Strictly speaking, this probably shouldn't be filed under "jazz," but skip HAS been called the "greatest living jazz guitarist in America" (JazzTimes mag), so it probably will. but it really shouldn't. like the best American music, much of what was made right in the same room where this recording took place has always had a hard time when it comes to classification. same with skip. In our conversations preceding and during the sessions, Skip and I would find ourselves trying to describe the special hold on our imaginations that artists like Charlie Rich, Pops Staples, John Hartford, The Masqueraders (look 'em up), Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Shirley Scott and so many (and yet so few) others have had (all of who rercorded in the same room that skip did when he made this new recording). skip would say things like "atistry always defies explanation." as if he has to explain? Skip Heller is a bad-ass guitar player but to me, calling skip a guitar player, or musician is limiting. he is an artist like Pollack or Picasso, and this record is gonna show you why (and how).
On five consecutive Wednesday nights in November of 2006 Marco Benevento set up shop at the legendary (and now defunct) club Tonic in New York City. Each night featured two… more
Calling Leo Genovese a "pianist" just doesn't do him justice. Even the term "musician" is rather limiting. Sure, he's a great musician and a great jazz pianist but Leo's goals… more
File Under: hard hitting acoustic-jazz-trio taking it to the next level with strings and things (think acoustic mmw//brad meldau///bad plus). montreal's wunder-kid david ryshpan mixes his three piece (piano, bass,… more
File under experimental-groove-driven music that spans the globe but keeps the beat. Mix in improvisation, painstaking programming, melodic sensibility, award-winning poetry and bizarre sound effects are only some of the… more
About the Artist
Time Out New York calls Skip: "an American guitar hero," while All About Jazz calls him a "genius." We just call him whenever-we-want fantabulous music.