Tag Archives: daveweckl

Bireli Lagrene on Blue Note: Inferno and Foreign Affairs

It’s fair to say that many excellent jazz and jazz/rock guitar players emerged during the 1980s. But arguably none – with the possible exception of Stanley Jordan – made as much of an impact as Bireli Lagrene. He’s hardly a household name but Bireli recorded a few fine fusion albums for Blue Note Records in […]

Essential 1980s Jazz/Rock Albums (Part 2)

Continuing our look at some of the finest jazz/rock albums of the 1980s. You can find part 1 here. Jaco Pastorius: Twins (1982) A classic double album (an edited version was released as Invitation) recorded live in Japan just after the bass pioneer left Weather Report. Jaco’s brand of fusion took in jazz, Cuban, soul […]

Anthony Jackson (1952-2025)

The brilliant Anthony Jackson, who has died aged 73, was a vital part of the early-1970s electric bass revolution, but arguably never got the same attention as contemporaries Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, Bootsy Collins, Louis Johnson and Alphonso Johnson (Chuck Rainey, Steve Swallow and Larry Graham are a bit older). In a music world beset […]

Steve Khan on producing Biréli Lagrène’s Inferno and Foreign Affairs

Blue Note’s mid-’80s resurgence was driven by shrewd management of its established stars and also a willingness to expand into various fusions. Some projects of the era have dated well, others not so well, but Biréli Lagrène’s debut Inferno (1987) and follow-up Foreign Affairs (1988) were successes. It’s fair to say that many excellent jazz […]