Boston, Massachusetts trumpeter Eric Dahlman has had quite a varied career. Besides playing alongside late free jazz musician Hal Russell and his NRG Ensemble, Dahlman’s also performed with The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, The Travis Chandler Philharmonic, Auddity, The Calypso Invaders, Little Mystery, and others. Dahlman has also forged a solo career for himself, having released two albums to date, 2007’s Ripped Echo and 2016's Glacier. Glacier is a vast canvas of aural paintings featuring ambient collages, chants, and sound effects, tied together by haunting meditative and often experimental jazz. It’s at times slow and chilling, like its namesake, at others, warm and spiritual in nature. Alth
Edgar Froese, the leader, and heart and soul of the band Tangerine Dream passed away on January 20th, 2015, just over two years ago. I wrote this short bit following just a few days after his passing, and today Facebook brought it up as a 'memory' for me. Reading it again, it reminded me of how much his death affected me, because Tangerine Dream's music meant so much to me growing up. The album Exit was the first Tangerine Dream I ever heard. I was 16 years old in 1981 and had just started doing a radio show that summer at the university radio station. Exit came into our new release bin in September, this mysterious slab of vinyl by a band I had never heard of before. I pulled it out and was
Unfortunately, I received Astro Al’s latest album, Aliens Abducted My Christmas Tree, a little too late to review it before Christmas. But it’s not too early to get ready for next Christmas, is it? This is definitely not your typical Christmas album though. This is classic Astro Al, with all the weird music, all the whacky and twisted stories, and all the loopiness you would expect if you were familiar with Astro Al’s music. (If you aren’t, you should be!) Hailing from the US, Astro Al is the duo of Paul Angelosanto (voice, vocals, samples, synths, loops, laptop, lead stooge) and Debbie Nash (vocals, voice, guitar, mandolin, saz, synths, samples, laptop, lead witchy woman), along with freque
There were so many great albums released this year, that this was a really tough list to make. I started with a list of over 100 and pared it down from there. If you don't see your album on this list, it doesn't mean that I didn't love it! A happy psychedelic new year to you all! Here's looking forward to lots of great music in 2017! 25. Tarot - Reflections Solid 1970's proto prog/psych vibes from this Australian band. 24. Farflung - 5 The legendary US space rockers return with another stellar album of heavy duty tunes. 23. Cirrus Bay - Places Unseen Influenced by 1970's prog band Renaissance, but forging ahead with their own sound. 22. Mondo Drag - The Occultation of Light Yet another great
