The Big Question
Physical, digital or streamed? How do you like your recorded jazz?
by Chris May
Time was, round about when jazz was raising its head in New Orleans, if you wanted an affordable car it had to be a Ford Model T. And as Henry Ford said, perhaps apocryphally, you could have had any color you liked as long as it was black. Much the same went for recorded music. You could have had any format you wanted as long as it was a physical phonograph record. Today, we can choose between a multiplicity of ...
read moreHow Do You Rate Miles Davis’ Music, On Record and Live, In The 1980s?
by Ian Patterson
The release of The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: That's What Happened 1982-1985 invites renewed reflection on Miles Davis' music in the 1980s. A few tracks aside, these studio outtakes from the recording sessions that produced Star People (Columbia, 1983), Decoy (Columbia, 1984) and You're Under Arrest (Columbia, 1985) don't amount to a whole heap of beans, which is hardly surprising if they were not good enough to make the official album releases. But the previously unreleased live album ...
read moreWho Are The Stars Today?
by Joseph Vella
The other day a friend asked me the all-important question: Who are the new “stars" in jazz today? Some names that came to mind were James Francies, Oded Tzur, and Julian Lage but would I call them “stars" of the music? Technically proficient artists? Yes. Stars? Not sure. Today, there is no shortage of gifted artists of all ilks but does anyone stand apart like Buddy, Freddie, Nina, Herbie, Grover or Eliane? And what about influential bands like ...
read moreJazz in a Snow Globe
by Joseph Vella
One of the greatest gifts of listening to jazz is to simply get lost inside of a track and have it transport you to a state of bliss. These special pieces of music often discovered over time through countless of hours of listening. Like the diamonds of the music, no matter the era or style, they just shine. I like to call these magical gems “Snow Globe Jazz"—these tracks do everything you need for them to do. They're ...
read moreWhat Jazz Is Best For Running?
by Steve Cook
New York City isn't just an epicenter for the music that All About Jazz readers love. It is also home to the largest marathon in the world. With tens of thousands training for the upcoming race, this edition of The Big Question considers: What jazz is best for running? The following reflects on the question through four different lenses: at the gym, long runs, night running and with audiobook fans in mind. What jazz gets you pumped, fuels you for ...
read moreHow many listens does it take to grok an album?
by Doug Collette
A neologism coined by American writer Robert A. Heinlein for his 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1961), “grok“ is summarized in the Oxford English Dictionary as “to understand intuitively or by empathy, to establish rapport with" and “to empathize or communicate sympathetically (with)"; “also, to experience enjoyment." As a freelance writer devoted to music, the greatest of all art forms, I have the privilege of not only listening to a lot ...
read moreMusic and Evolution: Hearing Math, Seeing Sound, and other Unanswered Questions
by Kurt Ellenberger
Music and Evolution: A Brief Overview The evidence presented in the research on music and evolution, beginning with Darwin himself,[1] focusses largely on music's purported ability to support “mate selection, parental care, coalition signaling, and group cohesion," [2] language development, [3] and other things. The prevailing evolutionary theories about music follow Darwin's lead--they are predominately sociological, cultural, and behavioral in nature. Other researchers cite explanations that are more utilitarian: How did music evolve? Here, we show ...
read moreAnymore, does Facebook help your business / career? If so, to what extent?
by Michael Ricci
I'll admit, I was never a Facebook fan. First, I'm mostly a private person, but more importantly, I have precious time and spend it fully on building All About Jazz and Jazz Near You. Not to mention, Facebook has not been kind to independent web publishers, causing many to shutter over the years. My last Facebook post occurred around the time drummer Ralph Peterson passed--it included a link to an archived All About Jazz interview. After three days, ...
read moreHow do you use All About Jazz & Jazz Near You and how would you like to see them improve?
by Michael Ricci
All About Jazz--which includes Jazz Near You--is a 23-year project in the making. We improve the platform daily, grow our community, build our mailing list, and continue to balance a presentation that informs and entertains jazz fans and provides professional services to jazz professionals. Engagement and usage vary from reader to reader and member to member. We're curious to know which areas, sections, or services you value most and how you feel they can ...
read morePresenting Problem
by Duncan Heining
Jazz often appears to exist within its own cultural and artistic paradigm, isolated from other arts and in its own discreet musical corner. Worse still from the perspective of those who would hope to make a living from it, it often seems that more people want to play the music than listen to it or, more significantly, pay for the privilege. No one would want to suggest that jazz should try to compete with the glitz and pomp of rock ...
read moreShowcase
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