Articles by Andrew Schinder
Linda May Han Oh & Melissa Aldana: Beneath Lifted Skies
by Andrew Schinder
Bassist Linda May Han Oh and tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, two modern jazz powerhouses, have recorded one of 2026's most delightful jazz surprises, the duet album Beneath Lifted Skies (Biophilia Records, 2026). Oh and Aldana are two of the music's strongest contemporary players, potent in both overall skill as well as sound, and that intensity serves them well on the album. The atmosphere is robust without the forcefulness overwhelming the form. The album consists mostly of standards that span ...
Continue ReadingJulian Wittich 紀安: Tidelines
by Andrew Schinder
Young bassist Julian Wittich 紀安's debut album, Tidelines, successfully introduces the musician to the contemporary jazz canon. Based in New York (though a fixture of the Taiwanese live music scene), having Taiwanese and Dutch ancestry, and educated in Amsterdam, Wittich is certainly a citizen of the world. That global outlook informs the diverse, colorful music heard on the album. Confident and assured, Tidelines radiates promise, and certainly elevates expectations for Wittich's output going forward. On Tidelines, Wittich keeps ...
Continue ReadingSullivan Fortner: Leave That In There
by Andrew Schinder
Pianist Sullivan Fortner is on a roll. Already one of the most respected contemporary jazz pianists, Fortner leveled up in 2025 with the Grammy-winning Southern Nights (Artwork Records, 2025), a tribute to his New Orleans heritage that was a critical and commercial smash. Along with the collaboration albums Wildflowers Vol. 1 (Edition Records, 2024) (with vocalist Kurt Elling) and Play (ACT Music, 2025) (with trumpeter Theo Croker) and playing to packed houses both as a leader and accompanist, the year was an unqualified success. ...
Continue ReadingSullivan Fortner: Nothing's Ever Finished
by Andrew Schinder
Modern jazz musicians are often faced with the impossible, and frankly unfair, task of honoring the music's history and traditions while adding modern elements and contemporary facets to make a 125-year-old musical genre sound fresh. This burden falls even more acutely on musicians hailing from, or who are particularly associated with, the City of New Orleans. New Orleans is celebrated as the birthplace of jazz, but its ongoing connection to the music is complicated. Cities such as New York and ...
Continue ReadingThe Bad Plus Brings Its Farewell Tour to New York's Sony Hall
by Andrew Schinder
The Bad Plus Farewell Tour Sony Hall New York, NY June 19, 2026 The Bad Plus has spent the better part of the 21st century as one of jazz's most successful crossover acts. The band, formed in Minnesota, broke through in 2003 with These are the Vistas (Columbia Records), featuring founding members Reid Anderson (bass), Dave King (drums), and Ethan Iverson (piano). Both the jazz and overall music communities bestowed quite a bit of attention to the album, ...
Continue ReadingThree Icons Celebrate Miles Davis Centennial at Smoke Jazz Club
by Andrew Schinder
Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, and Billy Hart Smoke Jazz and Supper Club Miles Davis 100th Celebration New York, NY May 29, 2026 In late May 2026, the music community was in the throes of Miles Davis centennial mania. Music labels released fancy, often expensive re-packages of Davis' music. Davis' autobiography was given a flashy re-release. Anyone who has ever picked up a trumpet participated in a tribute concert--or so it seemed. Countless journalists--music and otherwise--published features, tributes, ...
Continue ReadingKenny Barron: So Many Lovely Things: Live in Brecon
by Andrew Schinder
By the mid-1990's, piano icon and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron had completed his transition from being a dependable, workhorse pianist-for-hire that elevated any group that had the good sense to engage him, to one of the most revered musicians in the business, and a living bridge between hard bop tradition and 21st century jazz modernity. It was at this point when Barron, along with his cohorts during this period--dearly-departed accompanists Ray Drummond (bass) and Ben Riley (drums), who had all being ...
Continue ReadingAmbrose Akinmusire Quartet Seizes the Evening at Village Vanguard
by Andrew Schinder
Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet Village Vangaurd New York, NY May 26, 2026 May 26, 2026 was a momentous day in jazz history. The jazz community celebrated the centennial of one of its most revered figures, Miles Davis. At the same time, the music world was still raw following the previous day's news of the death of Sonny Rollins, one of the last living links to jazz's post-bop golden age. Both events sparked tributes, analyses, ...
Continue ReadingLakecia Benjamin: We Dream
by Andrew Schinder
In a genre full of peaceniks, Lakecia Benjamin is a killer. Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, has exploded over the course of the 2020's--both figuratively and musically. Her sound is brash and resonant, yet delicately composed and precisely structured. Benjamin is a focused musician, with all of her artistic choices brimming with intent, and the results are positively thrilling. She has become one of contemporary jazz's most popular and revered alto saxophonists, and she is just ...
Continue ReadingAltin Sencalar: Natural Rhythm
by Andrew Schinder
Rising trombonist Altin Sencalar has positioned himself at the top of a new generation of trombone virtuosos. The trombone may not have the widespread popularity of its brass brethren, but is nevertheless a deeply compelling and versatile instrument. Sencalar has, over the past decade, proven himself as one of the instrument's finest practitioners. Having studied with, and then worked for, trombone star Michael Dease, he combines deep respect for the instrument's legacy with a raw need to muscle it into a ...
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