Author: Alec Sugar
-
Indofunk’s Raga Jazz Jam
When a sitar weaves around a sax solo that’s handed off to a sliding trumpet, you’ve entered the realm of Indofunk. Named for his signature musical style, Indofunk plays the firebird trumpet, a 3-valved trumpet equipped with a trombone-like slide. He hosted an open Raga Jazz Jam at the Fifth Hammer Brewing Co’s Brewside Lounge… Read more
-
Back to the Futurism: Kraftwerk @ King’s Theatre, Brooklyn, 3/13/25
Man-machine, computer-love, dance music played to a sold out theater of seated adults, a song called “Musique Non Stop” immediately before the concert stops… Kraftwerk juxtaposes unlikely concepts with infectious rhythm, mesmerizing colors and anachronistic techno-optimism. German quartet Kraftwerk pioneered electronic music starting in 1970. Their music has inspired nearly everyone making electronica or techno… Read more
-
Becoming Led Zeppelin: Classic Rock on the Big Screen
“Mine’s a tale that can’t be told, my freedom I hold dearHow years ago in days of old, when magic filled the air‘Twas in the darkest depths of Mordor, I met a girl so fairBut Gollum and the Evil One crept up and slipped away with her“ The famous lyrics to “Ramble On” epitomize the… Read more
-
Fifth Hammer Brewing Serves Up Hoppy Jazz
It’s not every night that a rubber chicken squawks in the middle of a drum solo, but anything goes when jazz bubbles in a casual setting. Long Island City’s Fifth Hammer Brewing Co offers live music in the Brewside Lounge as eclectic as the beer selection. Wednesdays see brewery owner Chris Cuzme trade in his… Read more
-
16 Songs that Tell the Story of Miles Davis
The name Miles Davis is synonymous with cool, creative and visionary. If you’re only familiar in passing, you might wonder why. Miles made a name with his emotive yet un-frilled trumpet sound, but he was more like the conductor of an orchestra than the lead singer of a band. His remarkable ability to bring the… Read more
-
4th Time Around the Wood: Bob Dylan & The Beatles
What’s the earliest music you can remember liking? 3-year-old me was often found listening to my parents’ Beatles records, headphones strapped on and a quiet smile across my face. It was around the same age that I memorized the lyrics to the Traveling Wilburys’ “Tweeter and the Monkey Man” and became a Bob Dylan fan.… Read more
-
75 Dollar Bill & BASIC @ The Sultan Room, Brooklyn, 12/4/24
I found myself on a recent evening amongst a ragged assembly of bespectacled geeks in a place called The Sultan Room. The centerpiece was a sunken ovular dancefloor with a backdrop of angular light panels evoking the futuristic situation room of a 70s sci-fi. The Sultan Room is entered through a sidedoor of the Turk’s… Read more
-
Beat Round 2: Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, 12/8/24
I had the privilege to see Beat a 2nd time last Sunday. I reviewed the first NYC show in a lengthy and detailed post, so I’ll limit these remarks to some brief observations, fun anecdotes and beautiful photos. As a micro-refresher: Beat is the music of progressive rock band King Crimson performed by Crimson alumni… Read more
-
Lost Seinfeld Scene – Kramer Gets Tickets to Beat
I’m going to another Beat show this weekend, and feel even more enthusiastic about it than Kramer does. INT. JERRY’S APARTMENT – DAY (Jerry is sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine. George is at the kitchen counter, picking at a bowl of cereal. Elaine is at the table reading a newspaper. Kramer bursts… Read more
-
Joe Martin Quartet @ The Village Vanguard, NYC, 11/24/24
Joe Martin looked hip enough to be leading an indie rock band, but he’s a serious jazzman. The audience seemed animated enough it could’ve been a rock concert, but they were there for the jazz. As sax player Mark Turner quietly blew some warm up notes and looked down at his horn dissatisfied, Martin spoke… Read more