REVIEW
'Nothing Hard is Ever Easy' for the 14 Jazz Orchestra's Dabon Music CD Debut (REVIEW)
'Chicken Heads: A 50-Year History of Bobby Rush' Gives an American Original a Box (REVIEW)
The 74 songs on the four CDs of Bobby Rush's first comprehensive career overview-in-a-box are sterling reminders that this man has sealed his place in blues and funk history without a whole hell of a lot of people knowing it. 'Chicken Heads: A 50-Year History' (Omnivore) is proof positive that when it comes to slippery greasy deep south funk and the kind of blues that make you want to rip your skin open, Bobby Rush, 80, should be on Mount Rushmore. Southeastern European-Inspired 'Raya' Will Make You Dance [REVIEW]
The difference between New York City's Raya Brass Band and such venerable brass institutions as Rebirth, New Birth and Dirty Dozen is that, for the seven years of its existence, RBB has maintained its Balkan identity. On the self-released 'Raya,' their nine originals in a compact 38:27 let this six-man/11-instrument juggernaut loose so you can get loose on a dance floor.
