When I was starting my exploration of jazz about eight or so years ago, Hank Jones was one of the first musicians I gravitated toward.  By complete chance I was listening to a local jazz radio station and heard a studio version of one of his original compositions, "Interface", and made it my mission to hear more from the man who had written such a wonderful song. Although I never did track down that album (The Oracle, long out of print), I did ... Read on, Daddy-O

Growing up in the '80s, my musical universe basically consisted of three bands - Kiss, Iron Maiden, and everyone else (Rush became the third member of the holy trinity of music closer to high school, but that's another topic). Sadly, somehow I never made it to see either band during their accepted prime periods (I was way too young to have seen mid-'70s Kiss and just barely too young to have caught mid-'80s Maiden). In the case of Kiss, that was rectified ... Read on, Daddy-O

Other than perhaps Guns N' Roses, few current rock groups routinely test the patience of their fans more than Stone Temple Pilots. I'm not going to call out any one band member as being to blame for this, but I can tell you that his name rhymes with Scott Weiland. As the capacity crowd last night at the PNC Bank Arts Center waited for what seemed like forever (and actually turned out to be about 90 minutes) for STP to emerge after ... Read on, Daddy-O

Being an Ace Frehley fan is not without its frustrations. His last studio album, Trouble Walkin', was released nearly 19 years ago and relatively little had been seen or heard from him since he left Kiss (again) in early 2002. What he's been up to during the last 6 years - other than recording a yet-to-be released solo album and rocking executive meetings across America - is anyone's guess, so it came as a pretty big surprise late last year ... Read on, Daddy-O

So this is pretty cool - a recent Foo Fighters show in Toronto was elevated to legendary status thanks to a guest appearance from two-thirds of Rush.  Witness "YYZ" with Taylor Hawkins, Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson... [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1Ramu397UQ[/youtube] Read on, Daddy-O

It was quite a big weekend for the Bad Plus – in addition to a two-night stand at Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia, the Midwest-based jazz trio made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on Friday. I caught them for the early set on Saturday (the 2nd night), and if there was any post-Conan letdown it was not apparent. The band played a tight set that showcased their strengths – chops, melody, and humor. Read on, Daddy-O

Listening to Robert Glasper's albums is a good way to appreciate the Brooklyn-based pianist's incredible talent for performing and composing. An even better way is to catch one of his live performances, such as Friday night's concert at the 360-seat Berlind Theatre, located on the campus of Princeton University. Glasper's trio (with bassist Vicente Archer and new drummer Chris Dave) performed as a single organism, deftly playing off each other over the course of their set. While Archer is a solid (although not ... Read on, Daddy-O

I'll admit up front that I'm not what you would call an überfan of Cold War Kids. I first heard their debut LP, Robbers & Cowards, about six months ago and have dug it ever since. I whiffed on a chance to see the band earlier this year, so I was definitely looking forward to last night's concert at the venue now known as Fillmore at the TLA. So we (me, Mrs. Suit, Jeff and Sara) loaded up the trusty ... Read on, Daddy-O

So much for snappy titles. Anyway, I made the trek to Giants Stadium on Sunday to catch the Police in the midst of their "Backing up the Brinks Truck 07/08" world tour. Mrs. Suit and I met up with our bestest buds Thom/Mrs. Thom and mizerychik/mizerydude and had a grand old time. Rather than spend the next six or seven paragraphs opining on the evening I will just say that it was indeed an awesome show and well worth ... Read on, Daddy-O

Well the gods truly smiled on me today. After getting denied on Police tickets for MSG, I managed to score them for their August date at Giants Stadium! Of course it's pretty far back, so I hope security lets me in with my binoculars, cotton balls (for nosebleeds), and Miracle Ear hearing aid. Read on, Daddy-O