Working With Melvin Gibbs Is Like 'Playing With an Aurora' And other takeaways from the reporting of my new Times feature on the bassist's essential new book, 'How Black Music Took Over the World'

When I asked Melvin Gibbs's collaborators to describe him as a player and a thinker, they reached for poetic comparisons drawing from science, nature and myth open.substack.com/pub/darkforc...

How Did Black Music Take Over the World? Let Melvin Gibbs Explain.

Spoke to @melvingibbs.bsky.social about the inspirations for /ramifications of his revelatory new book:

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/a...

Instagram Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.

New weekly jazz listings post is live now. Follow JGI New York and stay tuned! www.instagram.com/p/DU08kRogMz...

Walter Becker lets the mask slip "There is a level of perfection that Donald wants to hear in his music that I ran out of patience to do," Becker says in a candid, never-before-heard interview from 2008.

In 2008, I got to sit down w/ Walter Becker to discuss his then-new solo album, a bunch of Steely Dan odds and ends, and a lot more for Time Out NY. Big thanks to the venerable Expanding Dan Substack for posting the full audio of the chat: expandingdan.substack.com/p/walter-bec...

Hi Alex -- sorry to contact you on this thread, but I'm not able to send you a private message. Can you drop me a DM here or on Instagram (@darkforcesswing)? This is related to Cleve Pozar, who I believe was our mutual friend. Thanks!

Ralph Towner and Sunn O))): Kindred extremes Acoustic intimacy and amplified sonic weight — superficially opposing but spiritually aligned visions of guitar-as-higher-purpose

Ralph Towner and Sunn O))) are polar guitar opposites: the respective epitomes of acoustic intimacy and amplified sonic weight. But where it counts, maybe they’re some strange sort of kindred. darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/ralph-town...

Agree that ppl did not seem as excited about it as they ought to have been! Denison’s playing alone is some of the best rock guitar in recent memory. It’s unquestionably better than Blue IMO and probably better than Shot too.

thanks v much!

Thanks v much, Ron!

130 Tracks of Guitar Per Song? Sunn O))) Is Back, and Going Big.

Had a great time talking with the Sunn O))) guys (and friends) about Seattle lore, recording in the forest and stacking up 180 tracks of guitars: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/a...

Thanks for sharing, Mark

Best of 2025: 25 greatest gigs The live music that made my year

I saw more than 100 live shows this year. Here's a rundown of the 25 most memorable ones: darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...

Best of 2025: New old music Reissues and historical titles ranging from adventurous jazz to progressive punk

A few words on my favorite reissues and historical releases of the year: darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...

Best of 2025: Overall top 10 The new releases that defined my year in listening

Here are my 10 favorite albums of 2025, with a few words on why that's the case: darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...

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Best of 2025: Jazz (on record) The annual top 10 list, plus a bunch more I dug

Extended 2025 jazz list, with 25 additional favorites from the year beyond the top 10: darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/best-of-20...

cheers and thank you!

Co-sign! One of my fave reads of the year

Such a cool and inspiring story

Thanks for a great record!

Cheers, Nate - you spotlighting the Marcus record in particular on Substack def helped to focus my attention on it!

Best Jazz Albums of 2025

2025 jazz top 10:

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/a...

Jabali at 85. Two more sets at Smoke tonight with @ethaniversonpiano.bsky.social, Mark Turner, Ben Street

'Like Trying to Get to Saturn': The Messthetics on Covering Sonny Sharrock's 'Ask the Ages' Ahead of a full-album cover show with frequent collaborator James Brandon Lewis, the genre-blending trio discusses adapting and inhabiting the 1991 avant-jazz classic

New interview with the Messthetics on the humbling and inspiring experience of covering Sonny Sharrock's 'Ask the Ages' in full, which they'll do again on Friday in D.C., along with James Brandon Lewis: darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/like-tryin...

great footage!

Awesome, thx for the heads-up! Big Bill fan but wasn’t aware of this one. Reminds me a bit of of Sonny Sharrock’s sublime ‘Guitar’ LP.

PS: Seeing Bill tmrw for the second time in 10 days 🎉. Last week w/ Orcutt Shelley Miller, Sunday w/ Corsano, opening for Tortoise

congrats on the book, man! Just keeps getting better as it goes

Gig of the Week: 11/17/25 Two spellcasting drummers are playing in town within the coming days, and you should really go see both

This week's drum-centric newsletter, in which I make the case for why Tyshawn Sorey's phenomenal trio (at the Vanguard this week!) are the best band in jazz, and delve into the genius of @jimwhitedrums.bsky.social, who plays TV Eye on Monday: darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/gig-of-the...

amen! Thanks for reading

Amen! Yeah, one of the most creative and inspired rock bands on earth just hiding in plain sight