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A Major Jazz Award; Remembering Richie Beirach; Mark Lettieri and Langston Hughes II; Polish Jazz; Jazz & Wine Pairings; and Songs of the Week
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When I learned that Star Trek: The Original Series turned 60 this year, I was inspired to write a jazz fiction piece entitled To Boldly Swing (read). It also became my first experiment with AI-assisted storytelling. I developed the synopsis, created the outline, and mapped out specific plot points—including the opening, the ending, the characters, the conflict (an encounter with the Klingons), and, of course, the resolution (an impromptu jam session). For a brief moment, I felt like Gene Roddenberry—minus the skinny-dipping and pot smoking. ????
As many of you know, All About Jazz turned 30 in August 2025, and we'll celebrate our three-decade milestone through August 2026. Along the way, we've scheduled an anniversary concert for this month in NYC (learn more), but the Star Trek / All About Jazz connection also had me reflecting on some of the unexpected gifts I've received over the years. Most came in the form of music, and I especially cherish legendary photographer Bill Gottlieb's signed copy of The Golden Age of Jazz (read what he wrote here). One of the more surreal recognitions arrived in the mail one day from none other than Captain James Tiberius Kirk. I was so honored that I had it framed, then promptly hung it in my office...
Special thanks to Vic Schermer for time traveling into the future to help make this award of distinction possible.
In the years since Mark Lettieri first sat down with All About Jazz, much has changed—and, in a sense, much has not. At the time of that (2020 interview), Lettieri had a budding solo career, but was still primarily known as being part of Snarky Puppy's (SP) formidable six-string triumvirate (along with fellow guitarists Bob Lanzetti and Chris McQueen). Today, he's still very active in SP—and the Vulfpeck-adjacent The Fearless Flyers—but Lettieri's profile as a solo artist has seemingly outstripped his other notable activities. With ten releases under his own name at the time of this writing, a signature model PRS guitar, a stable and busy solo touring group, and an ever-growing list of collaborations (that include The WDR Big Band and the Metropole Orkest), Lettieri has steadily built a reputation as a "player of consequence" who has been moving beyond mere guitar circles. Continue reading...
Richie Beirach hovers somewhat mysteriously in the pantheon of the great modern jazz pianists. Some of the others in that category from his generation (coming up in the 1960s/'70s), like Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, and Kenny Barron have greater celebrity, but Beirach easily qualifies alongside them as one of the most accomplished masters. While the aforementioned have developed a signature style, emotional power, and virtuosic technique, Beirach, above and beyond those qualities, has for over a half century immersed himself in a process of uncovering and interpreting the richness in music from both jazz and classical sources, from bebop to cool jazz to fusion, and from the Romantic composers to Bartok to the very modern. Continue reading...
As part of Year in Review series, I've already highlighted my favorite albums of 2025 (you can view the list here). While I included artists from around the world, intentionally leaving out my own Poland. And yet Polish jazz has a remarkably strong and distinctive identity. It emerged from a deep craving for freedom and a dialogue with the West, serving for decades as a subtle form of artistic resistance. After many years of searching for its own voice, it has begun to shape a confident, self-contained narrative—one rooted in improvisation, formal freedom, and an ongoing, fearless conversation with sound, where experimentation feels like a natural state of mind. The albums released in 2025 show that Polish jazz, while cherishing the freedom it has earned, continues to evolve in fresh and unexpected directions. Here are my picks—my favorite albums and honorable mentions. Continue reading...
In the April 2024 issue of Jersey Jazz, drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. told me he had recently taken four young musicians with him for a tour in Tokyo. One of them was saxophonist Langston Hughes II, then studying for his master's degree at Juilliard. Hughes, said Owens, is "burning up the scene." The 24-year-old Hughes vividly remembers that experience. "It was my first trip out of the country. The culture and the respect they have for jazz in Japan is really cool. I learned so much from that trip, being out there and being part of the band. It was one of the first gigs I had with Ulysses and that group. Ulysses does a really great job of capturing the essence that so many jazz musicians we all look up to have had in terms of mentorships and mentees. Continue reading...
"Dream Walking" by Benjamin Boone
Record Label: One World Records
Released: 2025
"Lisboa" by Ghadyego Carraro
Record Label: Creative Independent Artists
Released: 2024
Brazil Music Club at Winter Jazzfest 2026 (read); Winter Wine & Song (read); Mark Guiliana at Stadtgarten (read); Ben Wendel With Gilad Hekselman: October (listen); Brandon Woody And UPENDO At The Buffalo AKG Museum's Art Of Jazz Series (read); Jon Herington: Kernel Of Truth (listen); The Culture War—Springsteen, Brooks and The American People (read); Tim Motzer & Markus Reuter: Sound of the Sun (listen); Tonolo Donatiello Chevillon Rossy 4th "Play Carla Bley" at Milestone Jazz Club, Piacenza, Italy (view photos); Marilyn Mazur's Shamania: The Birds Are Early Out (listen); Jazz Festival Munster "Shortcut" 2026 (view photos); Ralph Towner: Unconcerned With What Genre His Music Is Labeled (read); Lew Tabackin Quartet At Klavierhaus (view photos)
The Outer View: Pianists: Andrew Hill, Patricia Barber, and More (listen); Allston Boylston: Naoya Ogura, Bebel Gilberto, Tyrone Allen with Neta Ranaan and The Reverend Al Green (listen); Mondo Jazz: Mae.Sun, Either/Orchestra, Cochemea, daoud & More (listen); Exploration: End Of Month Keyboard Special featuring Lonnie Liston Smith, Jackie Davis, Herbie Hancock, The Outernet, and Others (listen); Mondo Jazz: The Getdown, Amy Gadiaga, FonvilleXFribush, Mario Canonge & More (listen); The First Instrument Jazz Show: Al Jarreau, The Baylor Project, Abbey Lincoln, Tyreek McDole and More (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Carol Albert, NOLA Resistance Quintet, Hindy Bare, Roxy Coss, Julia Hulsmann, Roderick Harper. Jazz Birthday Shoutouts & More (listen); Liner Notes: A New Beginning for Lenard Simpson (listen); Neon Jazz: Fats Waller, Joe Magnarelli, Alexa Tarantino & Rebecca Kilgore (listen); Bitches Brew: Brad Kypo, Andre Drage, Trix, Vincen Garcia, Jeremy Green, John McLaughlin (listen); The Tonearm: Michael Hallsworth: Escaping The Hypocrisy Trap (listen); The Third Story: Keren Ann: We Are Artists Because Of The Process (listen); Jazz Connections: Jazz Interpretations of Ravel and Faure (listen); Injazz: Cor Bakker Trio, Metropole Orkest Cellos, Susanne Alt, Reinier Baas, Fay Claassen and more (listen); Backstage Bay Area: Simon Phillips on Protocol, Precision, and the Power of the Hang (listen); Jazz Bastard: Let There Be Lightsey! (listen); Ben Boddie On Jazz: Naoya Obura, Julian lage, Betty Bryant, Alexa Tarantino and more (listen); World of Jazz: New Music From Colangelo, Nachoff, Politzer, Makos, And More (listen).
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.
Jazzahead! 2026 In Bremen—Showcases From April, 23 To 25—Full Schedule Announced (read); Composer, Conductor And Bandleader Maria Schneider Earns 2026 Rolf Schock Prize In Musical Arts (read); 10 Free Jazz Concerts In Newark Thanks To New Jersey Performing Arts Center, February-May 2026 (read); Announcing March Line-up For Smoke Jazz Club Featuring Harold Mabern 90th Birthday Celebration, Fred Hersch Trio And More (read); All About Jazz Top 10 Songs: January 2026 (read); Steve Holt Jazz Impact Quintet Nominated For 2026 Juno Award—Jazz Album Of The Year (read); Guitarist Titus Maz Releases New Album 'Midnight Station' (read).
Got news? Share it in our newsletter and on our website. Learn how, here.
Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci
As many of you know, All About Jazz turned 30 in August 2025, and we'll celebrate our three-decade milestone through August 2026. Along the way, we've scheduled an anniversary concert for this month in NYC (learn more), but the Star Trek / All About Jazz connection also had me reflecting on some of the unexpected gifts I've received over the years. Most came in the form of music, and I especially cherish legendary photographer Bill Gottlieb's signed copy of The Golden Age of Jazz (read what he wrote here). One of the more surreal recognitions arrived in the mail one day from none other than Captain James Tiberius Kirk. I was so honored that I had it framed, then promptly hung it in my office...
Special thanks to Vic Schermer for time traveling into the future to help make this award of distinction possible.
Album Reviews
The album reviews below represent our most popular from the past week. View more recent reviews. Live in Chicago Kenny Reichert |  Stygian Gates Michael Eaton |  Umwelt Denman Maroney Quintet |  Purity Of Intent Jerome Sabbagh |
 Riddle Diddle: The Prague Sessions Darren Heinrich |  Four Freedoms Dave Douglas |  In Action Roberto Magris / Denis Razz Quartet |  Duologues 5 Ivo Perelman and Wadada Leo Smith |
Looking for an album review?
If you're a musician, publicist, or record label seeking album review coverage on All About Jazz, please first read our review submission guide, then complete the coverage request form here. When submitting your request, include up to five AAJ album reviewers who best align with your music. For example, if it's a big band or large ensemble recording, select Jack Bowers. You can familiarize yourself with our staff, here.Mark Lettieri: Expanding Boundaries With The WDR, The Metropole, And Beyond
In the years since Mark Lettieri first sat down with All About Jazz, much has changed—and, in a sense, much has not. At the time of that (2020 interview), Lettieri had a budding solo career, but was still primarily known as being part of Snarky Puppy's (SP) formidable six-string triumvirate (along with fellow guitarists Bob Lanzetti and Chris McQueen). Today, he's still very active in SP—and the Vulfpeck-adjacent The Fearless Flyers—but Lettieri's profile as a solo artist has seemingly outstripped his other notable activities. With ten releases under his own name at the time of this writing, a signature model PRS guitar, a stable and busy solo touring group, and an ever-growing list of collaborations (that include The WDR Big Band and the Metropole Orkest), Lettieri has steadily built a reputation as a "player of consequence" who has been moving beyond mere guitar circles. Continue reading...
Richie Beirach: Indelible Memories and Thought-Provoking Reflections on a Life in Jazz
Richie Beirach hovers somewhat mysteriously in the pantheon of the great modern jazz pianists. Some of the others in that category from his generation (coming up in the 1960s/'70s), like Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, and Kenny Barron have greater celebrity, but Beirach easily qualifies alongside them as one of the most accomplished masters. While the aforementioned have developed a signature style, emotional power, and virtuosic technique, Beirach, above and beyond those qualities, has for over a half century immersed himself in a process of uncovering and interpreting the richness in music from both jazz and classical sources, from bebop to cool jazz to fusion, and from the Romantic composers to Bartok to the very modern. Continue reading...
Marek Śmietański's Favorite Polish Jazz Albums Of 2025
As part of Year in Review series, I've already highlighted my favorite albums of 2025 (you can view the list here). While I included artists from around the world, intentionally leaving out my own Poland. And yet Polish jazz has a remarkably strong and distinctive identity. It emerged from a deep craving for freedom and a dialogue with the West, serving for decades as a subtle form of artistic resistance. After many years of searching for its own voice, it has begun to shape a confident, self-contained narrative—one rooted in improvisation, formal freedom, and an ongoing, fearless conversation with sound, where experimentation feels like a natural state of mind. The albums released in 2025 show that Polish jazz, while cherishing the freedom it has earned, continues to evolve in fresh and unexpected directions. Here are my picks—my favorite albums and honorable mentions. Continue reading...
Introducing Saxophonist Langston Hughes II
In the April 2024 issue of Jersey Jazz, drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. told me he had recently taken four young musicians with him for a tour in Tokyo. One of them was saxophonist Langston Hughes II, then studying for his master's degree at Juilliard. Hughes, said Owens, is "burning up the scene." The 24-year-old Hughes vividly remembers that experience. "It was my first trip out of the country. The culture and the respect they have for jazz in Japan is really cool. I learned so much from that trip, being out there and being part of the band. It was one of the first gigs I had with Ulysses and that group. Ulysses does a really great job of capturing the essence that so many jazz musicians we all look up to have had in terms of mentorships and mentees. Continue reading...
Songs of the Week
Bassist Ghadyego Carraro's "Lisboa" and Saxophonist Benjamin Boone's "Dream Walking" operate within a remarkably similar aesthetic universe. Enjoy them both. "Dream Walking" by Benjamin Boone
L I S T E N
Album Information
Title: Dream WalkingRecord Label: One World Records
Released: 2025
"Lisboa" by Ghadyego Carraro
L I S T E N
Album Information
Title: Anhum—Ghadyego Carraro QuartetoRecord Label: Creative Independent Artists
Released: 2024
Top Songs
The songs below represent the most heard in the past four weeks. View the Song of the Day archive. Whispering Images From the album Angel Falls By Sylvie Courvoisier |  Survivor From the album Endless Mystery By Przemyslaw Straczek |  Spirit of Summer From the album Spirit Of Summer (Featuring Eumir Deodato) By Ithamara Koorax |  Afro Blue From the album Afro Blue (10th Anniversary Edition) By Harold Mabern |
 Miles From the album Miles By Rebecca Perricone |  With Hope From the album With Hope By Anders Hagberg |  To Our Land Pt.1 From the album To Our Land By James Wylie |  Annwn From the album Outside the Light By Will Barnes |
Choice Content
Brazil Music Club at Winter Jazzfest 2026 (read); Winter Wine & Song (read); Mark Guiliana at Stadtgarten (read); Ben Wendel With Gilad Hekselman: October (listen); Brandon Woody And UPENDO At The Buffalo AKG Museum's Art Of Jazz Series (read); Jon Herington: Kernel Of Truth (listen); The Culture War—Springsteen, Brooks and The American People (read); Tim Motzer & Markus Reuter: Sound of the Sun (listen); Tonolo Donatiello Chevillon Rossy 4th "Play Carla Bley" at Milestone Jazz Club, Piacenza, Italy (view photos); Marilyn Mazur's Shamania: The Birds Are Early Out (listen); Jazz Festival Munster "Shortcut" 2026 (view photos); Ralph Towner: Unconcerned With What Genre His Music Is Labeled (read); Lew Tabackin Quartet At Klavierhaus (view photos)
Radio & Podcasts
Tune into our extensive collection of quality programs every week.The Outer View: Pianists: Andrew Hill, Patricia Barber, and More (listen); Allston Boylston: Naoya Ogura, Bebel Gilberto, Tyrone Allen with Neta Ranaan and The Reverend Al Green (listen); Mondo Jazz: Mae.Sun, Either/Orchestra, Cochemea, daoud & More (listen); Exploration: End Of Month Keyboard Special featuring Lonnie Liston Smith, Jackie Davis, Herbie Hancock, The Outernet, and Others (listen); Mondo Jazz: The Getdown, Amy Gadiaga, FonvilleXFribush, Mario Canonge & More (listen); The First Instrument Jazz Show: Al Jarreau, The Baylor Project, Abbey Lincoln, Tyreek McDole and More (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Carol Albert, NOLA Resistance Quintet, Hindy Bare, Roxy Coss, Julia Hulsmann, Roderick Harper. Jazz Birthday Shoutouts & More (listen); Liner Notes: A New Beginning for Lenard Simpson (listen); Neon Jazz: Fats Waller, Joe Magnarelli, Alexa Tarantino & Rebecca Kilgore (listen); Bitches Brew: Brad Kypo, Andre Drage, Trix, Vincen Garcia, Jeremy Green, John McLaughlin (listen); The Tonearm: Michael Hallsworth: Escaping The Hypocrisy Trap (listen); The Third Story: Keren Ann: We Are Artists Because Of The Process (listen); Jazz Connections: Jazz Interpretations of Ravel and Faure (listen); Injazz: Cor Bakker Trio, Metropole Orkest Cellos, Susanne Alt, Reinier Baas, Fay Claassen and more (listen); Backstage Bay Area: Simon Phillips on Protocol, Precision, and the Power of the Hang (listen); Jazz Bastard: Let There Be Lightsey! (listen); Ben Boddie On Jazz: Naoya Obura, Julian lage, Betty Bryant, Alexa Tarantino and more (listen); World of Jazz: New Music From Colangelo, Nachoff, Politzer, Makos, And More (listen).
News Announcements
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.
Jazzahead! 2026 In Bremen—Showcases From April, 23 To 25—Full Schedule Announced (read); Composer, Conductor And Bandleader Maria Schneider Earns 2026 Rolf Schock Prize In Musical Arts (read); 10 Free Jazz Concerts In Newark Thanks To New Jersey Performing Arts Center, February-May 2026 (read); Announcing March Line-up For Smoke Jazz Club Featuring Harold Mabern 90th Birthday Celebration, Fred Hersch Trio And More (read); All About Jazz Top 10 Songs: January 2026 (read); Steve Holt Jazz Impact Quintet Nominated For 2026 Juno Award—Jazz Album Of The Year (read); Guitarist Titus Maz Releases New Album 'Midnight Station' (read).
Got news? Share it in our newsletter and on our website. Learn how, here.
Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci
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