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Unity Jazz Festival 2026 at Jazz At Lincoln Center
by Paul Reynolds
Unity Jazz FestivalOpening NightJazz at Lincoln CentreNew York, NY January 8, 2026 It does not rain--or snow--jazz in New York in the first week of January, it pours--or blizzards--the music. Winter JazzFest, the longtime colossus that takes over clubs in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, has been joined in the past three years by the Unity Jazz Festival, which runs two marathon nights within the multiple spaces of the Jazz at Lincoln Center headquarters just north of ...
Continue ReadingPaul Colombo Group: Mabrouka
by Dan McClenaghan
Guitarist Paul Colombo is blessed in his collaborative album, Mabrouka, with a group of imaginative and inspired sidemen, including, most notably, keyboardist Ron Thomas. This is Colombo's sophomore outing, following Rio Crystal (Vectordisc Records, 2021), and Thomas, bassist Andy Alonso and drummer Chris Loser make return appearances on Mabrouka. Add guest slots by flutist Tom Strohman and organist Andy Roberts, along with acoustic bassist Steve Meashey on six tunes. The set is tagged, accurately, as a “contemporary jazz ...
Continue ReadingPierre Giroux's Favorite Jazz Albums of 2025
by Pierre Giroux
The story of my selection of the top jazz albums of 2025, is, fittingly a conversation between past and present. New recordings by working bands and veteran leaders proved that the language of swing, blues and modern harmony is still being spoken with conviction, while carefully curated reissues reminded us just how deep the tradition runs. Equally compelling were the previously unheard sessions finally brought to light, offering a fresh glimpse of great artists caught in unguarded, inspired moments.Together these ...
Continue ReadingJohn Scofield & Dave Holland: Memories Of Home
by Ian Patterson
"Jazz is best when it's completely carefree. The only problem is when you care about the music more than anything in the world--how do you get carefree?" John Scofield raised the conundrum in a a 2023 interview, though you suspect he has been working out the riddle his entire career. Ditto bassist Dave Holland. On Memories Of Home, the revered guitarist and double bassist strike the perfect balance between care and carefree on a set of texturally rich compositions that ...
Continue ReadingChad Taylor and Smoke Shifter at the Jazz Gallery
by Dave Kaufman
The most excellent album, Smoke Shifter (Otherly Love Records, 2025), places Chad Taylor in the foreground as a bandleader, but his enduring presence onstage is evidenced by a long career built on deep collaborations. He is widely recognized for his close musical bond with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, an association that ranges from duo work to trios to their standout, acclaimed Molecular Systematic Music Quartet. That same responsive intelligence has shaped Taylor's roles across the various Chicago Underground projects and ...
Continue ReadingOmrum: Bringer of Light
by Glenn Astarita
The Copenhagen-based quartet Omrum, comprising a tier of top-flight Scandinavian musicians, delivers its debut with Bringer of Light. The album captures trumpeter Erik Kimestad, trombonist Mads Hyhne, bassist Richard Andersson, and drummer Jakob Hoyer moving fluidly between composed structures and collective improvisation, displaying both admirable restraint and mutual trust. The opening “Intro" and “Blues for Teitelbaum" set the tone: a focus on timbral subtlety, ethereal lyricism, and conversational interplay. Kimestad and Hyhne exhibit strong chemistry throughout, their trumpet ...
Continue ReadingKurt Elling: Manifesting the Music
by Leo Sidran
Kurt Elling first appeared on The Third Story podcast in 2016--nearly ten years ago now. In some ways, it feels like a lifetime ago. Back then, he had moved from his native Chicago to New York and was living in Manhattan. The first Trump presidency, the pandemic, and the cascade of upheaval that would follow were not yet realities. Even then, Elling was already one of the most celebrated singers alive. This is what I wrote about him ...
Continue ReadingBetty Bryant, Lisa Hilton, Carolyn Trowbridge, Kris Davis With The Lutoslawski Quartet & More
by Mary Foster Conklin
Happy New Year! This broadcast welcomes 2026 with new music from Betty Bryant, Lisa Hilton, Carolyn Trowbridge, Kris Davis, Part 1 of a look back at some notable releases of the past year, birthday shoutouts to Una Mae Carlisle, Naama Gheber, Nancy LaMott, Emma Dayhuff, Susannah McCorkle, Joe Lovano, Sullivan Fortner and yours truly Mary Foster Conklin, among others, plus a remembrance of several artists who left us in 2025. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear--see them ...
Continue ReadingMusic From Favourite Recordings of 2025
by Maurice Hogue
Aside from the two opening tracks from South African drummer Asher Gamedze's upcoming release, A Semblance Of Return, the rest of this show features a track from each of the 25 favourite recordings played on One Man's Jazz in 2025. These were chosen from recordings released by artists from almost 40 different countries. It was a very, very good year! Playlist Asher Gamedze “Air (If Involvedness)" from A Semblance Of Return (Northern Spy) 00:00 Asher Gamedze “Following Up" ...
Continue ReadingKerry Politzer: Alternate Route
by Dan McClenaghan
A first impression as pianist Kerry Politzer's ninth album spins: This is an artist adept at bringing a band together for a one-day studio outing to play a bunch of her forward-leaning compositions to turn out a vibrant, crisp-sounding set. Obvious also, on tune # 1--"Before It's Too Late"--is that guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has a special genius for pairings with pianists. He proved that with his contribution to Jo-Yu Chen's Stranger (Okeh Records, 2014), and he is in the mix ...
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