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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4:43pm

Tue May 21, 2013
Music Reviews

Pat Metheny And John Zorn: A Vivid Sound World

Credit Jimmy Katz / Courtesy of the artist

Guitarist Pat Metheny is revered for his bright, accessible modern jazz. Saxophonist and composer John Zorn is associated with much knottier, often dissonant experiments.

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3:04pm

Mon April 22, 2013
Music Reviews

Dawes' Story Gets A Fine New Chapter

Originally published on Mon April 22, 2013 9:14 pm

Credit Courtesy of the artist

5:30pm

Thu February 28, 2013
Music Reviews

Atoms For Peace: Thom Yorke's Electronic Shadow-World

Originally published on Thu February 28, 2013 7:44 pm

Credit Eliot Lee Hazel / Courtesy of the artist

When singer Thom Yorke stepped away from his influential rock band Radiohead in 2006 to release The Eraser, many thought the quirky electronic project was a one-off. Not so, it turns out. Yorke and producer Nigel Godrich called on rock-star friends for a tour, and since then, the group has convened occasionally in the studio.

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3:45pm

Wed February 13, 2013
Music Reviews

Jim James: On A Spiritual Quest In The Digital Age

Originally published on Wed February 13, 2013 8:44 pm

Credit Neil Krug / Courtesy of the artist

3:46pm

Mon February 4, 2013
Music Reviews

Is Fleetwood Mac's Expanded 'Rumours' A Bit Much?

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 9:29 am

Credit Courtesy of the artist

An expanded version of Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours comes out this week, to mark the 35th anniversary of one of the top-selling albums of the '70s. The deluxe set includes demos, outtakes from the recording sessions, live recordings and a documentary DVD, along with a vinyl pressing of the original album.

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2:27pm

Wed January 30, 2013
Music Reviews

A 1969 Bootleg Unearths Miles Davis' 'Lost' Quintet

Originally published on Wed January 30, 2013 5:18 pm

Credit Courtesy of the artist

After a slew of multidisc sets devoted to key points in the career of Miles Davis, you'd think Columbia Records would have unearthed every speck of consequential music by now. But not quite.

This week, Columbia brings out Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 — a three-CD, one-DVD set devoted to the jazz maverick's "lost" quintet, his touring band from 1969.

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2:13pm

Tue December 11, 2012
Music Reviews

Bruno Mars Goes Anyplace And Everyplace On 'Jukebox'

Originally published on Tue December 11, 2012 8:34 pm

Credit Courtesy of the artist

1:03pm

Tue October 30, 2012
Music Reviews

Neil Young Still Vital On 'Psychedelic Pill'

Originally published on Wed October 31, 2012 11:51 am

2:13pm

Fri October 19, 2012
Music Reviews

Elina Duni: Love, Lust And Albanian Folk Songs

Originally published on Fri October 19, 2012 6:12 pm

The spread of formal jazz education has created a new breed of global musician: one who uses improvisation, and other devices associated with jazz, to transform folk and traditional music. The Albanian singer Elina Duni is part of this rising class. Her latest release, Matane Malit ("Beyond the Mountain"), offers a transfixing balance of old and new.

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3:32pm

Wed August 8, 2012
Music Reviews

Lianne La Havas: A Cool Antidote For Late Summer's Heat

Originally published on Mon November 5, 2012 8:24 am

It's gotten to that point in the dog days of August where the air is stale and nothing seems to be moving. But sometimes all it takes to snap me out of a late-summer heat coma is the sound of a new and electrifying voice — like that of Lianne La Havas.

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