Articles by Jon Greenbaum

Radio & Podcasts

Music for Election Night Returns

by Jon Greenbaum
November 8, 2026

Amidst rumors of looming ICE raids on polling stations, the actual deployment of intimidating DOJ monitors in Georgia, legal threats to polling workers from DOJ and Homeland Security, and expectations that polling data would be confiscated around the country, we took to the air to play jazz as a national political realignment reshaped the possibilities for the United States.Playlist John Surman, Mike Osborne, Alan Skidmore “Country Dance" from S.O.S. (Ogun Records) 00:00 Jane Ira Bloom “St. Mark's Tomorrow" ...

Radio & Podcasts

From the Loft Scene to the Latest Blippy Synth Jazz... and more!

by Jon Greenbaum
October 25, 2026

Music from the last century: The New York Art Quartet, Jayne Cortez & The Firespitters, Sam Rivers, The Dave Holland Quintet and a new archival release from a live Sunny Murray, Arthur Doyle and Rasul Siddik date. Plus a dozen intense new releases! Playlist Jayne Cortez & The Firespitters “I See Chano Pozo" from There It Is (Bola Press) 00:00 Oli Kuster / Dee Byrne / Xavier Kaeser “Renewal" from Wayfinding (Efpi Records) 07:31 Tomsits Quartet “Dhrupad" from ...

Radio & Podcasts

New Releases and Avant Classics

by Jon Greenbaum
October 11, 2026

How many new releases are highlighted? Eight. What else? Jazz from the past century--stuff that pushed the tradition a bit and stuff that pushed the tradition a lot.Playlist Cassandra Wilson “Electromagnolia" from Days Aweigh (JMT) 0h 0m 0s Lester Bowie “Sardegna Amore" from The 5th Power (Black Saint) 0h 4m 40s Ishamel Reed “Rhythm in Philosophy" from Conjure (American Clavé) 0h 10m 59s Bassism Trio “Shake" from Dreams Must Explain Themselves (Aut Records) 0h 15m 1s Ben Allison ...

Radio & Podcasts

Combustible Mix of Post Bop From the Last Century As Well As New Releases

by Jon Greenbaum
September 29, 2026

Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon, World Sax, Chico Freeman and The Art Ensemble along with a bunch of exciting new releases.Playlist Carmen Quill “Plaza" from Harmless (Ruination Record Co.) 00:00 Henry Threadgill / Vijay Iyer / Dafnis Prieto “I Wanted A Map" from Fifteen (Nonesuch Records) 00:05:26 Art Ensemble of Chicago “Proverbes (I-II-III)" from Les Stances A Sophie (Pathé Marconi) 00:10:02 Angles 4 “Every woman is a tree" from Angles 4 (Relative Pitch Records) 00:15:58 Slow Tiger “Slow Tiger" ...

Radio & Podcasts

Trumpet Trios: Bass, Drums and Trumpet

by Jon Greenbaum
September 13, 2026

On this special edition of North Star Sounds we focus on trumpet trios (trumpet, bass, drums). Check out the vibrant variety of approaches and moods created with just these three instruments. Playlist Steven Bernstein “Mammoth" from Resonation Trio (Royal Potato Family) 00:00 Ramon Lopez / Percy Pursglove / Rafal Mazur"au lapin agile" from Threefold (Not Two Records) 03:30 Peter Evans “Underworld" from Extra (We Jazz Records) 07:12 Kirk Knuffke / Stomu Takeishi/Bill Goodwin “Carey" from Window (Royal Potato ...

Radio & Podcasts

16 New Releases... and much more!

by Jon Greenbaum
August 31, 2026

Many new releases are coming out this summer and fall! In this archived radio transmission we highlight quite a few of the most interesting new albums.Playlist Bobby Previte “Stroll" from Second Arrow (Unit Records) 00:00:00 Anna Webber's Simple Trio “Underhelmed" from Binary (Skirl Records) 00:08:41 NICOLAS LEIRTRØ'S ACTION NOW! “Action Now" from Entrance (Sheep Chase Records) 00:14:25 Toša “Pohádka" from Opatrně (Ma Records) 00:23:18 Darius Jones Quartet & Emilie Lesbros “Two Worlds, One Soul" from Le bébé de ...

Radio & Podcasts

2026 New Releases, Part 2

by Jon Greenbaum
August 9, 2026

This is part 2. And in case you missed it, here's Part 1. Like I said last week, I came across hundreds and hundreds of releases. These are the other 2026 highlights that reconfigured the chemicals in my bloodstream. Playlist Dandy Dandie “23 septembre" from Helios y Selene (Yolk Records) 00:04 Diego Pinera 4x4 “Through Hell" from Romanian Dance (iapetus) 01:10 Michael Formanek “Prequel" from New Digs (Intakt Records) 06:33 Alexander Hawkins “Hocket Fierce Peaceful" from No Nation ...

Radio & Podcasts

2026 New Releases, Part 1

by Jon Greenbaum
August 1, 2026

These kinds of lists are like a mirror; our aesthetic preferences reflect back to us who we are. This list is saying I-don't-care-much-for-walking-bass-or-the-accepted-conventions-of-the-jazz-tradition. I don't want to accept that truth. I want to love The Tradition. And in my defense of my fealty to straight ahead jazz I will say that I just got a bunch of Erroll Garner discs out of the library because somebody was writing about Garner and I wanted to dive into that rabbit ...

Radio & Podcasts

Bill Dixon, Fay Victor, Szilárd Mezei Octet, Horace Tapscott and More

by Jon Greenbaum
June 7, 2026

In this archived radio transmission we get down with a variety of tasty post bop, free improvisation, experimental sound and through composed beauties. You're right! Here it is corrected:Playlist Luis Gasca “Street Dude" from For Those Who Chant (Blue Thumb Records) 00:00:00 Marty Ehrlich “The Folksinger" from Cartographies of Flight (Corbett vs. Dempsey) 00:11:44 Bill Dixon Orchestra"Metamorphosis 1962-1966" from Intents And Purposes (RCA Victor) 00:17:31 Fieldwork “Fantome" from Thereupon (Pi Recordings) 00:31:27 The Sephardics “Migrant" from Sephardic Dialogues ...

Radio & Podcasts

Archie Shepp's The Magic of Ju-Ju, Serbian Improvisors + New Releases from Caroline Davis, Ishmael Ali, Phil Haynes, Rodrigo Amado and others

by Jon Greenbaum
May 10, 2026

Creative improvisors from Chicago to Brooklyn to Serbia.Playlist 8 Bold Souls “Chapel Hill" from 8 Bold Souls (Sessoms) 00:00 Archie Shepp “The Magic of Ju-Ju" from The Magic of Ju-Ju (Impulse) 12:31 Ishmael Ali “Anathema" from Burn The Plastic, Sell The Copper (Amalgam) 32:04 São Paulo Underground “Evetch" from Beija Flors Velho E Sujo (Cuneiform Records) 36:47 Von Freeman / Misha Mengelberg / Han Bennink “Confirmation" from The Bottle Tapes (Corbett vs Dempsey) 40:07 Caroline Davis “Mars" from ...