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Crooked Still: Friends of Fall (MP3) November 7, 2011 by Stuart Mason Photo by Dan Tappan Friends of Fall East Coast alt-bluegrass band Crooked Still is in the middle of their 10th Anniversary Tour, currently on the West Coast and heading south. (I’m planning to attend their show this Friday in Arroyo Grande.) Their new 7-song EP titled Friends of Fall was released October 11th on Signature Sounds.  Since their early days, the kids have wandered a bit from the traditional pieces that... Read Full Story

Rita Hosking: Burn (MP3) December 11, 2011 by Stuart Mason Rita Hosking. Courtesy Rik Keller Photography It makes old Fiddlefreak proud that his adopted home state can produce an artist of this caliber. Rita Hosking is a singer-songwriter from Northern California whose music falls into a very sweet spot: nestled comfortably between folk, country, and bluegrass (previously reviewed here ). Her new record Burn expands and builds upon previous releases by adding a little more rock swagger... Read Full Story

It was announced today that Diana Krall and Chris Botti will headline this year’s Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival. The festival, which is celebrating its 35 th anniversary this year, is one of the most celebrated and longest running jazz festivals in the country. The festival will be held June 30 to July 1 this year at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). In all, more than 20 artists will play this year’s festival, and other notable names appearing are Esperanza Spalding, Trombone... Read Full Story

After an extensive tour for their collaborative album Watch the Throne kept them on the road for the majority of the end of last year, Kanye West and Jay-Z have announced that now they’ll be taking the show to Europe. The European leg of the Watch the Throne Tour will begin on May 20 at the O2 Arena in London. In all, the duo currently is scheduled to play 12 shows on the tour, which will wrap up in Birmingham, UK on June 13. The group also will play Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden... Read Full Story

Well, even though we were teased by L.A. Reid’s tweet a few weeks ago that we could expect a new Fiona Apple record in a “few weeks,” it looks like we will officially be getting some new Apple tour dates. An Epic Records spokesperson said that Reid’s tweets were taken out of context, but that a new Apple album will be released later this year. But onto more certain details… the singer-songwriter will be playing at least seven shows this year, which will be her first tour dates in five... Read Full Story

Rick Diamond, Getty Images Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium may be among the oldest venues for country music, but the theme there on Monday night (Feb. 20) was nothing but new. The Band Perry broke in the Mother Church of Country Music’s recently replaced stage with a slew of their latest tunes during the sold-out Music City stop of their Purveyors of Performance tour. The sibling trio kicked off the show, which lead singer Kimberly Perry called a “musical narrative,” with two new songs, ‘End... Read Full Story

Schmidt Relations Shhhh, don’t tell Carrie Underwood ‘s record label, but the country superstar is leaking her own new single! Well, at least a taste of it. The blond beauty shares with fans this home video (below) shot in a Nashville recording studio on what was her last day of working on her upcoming fourth studio album. The project doesn’t have an official title yet, but we do know that the first single is called ‘Good Girl.’ And watching this video, we now know that the new tune is... Read Full Story

By IAN PATTERSON, Ian Patterson Senior Contributor – Since 2006 Ian is dedicated to the promotion of jazz all over the world and to catching just a little piece of it for himself. 297 articles published | Recent: Steve Coleman: Symbols and Language Ron Cole Trio: Vientiane, Laos, January 21, 2012 When the Sky Cries Rainbows Contentment Never Odd or EveN Published: February 20, 2012 “ Music is mainly a form of communication. If I was... Read Full Story

By DOM MINASI, Dom Minasi To describe him (Dom Minasi) adequately, one would need a new vocabulary…(just as) he is creating a new vocabulary on the guitar. 2 articles published | Recent: What’s The Point, Part 2 What’s The Point, Part 1 Published: February 21, 2012 This is the second entry for my new column at All About Jazz. I actually published What’s The Point? in my own blog in January 2012. All About Jazz asked if I would be interested in writing for them... Read Full Story

By DANIEL LEHNER, Daniel Lehner Contributor – Since 2010 Slide-worker’s apprentice 19 articles published | Recent: Amir ElSaffar: At Two Rivers’ Confluence NYC Winter Jazzfest, Day 2: January 7, 2012 NYC Winter Jazzfest, Day 1: January 6, 2012 Erica Seguine / Shannon Baker Jazz Orchestra: New York,… Chris Combs: Jacob Fred’s Tulsa Tale Published: February 21, 2012 “ Now jazz is not just an American art form. Eventually we’re going to... Read Full Story