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.
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Meet Brian Lynch
by C. Andrew Hovan
This article was first published at All About Jazz in March 2000.Though many of his peers have received far more attention from the public and press, the fact is that Brian Lynch is one of the most experienced and talented jazz trumpeters of his generation. Growing up in the Milwaukee area, Lynch took advantage of a healthy jazz scene there that found him playing professionally at the age of 16 and gaining valuable knowledge and seasoning through his ...
Continue ReadingBafus - Raskin - Shiurba: Fair Shanks Suburbia
by Glenn Astarita
Fair Shanks Suburbia emerges as a noteworthy exploration into the avant-garde, where Jon Bafus (Unsilent Majority), Jon Raskin (ROVA), and John Shiurba (Anthony Braxton) orchestrate a sonic journey that transcends conventional musical boundaries. It is a cohesive narrative that delves into the complexities of suburban life through an experimental lens. From the outset, the trio sets a bold tone with their opener “Rubber Band Rattle Can," a piece that fuses chaotic rhythms with moments of startling clarity. Bafus' ...
Continue ReadingDiscovered Early Jazz Fusion From Pat Smythe Plus Other New Releases
by Bob Osborne
On this show we focus on a previously unreleased album from Pat Smythe recorded in France in 1973. In addition we have recent and forthcoming releases from Ernesto Cervini, The Messthetics And James Brandon Lewis, Pat Bianchi, Yosef Gutman Levitt, Smelloship, Albare, George Cartwright, Echoes of Zoo, Chad Fowler, Muriel Grossman, Roby Glod Christian Ramond & Klaus Kugel, and an excerpt from a recent live recording from David Torn Tom Rainey Tim Berne and Trevor Dunn. Playlist Show ...
Continue ReadingSean Ono Lennon, Simon Spiess, Debby Wang, Ben Lumsdaine & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
The gorgeous new album by Sean Ono Lennon, Asterisms (Tzadik), opens a set of electro-acoustic otherworldly beauty.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Sean Ono Lennon “Acisalia" Asterisms (Tzadik) 0:16 Host talks 7:17 Simon Spiess Quiet Tree “Grieving Was Yesterday" Euphorbia (Intakt) 8:44 Host talks 12:50 Ben Lumsdaine “Here's Your Next Clue" Murmuration Without End (International Anthem) 14:50 Debby Wang “Fairness" Aftertaste (Self-produced) 20:42 YES! Trio feat. Ali Jackson, ...
Continue ReadingBack In The Groove: Material Matters
by Tarik Townsend
An aspect of jazz that is often overlooked is the material. That is, the very tunes that the musicians are performing. Arguably more important than the key or the tempo, the song itself dictates where the musician's inspiration will go, and even that isn't always a sure thing. They're a launching pad and an indicator of an artist's imagination. The material can also lead the players into some fascinating places normally not tread by anyone else--including themselves. Some recent records ...
Continue ReadingJoey Alexander Trio at Chris’ Jazz Café
by Victor L. Schermer
Joey Alexander Trio Chris' Jazz Café Philadelphia, PA March 8, 2024 All musical genres, and specifically jazz, have produced any number of musicians who blossomed in childhood and already in their teens were performing and competitive with the masters. The greatest historical example of course was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and a latter-day example was Leonard Bernstein. In jazz, Philadelphia's own Pat Martino moved to Harlem at age 14, was mentored by the ...
Continue ReadingCharles Chen: Charles, Play!
by Jack Bowers
Pianist Charles Chen makes his recorded debut and confidently answers the command on Charles, Play!, a splendid quartet date on which he is ably supported by veteran tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore and the peerless rhythmic tandem of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. Chen wrote four of the album's nine engaging numbers and had the good sense to pair them with three pleasurable standards and tantalizing originals by Charlie Parker ("Passport") and Cedar Walton (the closing ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Herskedal: A Single Sunbeam
by Geno Thackara
What Del Close did for the art of improv comedy or Jacques Torres for the art of chocolate, Daniel Herskedal does for the tuba. An occasional star such as Bob Stewart has taken the instrument somewhere fresh outside the time-honored contexts of orchestra or marching band, but it is another thing to make the entire tradition feel new--good luck trying to name anyone else who could adapt the tuba to chill-ambient, Arabian travelogue and Norwegian yoik chanting with equal skill. ...
Continue ReadingVijay Iyer, Too Many Zooz, Annie Chen, Jacky Terrasson & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
Welcome to your weekly fix of recent and upcoming releases, from the seismic brasshouse of Too Many Zooz to the re-imagining of Sun Ra's The Magic City by Meshell Ndegeocello, and a whole lot in between. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Too Many Zooz “Nowhere Else to Go" Retail Therapy (Self-produced) 0:16 Host talks 4:11 Jonathan Suazo “Don't Take Kindly" Ricano (Ropeadope) 6:25 Meshell Ndegeocello “Departure ...
Continue ReadingNick Maclean Quartet feat. Brownman Ali: Convergence
by Glenn Astarita
The Nick Maclean Quartet is a highly respected Canadian outfit, here featuring upper-echelon trumpeter Brownman Ali, marked by a deep reverence for the past and a bold leap into the future. Central to this album's appeal are its original compositions, which are not merely exercises in style but profound statements of artistic identity. These pieces are deeply influenced by the innovative spirit of Herbie Hancock's work in the 1960s, among other Blue Note Records artists during this fertile period for ...
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