The prolific rapper and mentor recorded a song the day he got out of federal prison this May — and he's put out 10 projects this year. His secret? "Don't never drop your head," he says.
"It was always difficult for us to find the time to stop writing new songs and look at old songs," Welch says. The 20th anniversary of her debut gave them that opportunity this year.
More love songs should sound like a vintage Dodge Charger slamming into a brick wall. In "The King's Wig," the Sacramento noise-punk band channels the chaotic scuzz of Spazz with ramming speed.
Jazz critic Francis Davis says veteran musicians — particularly Wadada Leo Smith and Henry Threadgill — are making some of the most adventurous music of their careers.