Jazz Articles
Our daily articles are carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. You can find more articles by searching our website, see what's trending on our popular articles page or read articles ahead of their published dates on our Coming Soon page. Read our daily album reviews.
Sign in to customize your My Articles page —or— Filter Article Results
Kerry Politzer: Alternate Route
by Dan McClenaghan
A first impression as pianist Kerry Politzer's ninth album spins: This is an artist adept at bringing a band together for a one-day studio outing to play a bunch of her forward-leaning compositions to turn out a vibrant, crisp-sounding set. Obvious also, on tune # 1--"Before It's Too Late"--is that guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has a special genius for pairings with pianists. He proved that with his contribution to Jo-Yu Chen's Stranger (Okeh Records, 2014), and he is in the mix ...
Continue ReadingBreath Without End: The Trumpeter Who Found Faith and Never Died
Concept by Richard J Salvucci | Written by AI
For most of his life, Samuel Calder believed in only two things: breath and brass. Faith, eternity, and the unseen were abstractions best left to philosophers and preachers. What mattered was the pressure of air through the lungs, the resistance of metal against the lips, and the fleeting perfection of a note played exactly right. Samuel Calder was a trumpet player. He had been a good one, too--never famous, never forgotten. For four decades he played ...
Continue ReadingSophie Agnel / Michael Zerang: Draw Bridge
by John Sharpe
Draw Bridge showcases yet another unlikely but rewarding product of the well-trodden thoroughfare between France and Chicago. Under the aegis of the Transatlantic Bridge initiative, now in its 12th year, pianist Sophie Agnel enters the studio with percussionist Michael Zerang for a series of nine collective duets. The pair traffics in a unconventional language wrested from prepared piano and an augmented drum kit, a music that intrigues as much as it unsettles. Agnel's dissatisfaction with the limitations of ...
Continue ReadingGlenn Astarita's Best Jazz Albums Of 2025
by Glenn Astarita
Another year, another reminder that jazz refuses to stay in its lane. The ten albums that grabbed me most in 2025 don't follow any neat narrative or trend-- they're just the records I kept coming back to, the ones that made me hit repeat or sit up and pay closer attention. Some are from veterans who still have plenty to say, others from artists I'm just discovering. A few feel like natural progressions, while others surprised me in ways I'm ...
Continue ReadingDuke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Les Elgart & Jonah Jones
by Joe Dimino
For our final broadcast of 2025, we crack open the vinyl vault and let the turntable speak. Episode 940 of Neon Jazz kicks off in style with The Jonah Jones Quartet, spinning a gem from the 1958 classic Swinging at the Cinema. From there, we take a deep, joyful stroll through jazz history--drawing from the timeless sounds of Larry Clinton, Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, Helen O'Connell, Gerry Mulligan, Hal Kemp, Les Elgar, Buddy Morrow, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, ...
Continue ReadingSinsuki Fujieda Group: Fukushima
by Don Phipps
Sinsuke Fujieda's straightforward jazz album Fukushima offers up some enjoyable and tantalizing moments but ultimately suffers from repetitive arrangements and the limited range of his side musicians. Jazz is a music that rewards experimentation and adventure, but on Fujieda's nine compositions, he and his band stick with a “been there, done that" approach that by the album's end seems threadbare. Fujieda plays tenor and soprano saxophones, flute and clarinet. His explorations on the four instruments reveal a professional ...
Continue ReadingBest of 2025-The Outernet, garaj Mahal, Varun Das, Grand Discovery, Commodore
by Len Davis
The best of 2025 and new releases. Pure Fusion and Jazz Rock with The Outernet from Melbourne, to Japan's dynamic Jizue, this collection brings together an exceptional lineup of global talent. LA-based guitarist Max Walker and New York drummer Varun Das deliver precision and power with fine jazz-rock interplay, joined by Nashville's Mr. Mayo for a touch of Southern sophistication. The Haas Company features the virtuosic Frank Gambale on guitar, while Finland's Grand Discovery teams up with Brazilian guitarist Andre ...
Continue Reading2025 Releases from Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Frank Gratkwski, Chad Taylor and more!
by Jon Greenbaum
Host Jon Greenbaum focuses on new and recent releases in this survey of artists exploring the boundaries of improvisation and composition.PlaylistFrank Gratkowski “Wie Lieblich Schallt" from Frank Gratkowski's In Cahoots (Klanggalerie) 00:00:00 André Carvalho “Dente de Leite" from Of Fragility and Impermanence (Robalo Music) 00:08:02 Wadada Leo Smith Marcus Gilmore and Jakob Bro “Sonic Mountains" from Murasaki (Loveland Music) 00:16:05 Brad Henkel Quartet “Overstory" from Overstory (Trouble in the East) 00:22:17 Ingebrigt Håker Flaten Exit Knarr “Kanón (for ...
Continue ReadingDavid Bruggink's Best Jazz Albums of 2025
by David Bruggink
In a tumultuous year, these albums provided a shelter in the storm, with no shortage of intriguing stylistic directions and cross-pollinations. New directions in post-minimalism mingled with reimaginings of folk songs; chamber music crossed paths with modern classical and cool jazz. Stories Of life Triosence Sony Music Ce Qui Tourne Dans L'Air Sébastien Sauvageau Ronin Rhythm Records
Continue ReadingDan Bruce: The Architects
by Kyle Simpler
Sometimes, an in-the-pocket groove is just what the doctor ordered, and guitarist Dan Bruce delivers with The Architects. The album marks the debut of Ohm!, a power trio led by Bruce alongside bassist Jordan McBride and drummer Gabe Jones. Known for his work with :beta collective, Bruce pares things down here, exchanging a larger ensemble for groove-centered immediacy and resulting in an album that balances soulful rhythms with thoughtful experimentation. The spotlight falls squarely on grooves that sit somewhere ...
Continue Reading
