There are more than 1,500 jazz, blues, folk, international and rock album reviews here. The intent is to help you make an informed decision before spending your hard-earned coin.

Don't view this as a list of recommendations. There are some real dogs in here, but those should be clear by the review!

A little bit about this page: I've been reviewing albums since the mid-1980s – taking in every style from classical to bluegrass, metal to electronica. But the emphasis has been on jazz and blues the past 30 years, so there are more albums from those styles reviewed than the others. And most are linked to Amazon.com, where you can hear audio samples.

Am I an expert? Nah – just someone lucky enough to have had the opportunity to listen to some great music through the years. I've tried to write honestly and to describe the music on each album so that even if your taste is different from mine, you'll still be able to learn something from the review. I did study violin, piano, guitar and even trumpet as a kid; so I have enough theory to be able to know a little bit about what the musicians are doing. But that doesn't make me an expert.

• By style
• Year issued
• Where reviewed (publication)
• San Diego bands
• A-Z, by band
• A-Z, by album