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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3:10pm

Mon June 25, 2012
Music Reviews

A Posthumous Masterpiece Adds To E.S.T.'s Legacy

Originally published on Wed June 27, 2012 9:51 am

When the pianist Esbjorn Svensson died in a scuba accident in 2008, many fans of his group, the Swedish trio known as E.S.T., wondered if there might be some unreleased experiments lurking in a studio vault. There were. Just out is a disc called 301, which was recorded in 2008 during sessions for the group's final album.

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3:01pm

Thu May 31, 2012
Music Reviews

Melody Gardot Aims For The Space Between Notes

Originally published on Sat June 9, 2012 11:39 am

The other day, I had a conversation with Melody Gardot about space. Not outer space, but the space between notes in her music. These days, there's lots of it.

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2:10pm

Tue April 3, 2012
Music Reviews

Dr. John: Swamp Grooves From The Bayou Underworld

Originally published on Wed April 4, 2012 9:41 am

Credit Alysse Gafkjen

Right now, Dan Auerbach is living a rock-star moment, with his hard-hitting blues-rock duo The Black Keys selling out arenas all over the country. Lots of people want him on their records. So what does he do? He seeks out the 71-year-old Dr.

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4:16pm

Mon March 12, 2012
Music Reviews

Review: Two New Perspectives On Jazz, Gospel

Critic Tom Moon reviews two contrasting perspectives on the intersection of jazz and gospel music. Multi-instrumentalist Don Byron has just released "Love, Peace and Soul" featuring his New Gospel Quintet. Also out is a set of duets between the late pianist Hank Jones and bassist Charlie Haden, titled "Come Sunday." Moon says the two projects reimagine old-time religious tunes in surprisingly different ways.

2:24pm

Mon March 12, 2012
Music Reviews

Gospel Meets Jazz, With Unpredictable Results

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