Jazz Articles
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Jack Wood: Movie Magic. Great Songs from the Movies
by Richard J Salvucci
Someone could be forgiven for thinking that everyone loves music from the movies. After all: Jule Styne; Leslie Bricusse; Johnny Mandel; Sammy Fain; Harry Warren; Richard Rodgers ; Henry Mancini; Johnny Mercer; Antonio Carlos Jobim; Michel Legrand; Bernice Petkere; and Isham Jones is hardly a list of minor talents, but all are represented on Movie Magic. Is it the music itself, the associated film or both that are compelling? Perhaps an emotional connection to a moment, a time, a person ...
Continue ReadingBen Thomas: The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle
by Hector Del Curto
Ben Thomas' music lives in a world where tradition and innovation meet with effortless grace. Deeply rooted in the authentic rhythms of Argentine tango, yet fearlessly modern in spirit, his compositions offer a rich tapestry of layered polyrhythms, inventive melodies, and surprising contrasts--all delivered with intelligence, playfulness, and deep emotional weight. From the very first notes, you're drawn into a musical landscape where humor and melancholy coexist, where rhythmic intricacy never sacrifices heart, and where the spirit of ...
Continue ReadingTheo Croker, Sarah Buechi, Jon Irabagon, Nicholas Payton and Anais Reno
by Hobart Taylor
New releases from Theo Croker, Jon Irabagon, Anais Reno and Nicholas Payton.Playlist Yuko Mabuchi “Tribute to my Homeland" from Quantum (SRG Jazz/Universal) 00:00 Satoko Fujii “ Aruku" from Dream a Dream (Libra) 9:08 Host Speaks 19:47 Jon Irabagon “At What Price Garlic" from Someone to Someone (Irabbagast) 21:09 James Brandon Lewis “Left Alone" from Abstraction is Deliverance (Intakt) 32:07 Host Speaks 41:18 Mali Obomsawin “Blood Quantum" from Sweeet Tooth (Out Of Your Head) 43:23 Nicholas Payton “A Smile ...
Continue ReadingAlex Sino / Terry Heimat / Richard Bravo: Alma Libre
by Karan Khosla
Some albums carry the signature of a single artist. Alma Libre, which translates to “Free Soul," takes a different path, shaped by a team of Grammy-winning producers, arrangers and musicians who thrive on collaboration. Producers Alex Sino and Richard Bravo, along with conductor and arranger Terry Heimat (Taras Kutsenko), steer the album's direction; the performers include Cuban trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval, saxophonist Ed Calle, pianist Milton Salcedo, guitarist Francis Goya Francis Goya, trumpeters Terry Heimat and Julio Ariel Díaz, pianists ...
Continue ReadingA Few Of My Favorite 2025 Jazz Things (So Far), Part 2
by Ludovico Granvassu
With the past six months delivering an unstoppable stream of excellent new albums, we take stock and focus on the standout songs and compositions that have left a mark.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison, One O'Clock Lab Band “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Allison Miller “Big and Lovely" Big & Lovely (Royal Potato Family) 0:16 Host talks 7:48 Eleonora Strino “Matilde" Matilde (Cam Jazz) 8:49 Host talks 13:45 Adam Baldych “Canon" Portraits (ACT) ...
Continue ReadingAndrea Motis, Ches Smith, and Noah Haidu
by Jerome Wilson
This program features modern jazz from Spain and Japan as well as older and newer music from the U. S. Musicians heard on the show include Andrea Motis, Ches Smith, Satoko Fujii, Keith Oxman, Milt Jackson, and Noah Haidu. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 0:00 Enrico Rava “Outsider" from New York Days (ECM) 00:55 Billy Mintz “Destiny" from Mintz ...
Continue ReadingTilles Jazz Festival 2025
by Dan Bilawsky
Almost a year to the day after the inaugural Tilles Jazz Festival took flight, the second edition was in full swing. This large-scale event--a collaboration between Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and Jazz at Lincoln Center, held on July 19, 2025 on the Brookville campus of Long Island University--boasted four well-set stages and nine artful acts. Running from midday through evening, there was no shortage of fine music for attendees to hear. The daytime offered a fair ...
Continue ReadingSteve Nelson: Ceora
by Carl Medsker
For those who love the bright, ringing sound of the vibraphone, this is something of a golden age. In addition to an abundance of talented musicians dedicated exclusively to the vibraphone, numerous percussionists also employ mallet instruments over an expansive range of styles. On the double CD A Common Language (Timeless Records, 2025), veteran Steve Nelson interprets fifteen well-known standards accompanied by Joris Teepe on bass and Eric Ineke on drums. The trio setting allows Nelson to shine across a ...
Continue ReadingIngi Bjarni Skúlason: Hope
by Glenn Astarita
Ingi Bjarni Skúlason's seventh album, Hope, released on January 17, 2025, is a poignant exploration of grief and resilience, exquisitely woven into a Nordic jazz tapestry. This Icelandic pianist and composer, joined by truly estimable artists--Anders Jormin on double bass, Hilmar Jensson on guitar and Magnús Trygvason Eliassen on drums--crafts a soundscape that is both introspective and expansively beautiful. The quartet's synergy, finely honed at the Reykjavik Jazz Festival, shines across nine tracks, each a quiet meditation on loss and ...
Continue ReadingAnaïs Reno: Lady of the Lavender Mist
by Pierre Giroux
Anaïs Reno continues to strengthen her reputation among the top young interpreters of the Great American Songbook with her album Lady of the Lavender Mist. Four years after her debut, Reno returns with greater vocal maturity, deeper interpretive insights, and support from a seasoned rhythm section featuring guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist David Wong and drummer Joe Farnsworth. This ensemble grounds the project in classic jazz values while allowing her plenty of space to shine as she performs a set of ...
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