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.
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All About Music—My AAJ Experience
by Alan Bryson
Music & Taste Music and food have a lot in common. Variety is the key--without it, even the best prepared food loses its appeal. It is telling that we speak of “musical taste," even though we experience music through our ears. Genres like jazz and classical music weave together themes, patterns, harmonies, and mathematical relationships that usher the mind into a world of stimulating complexity. These genres are like a fine, multi-course meal--each movement and variation unfolding to ...
Continue ReadingAnton Mikhailov: Today Yesterday
by Jack Kenny
Anton Mikhailov's life, like his music, reflects the complex and often tumultuous journey of an artist in Eastern Europe. Born in the conflict- ridden Horlivka, Donetsk region of Ukraine, his path led him from the Murmansk College of Art to Moscow and eventually to his current home in Tbilisi, Georgia. This nomadic existence and the emotional weight of his travels are the central themes of his album Today Yesterday. According to Mikhailov, the album is deeply autobiographical. The compositions serve ...
Continue ReadingAnthony Wilson Nonet At Joe Henderson Lab
by Steven Roby
Anthony Wilson Nonet Joe Henderson Lab San Francisco, CA September 4, 2025 Anthony Wilson chose a high-wire debut for his first time leading his own band at SFJAZZ: nine musicians packed onto the Joe Henderson Lab's stage--roughly 20 by 12 feet--to open the 2025-26 season. The Nonet fit like a well-designed puzzle. More importantly, the sound breathed. The Lab's acoustics let dense voicings bloom without smear, and the band used the intimacy to make ...
Continue ReadingRandy Napoleon: Waking Dream
by Pierre Giroux
In Waking Dream, guitarist Randy Napoleon has assembled a musical family whose shared history fosters a strong sense of cohesion, one that goes beyond the leader's skillful guitar work. Longtime collaborators bassist [[ {{m: Rodney Whitaker, pianist Rick Roe and drummer Quincy Davis form the rhythmic and harmonic foundation, while four additional guitarists , Luke Sittard, Chris Minami, Jocelyn Gould and Ben Turner, create a rich sonic tapestry reminiscent of a modern guitar choir. Throughout the tracks, there are also ...
Continue ReadingKelly Green, Jen Allen, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride Big Band, Gino Amato & More
by Mary Foster Conklin
This broadcast includes new releases from Kelly Green, Jen Allen, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride Big Band and Gino Amato, with birthday shoutouts to Alice Coltrane, Dinah Washington, Adrienne Fenemor, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Linda May Han Oh, Meshell Ndegeocello, Rachel Eckroth and Vicki Burns, among others, plus a remembrance of Honorable Man Ronny Whyte. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear--see them live, buy their music so they can continue to comfort, distract, provoke and remind the world that ...
Continue ReadingMeet Adam Hopkins
by Cheryl K.
During this week's one-hour program of jazz and improvised music, news, radio, conversations and more, an interview with bassist, composer, and founder of Out of Your Head Records Adam Hopkins. The artist-run, Richmond, VA / Brooklyn, NY-based label has launched a new digital-only series--"Beacons." Playlist Sonny Rollins “Easy Living" from Easy Living (Milestone) 6:09 Don Macdonald “Sonny's Bridge" from Short Stories (Don Macdonald) 3:45 [excerpt] Adam Hopkins “Chemiluminescence" from Crickets (Out of Your Head) 1:26 [excerpt] Kwan/Pauly/Shaw “Range ...
Continue ReadingBlue Note Black Radio Experience
by Ronald Davis
A collection of photos from the Blue Note Black Radio Experience in Napa from August 29, 2025 to August 31, 2025 featuring Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding, Terrace Martin, Questlove, {m: Aneesa Strings, Braxton Cook, freelance, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Soul Rebels, Goapele, Warren G, Little Brother, Willow Smith, Big Daddy Kane, Lupe Fiasco, J Ivy, YEBBA, Baby Rose, Stokley, Kim Burrell and Infinity Song. ...
Continue ReadingFujii/Tamura, Earscratcher, Sam Weinberg & Lisa Marie Simmons
by Maurice Hogue
Pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura definitely are a power couple in the free jazz realm. Whether they are leading their own bands, playing in each other's groups, or collaborating as a duo, the music they make is amazing. Ki is their latest duet album and their tenth as a duo and surprise, it's an all-ballad affair. Poet & singer Lisa Marie Simmons has just released the third part of her Notespeak Series. Like the preceding two, Notespeak (In ...
Continue ReadingOKAN: Joy as Resistance, Rhythm as Home
by Steven Roby
Afro-Cuban duo OKAN creates music that bridges gaps--between Havana and Toronto, ritual and dance floor, refined conservatory training and raw street style. Their name, taken from Santería, means “heart." That rhythm energizes everything they perform: violin complemented by luminous vocals, batá drums, and cajón intertwined with jazz harmony and songs that emphasize joy as both an inherent right and a strategic choice. Co-leaders Elizabeth Rodriguez (violin, vocals) and Magdelys Savigne (aka “Mags") (percussion, vocals) originate from Cuba's classical ...
Continue ReadingMark Winkler: Hold On
by Pierre Giroux
Throughout his extensive career, Mark Winkler has been a steadfast presence on the Los Angeles jazz scene, earning a reputation as one of the most versatile and captivating vocalists in contemporary jazz. With Hold On, his 22nd album, Winkler continues to demonstrate that artistic growth and creative curiosity remain central to his work. While many artists with such a prolific discography might be tempted to rest on their laurels, Winkler continues to push forward, creating new material and thoughtfully reimagining ...
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