Jazz has always been a music of freedom. It allows musicians and listeners alike a wonderful freedom to explore new sounds, to stretch boundaries of expression, and to come together in unimaginable ways. But at times we take our freedoms for granted, and then it's healthy to acquire a bit of perspective.

This month marks the anniversary of the first free elections in South African history, held on April 27, 1994. Those elections, which led to Nelson Mandela's inauguration as President, mean something very special to South Africans--most of whom faced serious obstacles to free expression before that point. Freedom Day, as the national holiday is now known, is indeed a time for the whole world to contemplate and celebrate.

In honor of this event, we've just launched our new South African Jazz site at All About Jazz. We seized this opportunity to look more closely at a country which has delved deep into the jazz tradition since the '20s. International stars like Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim have received their due share of attention--and we're happy to give it to them--but a number of younger jazz musicians are also making giant strides forward. Zim Ngqawana, for example, led a group of 100 performers at Nelson Mandela's inauguration.

We invite you to explore some unfamiliar names, with the knowledge that our coverage represents the cream of the crop of South African jazz. Almost 50 CD reviews appear at AAJ South Africa... along with interviews, essays, and record label profiles. And if you're curious, there's also a heaping portion of cultural and historical background to illuminate the events behind the scenes. You can most certainly expect more to come as this ongoing project continues to bear fruit.

But that's not to say that we've been idle on other fronts.

In our continuing effort to make All About Jazz as friendly and interactive as possible, we've made several improvements in the way we publish CD reviews. With our new system, new reviews appear online on an ongoing basis, rather than once a month. This means that you, the reader, have immediate access to this material. The new reviews can be sorted by artist, title, record label, or any other way you'd like to see them organized. Each review has a snappy new look--with cover art, personnel, and track listings arranged neatly on the page. Want to print a review? No problem--we have a printer-friendly version available. And you now have the ability to rapidly search through our (enormous) database of reviews to find exactly what you're looking for. In other words: freedom of choice.

In case you're curious about what else in on the plate this April, we have a baker's dozen of interviews, featuring updates from big stars like Kenny Garrett and Dave Douglas--along with up-and-comers like Adam Rogers and Guillermo E. Brown (who both just recorded their debut records as leader). Feast on those interviews now, because we'll be serving up a fresh portion in the near future.

We've been busy both here at home and around the world this month. It all comes down to a matter of perspective in the end. There are a lot of people out there creating beautiful music, and not nearly enough time to cover them all. So we try to focus on the scenes that matter, and the ones that provide fertile ground for new growth.

And maybe you'll develop a new point of view.