All About Jazz: What's New for October 22, 2026

Tuesday marked the launch of our new Radio & Podcast Shows newsletter—giving us three weekly newsletters. It will arrive every Tuesday, joining All About Jazz on Thursdays and Jazz Near You on Fridays. We hope you received it and enjoyed the new format. Early feedback has been enthusiastic, and we've already welcomed two new shows to the network: Jazz on the Beach with Adam Sieff and Cosmic Jazz with Neil MacRae. Both are terrific additions, so be sure to give them a listen when they debut on the website.

Depending on your device or email service, you may have noticed a few formatting quirks in the new Radio & Podcast Shows newsletter. We're aware of them and working to get everything looking just right. Each show should appear as pictured here.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we've completed another major project: Newsletter v2, an overhaul of the technology that delivers the Thursday All About Jazz newsletter.

We'd like to thank everyone who helped us get this project across the finish line. It was a couple of years in the making and presented more than its share of challenges, but we've finally arrived at a solution that should serve us for years to come.

The new system gives us greater control over how this newsletter is delivered, including the ability to regulate the sending rate to improve delivery reliability (I'm talking to you, Todd). We can also track opens and clicks. In essence, we've built our own version of Mailchimp Lite.

It may not sound like headline news, but this was an essential piece of infrastructure for AAJ's continued growth. And after everything it took to get here, we're dancing a jig knowing it's finally done, done.

Album Reviews

The album reviews below represent our most popular from the past week. View more recent reviews.

Theory of Nothing: Record Live in 1977 Brand X	Freedom Call Dave Holland	Minwi Nite Bjuti	Keeping It In Context Daniel Carter / Sabir Mateen / William Parker / Lou Grassi
Let the Music Happen Danny Green	IDENTITY Confusion Project	12th Set 2026 Jazz Out of Norway	Trio Nuevo, Vol 3 Dave Bass

Looking for an album review?

If you're a musician, publicist, or record label seeking album review coverage on All About Jazz, please 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.

Bill Bruford And Pete Roth: A One-Of-A-Kind Juxtaposition

When a drumming legend in the rock or jazz community retires, it's fairly big news. Such was the case in 2009 when Bill Bruford announced he was hanging up his sticks. Much celebrated for his integral and stylized drum contributions to progressive rock bands such as Yes, King Crimson, U.K., and Genesis, as well as for leading his own jazz/rock and jazz ensembles, Bruford and Earthworks, Bruford seemed to have brought an impressive 41-year career to something of an unanticipated conclusion (he was only 60 at the time). And unlike many other well-known figures, as time went on, Bruford's retirement seemed permanent. He dove into academia, obtained a degree, wrote papers and books, and even (gulp) started selling off his drums. By all accounts, it seemed we had indeed heard Mr. Bruford's last ringing snare hit. Continue reading...

Blue Note Comes to London

It's taken a while for the storied Blue Note jazz club chain to come to London. It seems they were keen to be in the city for some time but had to wait until the ideal location became available. That location is on St Martin's Lane just up from the central Trafalgar Square. It's in the heart of theatreland and close to the tourist hotspots of Soho and Covent Garden. As bandleader Gary Crosby says, you can take a pleasant 15-minute stroll in an arc through the center of town from the PizzaExpress Jazz Club Soho to the Blue Note London. That's fifteen minutes if you don't get pulled in by the sounds emanating from the clubs. He hopes the new venue will increase and share audiences and not divide them. There does seem to be quite an appetite for jazz in the UK at the moment. Continue reading...

The Quiet Cruelty of the Music Business

For a long time, I, and many colleagues, operated under a singular, sustaining delusion: that music was the most powerful force in the world. As an artist, you build your entire life around this belief. You trust that the art will speak for itself, that the resonance of a musical work will be enough. But eventually, a different reality sets in. The true engine of the music business isn't melody, harmony, or rhythm. It is the cult of personality. It is the narcotic pull of a recognized name, the destructive gravity of money, and the sheer, blinding force of ego. But the most devastating realization is that the architects of this cruelty aren't just the executives in corner offices. It is the audience and its psychology. Continue reading...

Case File: The Walkin' Papers

There are two things I don't trust: a man who claims to know everything about jazz and a record that changes its name without leaving a forwarding address. I was halfway through a respectable cup of coffee when a letter arrived from a reader who'd been listening to Miles Davis's "Walkin.'" He'd come across an earlier recording called "Gravy" by Gene Ammons. Same tune, he figured. Different title. Different composer. Was somebody playing games with the credits? I put down my coffee. Now there was a question worth losing an afternoon over. Continue reading...

Songs of the Week

Two contrasting sides of contemporary jazz: one intimate, lyrical and introspective, the other brimming with big-band energy, infectious grooves and unexpected twists. Enjoy both.

Top Songs

The songs below represent the most heard in the past four weeks. View the Song of the Day archive.

Maree Latenti From the album Equilibri Precari By Diego Allieri	Elysian Shore From the album Farther (still) By Mike Dana	Si Par Hasard From the album Clouds (Special Edition) By Marie-Paule Franke	Empty Pockets From the album Touzle Your Kurchy By Frank London
Rain is Over From the album Rain is Over By Tommaso Monopoli	Here's to Life From the album You Are There By Sarah D'Angelo	Wizard's Lair From the album Wizard's Lair By Dale Fielder	Zamba del Chaguanco (feat. Klaus Gesing) From the album People. Places. Music For Large Ensemble By Martin Iaies

Choice Content

Arcanum at Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene, Oslo (read); The Kind of Blue Band at 92NY (read); Miles Electric Band at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days 2026 (view photos); Take Five with Multi-instrumentalist MTNLLY (read); The Monterey Jazz Festival 2026 Did Not Disappoint (view photos); Energy Center: A History Of Studio Rivbea (read); Jill Scott with Freeman and the Future of Soul R&B (read); Jeremy Pelt and His Quintet At Chris' Jazz Cafe (read); Dan Pugach and the Macedonian National Jazz Orchestra at the NOB (read); Jazz is Alive and Well in NY: A Jazzcultural Friday (view photos).

Focus On: Miles Ahead

This week, we continue to shine the spotlight on Billie Eidson's Miles Ahead: A Jazz Road Trip—where she follows back roads, open skies, and the spaces between cities, until the road finally meets the ocean for a jazz cruise. Look for the finale over the next two days.



Part 15: Reunion (read); Part 14: The Jazz Cruise Coda (read); Part 13: Presence Without Interference (read); Part 12: Discernment (read); Part 11: The Jazz Cruise—Boarding (read); Part 10: Real Isn't the Same as Ready (read); Part 9: Widening the Circle (read); Part 8: Sufficiency (read); Part 7: Freedom, Parceled (read); Part 6: Twenty Minutes (read); Part 5: Before The Sun (read); Part 4: Fresh Meat (read); Part 3: Trust, Again (read); Part 2: The Wallet (read); Part 1: Before the First Mile (read).

News Announcements

Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.

The Lisa Hilton Quintet Returns With Another Winning Recording, "Naturally" (read); Guitar Virtuoso Roman Miroshnichenko Became Musician Of The Year (read); Just Released: Intimate 2008 Session Recording 'Steve Davis Meets Hank Jones, Vol. 2' Featuring Trombonist Steve Davis, Bassist Peter Washington, And Pianist Hank Jones (read); Saxophonist David Ehrlin And Guitarist Neff Irizarry Release 'Softly Light' (read); JazzWeek Radio Chart: October 19, 2026 (read).

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Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci