Tom Moon
Tom Moon has been writing about pop, rock, jazz, blues, hip-hop and the music of the world since 1983.
He is the author of the New York Times bestseller 1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die (Workman Publishing), and a contributor to other books including The Final Four of Everything.
A saxophonist whose professional credits include stints on cruise ships and several tours with the Maynard Ferguson orchestra, Moon served as music critic at the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1988 until 2004. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ, Blender, Spin, Vibe, Harp and other publications, and has won several awards, including two ASCAP-Deems Taylor Music Journalism awards. He has contributed to NPR's All Things Considered since 1996.
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Jeff Beck, know as a "guitarist's guitarist," had contracted bacterial meningitis. Beck first came to prominence playing in The Yardbirds, where he replaced Eric Clapton.
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Nearly half of the Philadelphia-based pianist's recorded work had gone unheard for decades, until now.
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There was an avalanche of reissues and vault rediscoveries, across all genres and all eras. Each promises edification, but also flat-out thrilling listening.
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Wolman was the gifted eye behind countless iconic photographs of legendary artists, including Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Miles Davis and Johnny Cash, and the tumult of the first Woodstock.
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Dylan's latest single, "False Prophet," sits in the same tempo and key as Billy "The Kid" Emerson's 1954 B-side, "If Lovin' Is Believing."
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Kassa Overall calls himself a "backpack jazz producer": a combination of jazz musician, rapper and bedroom producer. His latest album captures the evolving sound of hip-hop/jazz fusion.
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A consistent force in jazz guitar since 1976, Metheny continues to search for new ground on his latest album, which he calls a "culmination."
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Kevin Parker's fourth album as the leader of Australian rock band Tame Impala comes after a five-year gap. It's music that comes wrapped in its own bubble, far from the cascading miseries on the news.
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Before Nat King Cole became known for his velvety singing voice, he was a pianist working nightly gigs to hone his craft.
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It's not easy to see that history is being made when it's happening right in front of you — just ask the critics tasked with assessing these classic, ahead-of-their-time recordings.