week!) are the best band in jazz, and delve into the genius of
@jimwhitedrums.bsky.social
, who plays TV Eye on Monday:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/gig-of-the...
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Gig of the Week: 11/17/25
Two spellcasting drummers are playing in town within the coming days, and you should really go see both
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/gig-of-the-week-111725
6 months ago
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open.substack.com/pub/darkforc...
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Gig of the Week: 11/10/25
A tribute to a late death-metal pioneer, a great new drum-centric rock book, the welcome return of Ink & Dagger and more
https://open.substack.com/pub/darkforcesswing/p/gig-of-the-week-111025?r=1m5tqo&utm_medium=ios
7 months ago
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Thirty years ago, I read an album review, published in a DIY fanzine, that changed the course of my life. In recent days, I got to hold it in my hands - and thank the people who brought it into the world
open.substack.com/pub/darkforc...
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'Infected by the Gods': A Zine Called 'FeH' and the Contagious Enthusiasm of Music Writing
Thirty years ago, I read an album review that changed the course of my life. In recent days, I got to hold it in my hands — and thank the people who brought it into the world
https://open.substack.com/pub/darkforcesswing/p/infected-by-the-gods-a-zine-called?r=1m5tqo&utm_medium=ios
7 months ago
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Gig of the Week, 11/3/25:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/gig-of-the...
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Gig of the Week: 11/3/25
An avant-rock power trio comes to town, the musical community mourns a giant, and more
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/gig-of-the-week-11325
7 months ago
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A bit more on the infinity of Jack DeJohnette:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/the-infini...
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The Infinity of Jack DeJohnette
The drums are almost beside the point: It was his absolute presence in every musical situation, across a half-century, that made him one of the creative giants of our time
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/the-infinity-of-jack-dejohnette
7 months ago
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Jack DeJohnette's art will live forever:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...
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Jack DeJohnette, Revered Jazz Drummer, Dies at 83
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/arts/music/jack-dejohnette-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wk8.iRAk.lxKeYnKOdUmV&smid=url-share
7 months ago
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Every Thursday on Substack, I highlight one NYC gig for the coming week that I'm excited about, recap one from the prior week I loved and recommend dozens of other upcoming shows. It would mean a lot to me if you check it out and, if you like what you see, subscribe:
darkforcesswing.substack.com
7 months ago
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Gig of the Week post for 9/8/25 - recommend shows plus recent happenings including a new piece on Wayne Shorter's public archives:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/gig-of-the...
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Gig of the Week: 9/8/25
A peek inside the Wayne Shorter archives, appearances from two long-running avant-institutions, Andrew Cyrille on the web and more
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/gig-of-the-week-9825
9 months ago
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DFSBP Gig of the Week (Joe Farnsworth live, RIP Brent Hinds and more)
open.substack.com/pub/darkforc...
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Gig of the Week: 9/1/25
Goodbye, Brent Hinds; Neil on the Beach; Joe Farnsworth at Smoke; and more
https://open.substack.com/pub/darkforcesswing/p/gig-of-the-week-9125?r=1m5tqo&utm_medium=ios
9 months ago
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On the upcoming return of progressive post-hardcore masters Dazzling Killmen, and why the band has kept me fascinated for 30 years and counting:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/beauty-in-...
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Beauty in Ruin: Why the Dazzling Killmen Reunion Matters
On the return of the band behind 'Face of Collapse,' maybe the most fearsome and advanced post-hardcore record of them all
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/beauty-in-ruin-why-the-dazzling-killmen?utm_source=activity_item
9 months ago
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Many of my most enjoyable NYC live-music experiences in the past few years have one factor in common: Joe Farnsworth -- some thoughts and a new NYT profile:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/joe-farnsw...
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Joe Farnsworth, disciple of swing
A new profile of the indispensable NYC jazz drummer is out now
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/joe-farnsworth-disciple-of-swing
10 months ago
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Quick PSA: No new music released in the past ~15 years has hit me harder emotionally than the output of Patrick Walker, the U.K. singer-songwriter who records under the name 40 Watt Sun. He’s playing a rare NYC solo show at the Meadows on Sat., July 12th, and there are still tix available. (1/2)
11 months ago
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PSA: If you're contacted by anyone on any social media claiming to be me, & promising coverage in exchange for $, this is (obviously!) a scam. Pls report, block, etc. Latest fraudulent account — actively trying to get it deactivated but could take a while
www.tiktok.com/@hank_shteamer
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Hank Shteamer's Creator Profile
https://www.tiktok.com/@hank_shteamer
11 months ago
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I’ll be thinking about the final Ozzy/Sabbath show for a long while, but here’s some of what’s on my mind one day later, after streaming it from start to finish:
open.substack.com/pub/darkforc...
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Ozzy and Black Sabbath's Farewell Show: 10 Thoughts Across 10 Hours
Observations on a historic day for heavy metal
https://open.substack.com/pub/darkforcesswing/p/ozzy-and-black-sabbaths-farewell?r=1m5tqo&utm_medium=ios
11 months ago
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I’ve been a fan of Brandee Younger for a while, so it was an honor to profile her ahead of her new album - which I absolutely love - out Friday:
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/a...
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Brandee Younger Has a New Secret Weapon: Alice Coltrane’s Harp (Gift Article)
The harpist, composer and bandleader plays it on her latest album, “Gadabout Season,” a persuasive argument for the vast potential of her instrument.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/arts/music/brandee-younger-gadabout-season.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OE8.vjFp.t2ZvPfk8LPeP&smid=url-share
12 months ago
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Peter Evans’s Being & Becoming //
@roulettenyc.bsky.social
// Long Play Festival // May 2 Fantastic set. Dense, heady and at times (like here!) extremely hard-grooving. Joel Ross, Nick Joz, Tyshawn Sorey
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about 1 year ago
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Some thoughts on the intergenerational refuge of so-called screamo -- a.k.a., how did all these kids end up at the Saetia show?
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/saetia-is-...
about 1 year ago
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I doubt there’s another writer alive who would think to compare Otis Redding and Keiji Haino. Just one among dozens of reasons why a new Ben Ratliff book is always a gift. ‘Run the Song’ is Ratliff at his most undiluted. Rambling by design (befitting its theme), it’s also startlingly lucid.
about 1 year ago
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A marvelous experience to finally behold one of my greatest drumming heroes live. Absolute poetry; the sound and feel add up to an unmistakable fingerprint. (Damon Che / Yesness / Mercury Lounge, NYC / April 25, 2025)
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about 1 year ago
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Excited to see my name among the 2025 contenders for the Jazz Journalists Association's Robert Palmer–Helen Oakley Dance Award:
jjajazzawards.org/2025-nominee...
. Many of the greatest in the field have won or been nominated in the past, and it's a real honor to be in the running
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2025 Nominees for Journalism & Media
2025 Photo of the Year nomineesThese are the finalist
https://jjajazzawards.org/2025-nominees-for-journalism-media/
about 1 year ago
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One for Jabali, ahead of his great new ECM album, out tmrw
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/a...
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Billy Hart Has One Foot in Jazz’s Past and the Other in Its Future
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/arts/music/billy-hart-jazz-drummer-just.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0E4.lAj5.jwMYMGGL9xSt&smid=url-share
about 1 year ago
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Really enjoyed this one. Captures the chronology and important background context but also, crucially, the spirit of the subject. Made me feel the enormity of his loss all over again and sent me back to the music (lately: ‘Song Sentimentale’) with a fresh appreciation of his singular greatness
over 1 year ago
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One of the best things I've ever read not just on Garth but on the Band, period. Look forward to multiple re-reads. Music writing of this caliber really gives me hope. (Thanks to
@jonbern.bsky.social
for the heads-up.)
add a skeleton here at some point
over 1 year ago
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My 10 favorite albums of 2024, all genres in play:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...
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Best of 2024: Overall top 10
The best of the best, from where I'm sitting
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-2024-overall-top-10
over 1 year ago
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A rundown of my favorite heavy albums (metal, punk, rock, etc.) of 2024:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...
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Best of 2024: The heavy stuff
Metal, punk, rock and more
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-2024-the-heavy-stuff
over 1 year ago
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Part 1 of the customary DFSBP year-end round-up is live on Substack: an expanded version of my 2024 jazz top 10, including 20 more ranked titles plus a bunch of others recommended in the text:
darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...
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Best of 2024: jazz
Top 10, plus 20 (plus)
https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-2024-jazz
over 1 year ago
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Look forward to talking through the year in jazz w/ Nate and Lauren tmrw evening! Dec. 17, 6:30 p.m. Eastern, viewing info below.
add a skeleton here at some point
over 1 year ago
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Had a blast surveying the '90s Chicago underground — from the Vandermark 5 to U.S. Maple, 8 Bold Souls, Shellac and, of course, the Chicago Underground outfit itself... — for Shfl:
theshfl.com/guide/The-90...
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The ’90s Chicago Underground
Read Hank Shteamer on The ’90s Chicago Underground
https://theshfl.com/guide/The-90s-Chicago-Underground
over 1 year ago
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An immense honor to speak to Sonny Rollins for this new interactive feature on “Harlem 1958,” a.k.a. “A Great Day in Harlem”:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
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58 Jazz Musicians Were Photographed for ‘Harlem 1958.' Only One Remains.
Art Kane’s “Harlem 1958” gathered giants of the music. Sonny Rollins, 94, looks back at the historic picture.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/12/09/arts/music/harlem-jazz-sonny-rollins.html
over 1 year ago
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What a career... One of the greatest to ever do it. Check out Nicko announcing his presence here —first track on his first Maiden album — with maximum flair:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOGM...
add a skeleton here at some point
over 1 year ago
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