All About Jazz — For years, James Taylor has been covering many of his favorite songs from the 1950s and 1960s during soundchecks before his concerts. This past September, he released some of them on Covers, a collection of twelve classic tracks he recorded at his Ma... more info

Pitchfork — Bandleader, producer, studio owner, and Jamaican musical icon Byron Lee passed away November 4 after a battle with cancer, according to a post on his website. [Via Tiny Mix Tapes.] He was 73. Lee formed his famed band the Dragonaires in 1957 and kept... more info

JamBase — MerleFest 2009 :: April 23-26 :: Wilkesboro, NC MerleFest 2009 is set to go down on April 23-26 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC. Ready to celebrate its 22nd year, the following artists will join host Doc Watson for a wee... more info

All About Jazz — REHOBOTH BEACH -- When you consider taking in performances from Joe Piscopo, Charlie Thomas' Drifters and The Neville Brothers, you may anticipate quite a drive. But that's not the case. Every year, the Rehoboth Beach Autumn Jazz Festival, to be hel... more info

Soul Sides — I've been reading Jerry Wexler's excellent, engrossing - but alas, out of print - autobiography, Rhythm and the Blues since I wanted to learn more about his life (catalyzed to do so by his death). Wexler talks about one of his protegés, Bert Berns... more info

Reuters — DETROIT (Billboard) - Cover songs are hardly foreign to James Taylor's repertoire. In fact, the veteran troubadour's top 40 roster is populated with his distinctive versions of such songs as Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," the D... more info