Mark Towns

In jazz, the list of true living legends is not long. But if you ask any fan or critic to rattle off a list, Herbie Hancock would be at or near the top of any of them. A pianist's pianist, Hancock first gained prominence as a member of Miles Davis's...

An envious Herbie Hancock once joked that he wanted to break his more skilled rival Gonzalo Rubalcaba's fingers, or at the very least, encase them in cement. But while Hancock's brand of jazz has reaped millions by being accessible to a wide audience (there's something to say for having melodies...

There are more than a few flamenco purists out there who have stopped just short of demanding the head of Ottmar Liebert on a silver platter. It's out of jealousy, of course. Liebert, after all, has done a remarkable job of taking the musical essence of Santa Fe, New Mexico,...

Dallas guitarist Smokin' Joe Kubek was playing obscure, backroom blues circuit gigs before he could qualify for a driver's license. A few years later, the '70s reared its ugly head long enough for the musician to flirt with hard rock. But Zeppelin and Foghat aside, Kubek came to realize that...

It wasn't by accident that youth figured so prominently in this year's Houston Press Music Awards. An overhaul of the nominating committee to include a younger segment of nominators slightly more on the fringe -- not to mention the addition of a Best Underground category -- ensured that almost as...