Authors and critics might be correct when they write off Detroit-area saxophone player Steve Mackay as simply a sideman to the Iggy Pop-led Stooges in the early ’70s, but doing so sadly undervalues the importance of his contributions. Hired hand or not, any musician would want to be involved in making a musical masterwork. Continue reading
It’s a cliché that a genius’ work is often only recognized after death, but this will surely be the case when history renders its final assessment of maverick jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman. His life’s work was anything but a worn-out cliché. Continue reading
Jazz double bassist Charlie Haden modeled another pathway to upending the established musical order: the role of the insurgent. Playing for years behind many of music’s most overt sonic mavericks, Haden unassumingly did much to break down barriers separating genres and styles. Continue reading
Soundbytes Music Column 