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.

Album Review

Andrew Toombs: Alloy

by Neil Duggan
October 31, 2026

There is an ancient proverb that says, “A man is judged by the company he keeps." By that measure, pianist Andrew Toombs should be judged very highly indeed. For more than two decades, he has helped shape the path of American popular music, collaborating with artists as diverse as Dave Brubeck, Benny Golson, Bootsy Collins, Carole King, Kenny Rogers, Yolanda Adams and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Having absorbed the influences of jazz, soul, blues, country and hip-hop, Toombs now ...

Album Review

Twin Talk: Delights

Read "Delights" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
October 21, 2026

If you are familiar with “Born in Chicago" by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, a song later covered by the Blues Brothers and the Pixies, you know the lyrics: “I was born in Chicago at nineteen and forty-one / Well, my father told me / Son, you had better get a gun." Later, the song offers a different kind of wisdom: “Well, now rules are alright / If there's someone left to play the game." In the 21st ...

Album Review

Zacc Harris: American Reckoning

Read "American Reckoning" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
July 16, 2026

There is something quietly compelling about guitarist-composer Zacc Harris's continued revisiting of the American songbook. Rather than treating these familiar melodies as museum pieces, he treats them as living conversations spanning generations. In American Reckoning, his reunion with longtime collaborators Matthew Peterson on bass and Lars-Erik Larson on drums deepens the exploration, which is both musically adventurous and emotionally resonant. Throughout, the trio reshapes a set of nine well-known songs through inventive reharmonizations, shifting metres, and subtle textural interplay.

Album Review

Zacc Harris: American Reckoning

Read "American Reckoning" reviewed by Kyle Simpler

by Kyle Simpler
July 13, 2026

Americana originally developed from folk and country music, but in recent decades it has grown to incorporate other musical genres. For example, jazz artists such as Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny frequently incorporate elements of Americana into their work. With American Reckoning, guitarist Zacc Harris follows their lead, drawing from sources ranging from traditional folk songs and Stephen Foster compositions to Brian Wilson and Bob Dylan. Harris, a Minneapolis-based guitarist and composer, established a reputation for his expressive ...

Album Review

Christian Dillingham: As It Relates To Now

Read "As It Relates To Now" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
May 6, 2026

Bassists who spearhead recordings encounter a fundamental challenge. The apparatus that anchors the ensemble remains the most difficult to position at the forefront without the result appearing as a gimmick. Christian Dillingham evades this pitfall on As It Relates To Now not through excessive technical displays, but by ensuring every choice carries weight. The double bass does not merely exist for exhibition; it governs the proceedings. The selection of a trio--comprising Dillingham, Greg Ward on alto saxophone, and ...

Album Review

Johannes Wallmann: Not Tired

Read "Not Tired" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
February 12, 2026

As the capstone to a terrific year which saw him first release Holding Space (Shifting Paradigm, 2025), a splendid duo disc with tenor saxophonist Dennis Mitcheltree, pianist Johannes Wallmann impresses once again with Not Tired, a delightful quintet outing which highlights the keyboardist's penchant for strong melodies as well as his superb bandleading skills. Wallmann has a fine set of colleagues here, with Ingrid Jensen's sparkling trumpet and Dayna Stephens' brawny tenor creating a scintillating two-horn tandem. Bassist ...

Album Review

Kenny Reichert: Live in Chicago

Read "Live in Chicago" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
January 16, 2026

Kenny Reichert has been steadily building his reputation within the modern jazz world, and Live in Chicago stands as perhaps his most revealing statement to date. Recorded at Pro Musica with a hand-picked quartet featuring alto saxophonist Lenard Simpson, bassist Ethan Philion, and drummer Devin Drobka, this five-track collection captures something increasingly rare in contemporary jazz recordings: genuine, unvarnished spontaneity within a live setting. What is immediately striking about this record is its commitment to expansiveness. Each of ...

Album Review

Dan Bruce: The Architects

Read "The Architects " reviewed by Kyle Simpler

by Kyle Simpler
January 10, 2026

Sometimes, an in-the-pocket groove is just what the doctor ordered, and guitarist Dan Bruce delivers with The Architects. The album marks the debut of Ohm!, a power trio led by Bruce alongside bassist Jordan McBride and drummer Gabe Jones. Known for his work with :beta collective, Bruce pares things down here, exchanging a larger ensemble for groove-centered immediacy and resulting in an album that balances soulful rhythms with thoughtful experimentation. The spotlight falls squarely on grooves that sit somewhere ...

Album Review

Michael Sarian: Live at Cliff Bell's - Vol. II

Read "Live at Cliff Bell's - Vol. II" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
December 19, 2025

There was no reason whatsoever for listeners who enjoyed trumpeter Michael Sarian's terrific 2024 release, Live at Cliff Bell's (Shifting Paradigm Records), to feel short--changed. Capturing all the energy and excitement of a first-rate performance at the renowned Detroit jazz club from the previous year, the album traversed a wide spectrum of emotional registers and displayed the instrumental excellence which confirmed Sarian's standing as one of the premier talents of his generation. But what was left unmentioned at the time ...

Album Review

Atlantis Quartet: Live at Berlin

Read "Live at Berlin" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
November 13, 2025

Naming a debut live album after the venue itself is a bold move, proclaiming the music and space as one. With Live at Berlin, recorded during the opening week of Minneapolis' newest jazz haunt in February 2024, Atlantis Quartet--saxophonist Brandon Wozniak, guitarist Zacc Harris, bassist Chris Bates, and drummer Pete Hennig--does not merely make the case; they etch it in neon. This album captures a band and a room in perfect, combustible alignment. For nearly two decades, this ...