Live Review

Reporting on live jazz from around the globe.

Adam O'Farrill's ELEPHANT at BOP STOP

by John Chacona
September 26, 2026

Adam O'Farrill's ELEPHANT BOP STOP at the Music Settlement Cleveland, OH September 9, 2026 What might have been on the minds of listeners who considered attending a concert by Adam O'Farrill's ELEPHANT, but who didn't know quite what to expect? Since the band had a name and not a generic description (it could have been called the Adam O'Farrill Quartet), would it play rock-inspired music? A little research into the leader's distinguished lineage ...

Punkt Festival 2026

by Nenad Georgievski
September 23, 2026

Punkt FestivalTeateret/KunstsiloKristiansand, Norway September 3-5, 2026 Kristiansand does not announce itself the way a festival city usually does. The southern Norwegian port sits low along a coastline of pale granite and pine, its old town a grid of white wooden houses running down to Fiskebrygga, a fishing-harbor district where cruise ships dock a short walk from the quay. Just across the water, the wooded hill of Odderøya--once a naval base, now laced with ...

Den Andre Festivalen #9

by Daniel Mège
September 22, 2026

Den Andre Festivalen Oslo, Norway September 4-5, 2026 The Other Festival, The Other Collective, The Other Ensemble, Other Records: a unique binational initiative L'Autre Festival/Den Andre Festivalen (in French and Norwegian; The Other Festival) is a unique jazz festival that grew out of a master's project at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. In 2019, five students from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique (CNSM) in Paris founded L'Autre Collectif/Det Andre Kollektivet (The Other Collective). ...

Islay Jazz Festival 2026: Festival Round-Up

by Mark McKergow
September 18, 2026

Caol Ila Islay Jazz Festival Islay, Scotland September 11-13, 2026 The 27th jazz festival on the Scottish whisky island of Islay (pronounced eye-la) brought together the best of Scotland's burgeoning jazz talent, particularly younger players, with international guests. With shows in distilleries, village halls, bird sanctuaries and other unexpected venues, the weekend was a magical experience. September 11, 2026 The festival opened with two shows in the hi-tech Caol Ila distillery visitor center. ...

Fergus McCreadie Solo: Brahms And Beyond At Islay Jazz Festival

by Mark McKergow
September 17, 2026

Fergus McCreadie Caol Ila Islay Jazz Festival Islay, Scotland September 12, 2026 Piano virtuoso Fergus McCreadie stepped into new territory with this extraordinary solo performance, pairing Brahms' piano music with his own improvisation. The idea proved irresistible, drawing the largest ticket sales in the festival's history. The music will stay with everyone lucky enough to hear it. McCreadie is a leading figure in the new wave of Scottish jazz. His award-winning albums Cairn (Edition ...

Laura Macdonald Quartet at Caol Ila Islay Jazz Festival

by Mark McKergow
September 16, 2026

Laura Macdonald QuartetCaol Ila Islay Jazz Festival Islay, Scotland September 12, 2026 Ayrshire-born and Berklee-educated saxophonist, composer and educator Laura Macdonald has been a central figure in Scottish jazz for a quarter century. She first performed at the Islay festival in 2000, has released four albums and was named Best Scottish Jazz Performer in 2021. In 2022, she became the first female saxophone lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and later stepped into the role ...

Detroit Jazz Festival 2026: A Gathering in a Great Jazz City

by Paul Rauch
September 15, 2026

Detroit Jazz Festival 2026 Hart Plaza Detroit, MI September 4-7, 2026 Thursday evening is when artists, media and event staffers begin to file into the Detroit Marriott, arriving from points around the globe. The common purpose is the 47th annual Detroit Jazz Festival, an annual tradition on Labor Day weekend. The largest free jazz festival in the world is four days of music, fellowship, celebration and counting one's blessings. In 2026, Mother Nature decided to ...

Ursa Major at Miner Auditorium

by Steven Roby
September 15, 2026

Christian McBride's Ursa Major Miner Auditorium San Francisco, CA September 13, 2026 Christian McBride stood toward the rear of the Miner Auditorium stage Sunday night, directing traffic from behind Nicole Glover and Ely Perlman. Even when he switched from upright to electric bass and began one of his fleet, muscular solos, he remained there. The placement suited Ursa Major. McBride may have assembled the quintet, but its final concert of SFJAZZ's season-opening residency drew its force ...

Hingetown Jazz Festival 2026

by John Chacona
September 14, 2026

Hingetown Jazz Festival BOP STOP, Jukebox and Saucy Brew Works Cleveland, OH September 5, 2026 Birds flyin' high, you know how I feel Sun in the sky, you know how I feel Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel Beloved Cleveland vocalist Evelyn Wright knew what she was doing when she chose “Feeling Good," the bluesy Anthony Newly song, to be the first music heard at the 2026 ...

Kalia Vandever at LOFT in Cologne

by Matty Bannond
September 13, 2026

Kalia Vandever, Simon Jermyn, Florian Herzog, Jonas Burgwinkel LOFT Cologne Jazzweek Cologne, Germany September 8, 2026 Loft is stashed away in an unassuming side-street courtyard. It offers seats for around 100 visitors, who must first prove their fortitude by tramping up five flights of narrow stairs. After attaining the summit on September 8, they met a sharp tang of cleaning products and a small performance space with a baby grand piano tucked behind ...