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The Philosophy Of Jazz
by Ian Patterson
The Philosophy Of Jazz Kevin Le Gendre 105 Pages ISBN: 978 0 7123 5503 2 British Library 2025 If you had to recommend just one book on jazz history to a neophyte, which would it be? Ted Gioia's The History of Jazz (Oxford University Press, 1997) is rightly regarded as a definitive account, but at nearly 600 pages it may deter readers looking for a lighter introduction. What if ...
Continue ReadingNoah Preminger: Dark Days
by Jack Kenny
Noah Preminger possesses one of the most beautiful tones in jazz, and he knows it. He is not inclined to tarnish that sound--nor should he. It is the product of years of rigorous work. His challenge, rather, lies in his relative youth, in jazz terms. Admired already, Preminger also understands that his best years likely lie ahead. His well-regarded album Ballads (Chill Tone 2025) confirms his lyric gifts, yet it also raises the question: What next? Think of Coltrane--could one ...
Continue ReadingCarl Medsker's Best Jazz Albums Of 2025
by Carl Medsker
Best of 2025? A bold claim, given the fire hose of content from which to drink. In my drafts from the torrent, I discovered many engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking releases. The ones on this list were the most often replayed throughout the year and will remain in rotation into the future. Whether energizing or calming, joyful or somber, intellectually stimulating or simply toe-tapping fun, all were a balm for troubling times. And now, 2026 is upon us, no doubt with ...
Continue ReadingRay Barretto: Together
by C. Andrew Hovan
As of this writing, it has been more than 20 years since we lost the great conguero Ray Barretto. A native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, Barretto was among the first musicians to bring the conga drum into the standard jazz combo. His unmistakable touch can be heard throughout the early 1960s on a string of jazz classics by Lou Donaldson, Red Garland, Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Herbie Mann, and Jimmy Forrest. As the Latin music scene exploded in ...
Continue ReadingMaurizio Zerbo's Favorite Jazz Albums of 2025
by Maurizio Zerbo
2025 will be remembered by critics and jazz fans alike for the exceptional quality and remarkable breadth of its recorded output, driven by polycentric forces and by music not always strictly jazz, yet sharing with the jazz aesthetic its spirit, techniques, and formal approaches. This selection of mine, presented in order of preference, also bears witness to the extraordinary level achieved by Italian jazz, which over the past few decades has earned space, attention, and visibility from institutions ...
Continue ReadingJulius Gawlik: It's All in Your Head
by Nenad Georgievski
When jazz musicians talk about composition, they often mean something closer to architecture--blueprints that guide but do not dictate. Julius Gawlik's debut album takes this idea seriously, treating written material as a starting point rather than a destination. The Berlin-based saxophonist and clarinetist has assembled a quartet that thrives on incompleteness, where sketches become conversations and melodies exist to be challenged. The personnel tells part of the story: drummer Jim Black brings decades of boundary-pushing work, vibraphonist Evi ...
Continue ReadingCharles Tolliver's Music Inc., Late 60's/mid 70's J-Jazz, Roy Brooks Live and More!
by Jon Greenbaum
A generous sampling of J-Jazz from the late '60s through mid-'70s (on the more adventurous end of the continuum) along with some classic cuts from Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, a live loft scene release from Michael Gregory Jackson, something from a Steve Lacy Hat Hut trio date and a few recent releases. Playlist Charles Tolliver Big Band “On the Nile" from Live at the Blue Note (Strata East Records) 00:00 Hiroshi Suzuki / Masahiko TogashiQuintet “Passion" from Variation (Columbia ...
Continue ReadingBill Ware, The Jazz Passengers, Csaba Palotai, Rosa Brunello & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
Here is another dip into the river of new albums, focusing releases (and re-releases) worth holding on to.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 The Jazz Passengers feat. Jeff Buckley “Jolly Street" In Love (Sony Legacy) 0:16 Host talks 7:58 Bill Ware and the Club Bird All Stars “All the Way Down" Martian Sunset (Sunnyside) 9:17 Host talks 15:22 Patricia Brennan “Andromeda" Of the Near and Far (Pyroclastic) 17:00 ...
Continue ReadingShuteen Erdenebaatar & Nils Kugelmann: Quiet Excitement for the Unknown
by Dean Nardi
Under The Same Stars (Motéma Music, 2025) is the second in a trilogy from pianist Shuteen Erdenebaatar, taking inspiration from sun, moon and stars mythology of her Mongolian homeland. The album follows her 2023 quartet debut Rising Sun (also on Motéma) to evoke the vitality, positivity and optimism--a fitting choice for the album's bright sonic landscape. Stars-- representing hope, dreams and destiny-- inspired this duo recording with the German contra-alto clarinet and bassist, Nils Kugelmann. The mystery and emotional depth of the moon ...
Continue ReadingThomas Strønen, Gard Nillsen, Things Of This Nature & Atlas Maior
by Maurice Hogue
Norway is a country that punches way above its weight when it comes to producing excellent jazz musicians, and two of the best drummers from that country have released excellent recordings of late: Thomas Strønen & Time Is A Blind Guide's Off Stillness and Gard Nilssen with an expanded Acoustic Unity, celebrating their tenth anniversary. The contrast between their approaches to drumming, composition and concepts is notable. Speaking of notable, the young quartet, Things Of This Nature, is making a ...
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