Articles by Angelo Leonardi

Interview

Miho Hazama: Where Groove Meets Orchestra

by Angelo Leonardi
May 30, 2026

Since making her debut in 2013 at the helm of M_Unit with Journey to Journey, Miho Hazama has built a body of work that has firmly established her among the leading orchestrators of her generation. Over the past decade, the Japanese composer and conductor has collaborated extensively with European orchestras, and since 2020 she has served as one of the three chief conductors of the Metropole Orkest, alongside Vince Mendoza and Jules Buckley. Among the many ...

Year in Review

Angelo Leonardi's Best Jazz Albums Of 2025

by Angelo Leonardi
December 24, 2025

The five U.S. jazz albums and the five Italian jazz albums selected here represent, in my view, the very best of what was released in 2025. They stand out for their innovative spirit, expressive intensity, and interpretive freshness. The list is not ranked: each title fully deserves its place at the top. Patricia Brennan Of the Near and Far Pyroclastic Records Andrea ...

Interview

Ola Onabulé: A Tapestry of Soul, Jazz and Global Roots

by Angelo Leonardi
July 25, 2025

Singer-songwriter and producer Ola Onabulé shares insights into his life and work, spotlighting his eclectic collaboration with guitarist Nicolas Meier, which led to the release of Proof of Life (Self Produced, 2025). Both based in London, the British-Nigerian vocalist and Swiss guitarist discovered, during the isolation of the pandemic, a shared empathy in their diverse backgrounds and musical passions. The result is a striking sonic tapestry, where Onabulé's powerful voice--spanning soul, jazz, and African roots--intertwines with Nicolas' versatile ...

Year in Review

Angelo Leonardi's Best Jazz Albums of 2024

by Angelo Leonardi
December 28, 2024

What follows is the list of the albums, both Italian and international, that I most appreciated and, above all, loved in 2024. These are the ones that enriched and inspired me the most, the ones I found myself returning to repeatedly. They are listed in alphabetical order, not by order of preference. In preparing this list it was difficult for me to separate “professional" assessment from personal enjoyment, but I have tried to prioritize the latter wherever possible.

Catching Up With

Ben Allison: Creative Reworkings And New Inspirations

by Angelo Leonardi
April 27, 2023

We talk about “The Ben Allison Remastered Series 2004-2011" a project that led the New York bassist, composer, and educator to personally edit and remix some of the albums he had originally released on Palmetto Records. Through this painstaking work which started at the height of the pandemic, Ben Allison not only brought a new level of acoustic clarity and detail to those albums, but also unearthed a few gems not included on the originals. The interview also touches upon ...

Catching Up With

Zach Brock: Jazz Violin's New Wave

by Angelo Leonardi
September 12, 2018

Best known for his work with Snarky Puppy, Zach Brock is among the most creative violinists of his generation. Zach Brock is bringing the violin back to center stage. Influenced by European masters of the seventies like Jean-Luc Ponty, Zbigniew Seifert, Didier Lockwood, Brock has widened his perspective from modern jazz to rock, finding a synthesis that connects classical precision with a strong melodic sense and remarkable improvisational skills. Brock has recorded and toured with the likes of Stanley Clarke ...

Catching Up With

Linda May Han Oh: Talent and Dedication

by Angelo Leonardi
September 11, 2018

Over the past decade, bassist Linda May Han Oh has been hailed as one of the most gifted bassists, bandleaders and composers of her generation. She is a virtuoso who can swing hard while keeping instrumental grace and precision, structuring her lines through a most free-flowing cascade of ideas. After completing her master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music in 2008, she recorded her debut album, Entry with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and drummer Obed Calvaire. In the following years ...

Interview

Fabian Almazan: Multilayered Vision

by Angelo Leonardi
March 30, 2018

For much of the past decade, Cuban-born pianist Fabian Almazan spent most of his time playing with Terence Blanchard who called him: “One of the great, young, new talent of his generation." Now 39 and based in New York City, Fabian earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and was voted “#1 Rising Piano Star" by the Downbeat Critics' Poll in 2014. Currently pianist in the Mark Guiliana quartet, Almazan is the owner ...

Catching Up With

Ben Allison: Between Groove and Melody

by Angelo Leonardi
March 20, 2018

Bassist, bandleader, educator and composer, Ben Allison is one of the leading players of the world stage. During the past twenty years he has released twelve records and led various bands, performed on more than thirty albums, co-founded The Jazz Composers Collective, and served as its Artistic Director until its dissolution in 2005. In this conversation, Allison speaks about his album (Layers of The City, Sonic Camera Records 2017), his personal style, the birth of his own label, his long ...

Interview

Dafnis Prieto: Cross-Cultural Mix

by Angelo Leonardi
March 13, 2018

Dafnis Prieto is one of the leading drummers and composers of his generation. Forty-four years old and Cuban born, Prieto moved to New York City in 1999. The early 2000's found Prieto employed as a sideman by several prominent musicians, including Eddie Palmieri, Michel Camilo, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Dave Samuels and Arturo O'Farrill. In the following years Prieto also appeared in some avant-garde settings with Henry Threadgill and Steve Coleman. The young Cuban drummer transposes elements from his Afro-Cuban musical heritage ...