Jon Bonson

Two of the most memorable albums from the trip-hop and acid jazz era are by cornettist Graham Haynes (Transition) and trumpeter Ben Neill (Goldbug). Dressing for Pleasure preceeded them both. Usually, an adjective like "suave" doesn't sit easily on an ethnomusicologist whose knack for directness is grounded by his sense of beauty; neither does a label like "acid jazz." But this is Hassell's only album to fit its musical moment, following his appearance on the soundtrack of the crime film Trespass. The feel of a fully committed band is especially amazing – Hassell and drummer Brain work with an army of bassists (six, including Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and enough programmers (three) to field a dot com startup on a coffee break. Hassell's horn flits through a sexy blend of trip-hop's hard drum programs topped with soft, impassive electronic textures like a bird circling over a crowded intersection. Woodwind player Kenny Garrett and guitarist Gregg Arreguin provide thematic voices, too, but melody is rarely enough in this genre.

The soundtrack feature the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the music of Jon Batiste and features a duet performance of the 1960's Soul classic "It's All Right" (originally by The Impressions) by Celeste and Batiste. Disney and Pixar’s feature film “Soul” introduces Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher with a serious passion for jazz music. The story is particularly relatable to the artists behind it. For Jamie Foxx, who lends his voice to Joe, it begins with jazz. “Like Joe, I hear music in everything,” said Foxx. “When you’re a jazz artist, man, you talk a little different: ‘Hey, cat!’ I got a chance to go to a few jazz fests and meet Herbie Hancock, Chick Correa—hang out with those guys. They have a way of talking, a way of dressing—everything funnels toward their music, toward the jazz."

Music For Psychedelic Therapy carves a new path for Jon Hopkins sonically and philosophically as a follow up to 2018's Grammy nominated Singularity. Enveloping Hopkins' journeys across geographical and cosmological spectrums, the album is an inimitable and all-embodying journey in and of itself. It's a richly rewarding and personal listening experience; one highly recommends indulging in without distraction.

This disc by Yes frontman Jon Anderson and Greek keyboard wizard Vangelis is a compilation of songs from various releases they recorded together over the years. It presents a very entertaining collection of material and a great introduction to their progish, electronically oriented musical creations. Of course, the central selling point to many will be the inclusion of the duo's one hit, "Friends of Mr. Cairo." That piece, a tribute to film noir, is a wonderful piece, and truly befitting of being a highlight. However, there are plenty of other strong songs here as well.

London-based singer-songwriter, Jon Allen releases his fifth studio album, '…meanwhile' available May 21st, 2021 on OK!Good Records. The perfect blend of Jon's acclaimed output as a songwriter the new album is very much a product of the times we're living in with introspective and emotional lyrics.

This double-disc set assembles Jon Anderson's own tapes from the New Life Band Song of Seven tour of 1980 on their Sheffield stop (December 3 for those who document such things). The nonet band includes Morris Pert, Ronnie Leahy, Lee Davidson, Jo Partridge, and Barry DeSouza…

English singer-songwriter Jon Allen follows up Dead Man’s Suit and Sweet Defeat with his third album, Deep River. The most immediately arresting thing about Jon Allen is his voice, which we can only imagine he has acquired from a Bluesman after beating him in a game of cards in a bar somewhere in New Orleans. Allen’s haunting voice, which sends shivers down the spine, conveys pathos, pain and wisdom in equal measure. If he sang the phone book it would sound profound. Thankfully, Allen has no recourse to such banality, and he has once again assembled a strong collection of thoughtful and striking songs. Deep River, as even the name suggests, has strong blues roots, and the occasional strains of the harmonica shores up the conjured illusion of a wander across the American south.