When guitarist James Blood Ulmer passed away on June 3, many tributes noted Hank Marr's Sounds From The Marr-Ket Place as his recording debut. Beyond that, however, remarkably little is known for certain about what may be Hank Marr's finest album. The personnel remain uncredited and the accepted recording date doesn't hold up particularly well under scrutiny. Hank Marr Sounds From The Marr-Ket Place King Records – 1025 1968 Several years ago, I reached out to Ulmer through Facebook Messenger...

The fellow passengers aboard the Columbus Transit Company bus headed toward West Mound Street and Jets Stadium in 1955 may or may not have realized they were witnessing the beginning of a friendship that would help shape jazz history. Roland Kirk was already something of a local prodigy. Todd Barkan was a young pianist and devoted jazz fan. Their chance meeting that day forged a bond that would last a lifetime and leave an indelible mark on both of their careers. Rahsaan Roland Kirk Bright...

For a certain generation of musicians, Motown wasn’t just a label. It was the destination. For Columbus producer and saxophonist Chris Powell, signing with Motown had been the dream since childhood. By the time that dream became reality in 1984, he’d already traveled a path that most musicians would have considered a successful career in itself: his earlier band Nytro had signed with legendary songwriter/producer Norman Whitfield in the late 1970s, he had toured with Rick James and Teena...