My newest column for Popdose.com is titled, “Dr. Flügel, or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Chuck Mangione.” Here’s the first paragraph:

The first album I ever bought with my own money (earned, I think, by babysitting for one of the neighborhood kids) was a two-cassette version of Chuck Mangione’s 1978 concert recording An Evening Of Magic: Live At The Hollywood Bowl. This album, if you’ll forgive my salty language, kicks ass.

You can read the rest at Popdose.com.

My latest “Jazz Don’t Hurt” column for Popdose.com takes a look at jazz musicians who’ve taken a political or social stand with their music. From Billie Holiday and Max Roach to Chris Washburne and Vijay Iyer, the essay offers a brief overview of 50 years of political jazz. Here ’tis: Taking A Stand With ‘Conscious Jazz’.

My newest column for Popdose.com is an exploration of three Joni Mitchell albums from the late 70s — Hejira, Mingus, and Shadows and Light. The piece looks at Mitchell’s use of both jazz musicians and jazz language on these recordings.

Read the article: Joni Mitchell, Jazz Musician

My new piece for the online pop culture journal Popdose.com is a review of the terrifyingly beautiful new CD from saxophonist Darius Jones. It’s called Man’ish Boy, and it comes out on October 13 on the AUM Fidelity label.

• Popdose.com: The Blazing Fire Of A Man’ish Boy

Here’s a video of Darius Jones with Cooper-Moore on diddley-bow, Michael Hardin on keyboard and Cleve Pozar on drums. Cooper-Moore is on Jones’ new CD.