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.

Radio & Podcasts

Virginia MacDonald, David Sánchez, Marta Sánchez, Rachele Amore & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
June 16, 2026

Striking debuts, new chapters in established careers, and yet more surprises from relentlessly curious artists--this is a playlist designed to keep your ears on high alert.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 David Sánchez “Lumbalú" Tambó (Ropeadope) 0:16 Host talks 7:21 Virginia MacDonald “Stardust" In Search Of... (Cellar Live) 8:51 Host talks 16:25 Biréli Lagrène “Flair" Elegant People (PeeWee!) 18:18 Alexander Hawkins “Coda over the Fence" No Nation but ...

Album Review

Doug MacDonald: Tribute to South Central

Read "Tribute to South Central" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
June 16, 2026

Doug MacDonald, who more than likely would rather play the guitar than eat, does not like to repeat himself. With more than 30 albums under his belt, that is becoming more difficult than ever. MacDonald, nevertheless, keeps tweaking the size, makeup and experience of his various groups in an effort to produce something fresh and inviting. On his 2026 recording, Tribute to South Central, MacDonald enlisted the services of five musicians with whom he had never before recorded, including his ...

Radio & Podcasts

Classics from Mingus, Della Reese, Ted Curson, and others; New music from Nat Reeves, David Sanchez, Eliane Elias, and others

by David W. Daniels
June 16, 2026

In addition to the artists named in the title, this week's Exploration includes classic jazz from Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Dorham, Yusef Lateef, and others. Also, music from albums yet to be released by David Sanchez and Larry Goldings. Birthday recognition for Tina Brooks, Alex Sipiagin, Geri Allen, and others.Playlist Dominik Kisiel “Space" from Exploration (Alpaka) 00:00 Stanley Turrentine “Light Blue" from That's Where It's At (Blue Note) 10:23 Della Reese “Here's That Rainy Day" from Voice Of An ...

Radio & Podcasts

Miho Hazama, People In Orbit, Joel Lyssarides, Peter Erskine & more

by Marek J. Śmietański
June 16, 2026

The 126th episode presents a wide selection of April releases, offering a rich and stylistically diverse snapshot of contemporary creative music. Compared to the previous month, the program expands further in terms of genre range and aesthetic approaches, moving fluidly between spacious Nordic-inspired soundscapes, experimental and electronic--inflected improvisation, and more tradition-rooted American jazz idioms. The selection highlights the global nature of today's jazz landscape, with contributions from artists around the world and a strong emphasis on both emerging voices and ...

Book Review

Mr. Moonlight: Brian Epstein and the Making of the Beatles By Philip Norman

by Doug Collette
June 16, 2026

Mr. Moonlight: Brian Epstein and the Making of the Beatles Philip Norman368 Pages ISBN: 9780306837234 Da Capo 2026 Logic would suggest Philip Norman is uniquely qualified to write the biography of the late manager of the Beatles, Brian Epstein. After all, the British-born author composed Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation (MJF Books, 1981), a best-selling chronicle of the iconic band. But the subsequent revisionism applied to the work, including Norman's ...

Interview

Michael Mordecai: The Man Who Keeps Austin Jazz Moving

by Hank Hehmsoth
June 15, 2026

Michael Mordecai has spent decades inside the machinery of Austin jazz: on the bandstand, behind the phone, at the booking desk, in the contractor's chair and in the community rooms where musicians, venues and advocates try to keep the music visible. His work has never fit neatly into a single category. Mordecai is a trombonist, bandleader, contractor, booking professional and civic-minded organizer, but his broader role may be more important than any one title. He is one of the people ...

Album Review

Daniel Bennett: The Deconstructed Songbook

Read "The Deconstructed Songbook" reviewed by Konstantin N. Rega

by Konstantin N. Rega
June 15, 2026

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Daniel Bennett takes on a list of covers for his project The Deconstructed Songbook with surprising results. Joined by drummer Koko Bermejo, Jason Yeager on piano, guitarist Nat Janoff and Jeff Dingler on electric bass, the group feels well-rounded. Though Bennett allows himself one original tune near the beginning, it does not feel out of place beside tracks by Horace Silver or Lennon-McCartney. For fans of Joni Mitchell who like the song “Both Sides Now" (even if Judy Collins' version ...

Big Band in the Sky

Remembering James Blood Ulmer: The Incognito Bluesman

by Ian Patterson
June 15, 2026

James Blood Ulmer, the pioneering electric guitarist and singer who first came to prominence in New York in the early '70s, has died at the age of 86. His extraordinarily visceral guitar style--ragged, choppy, spluttering yet deeply emotive--was instantly recognizable. Post-Jimi Hendrix, Ulmer was one of just a handful of guitarists to alter the language of the electric guitar in jazz, blues and funk. Nobody, however, sounded remotely like James Blood Ulmer, whose gravelly vocals were also as distinctive as ...

Album Review

Eric Demuro: Simulacra

Read "Simulacra" reviewed by Andy Crowther

by Andy Crowther
June 15, 2026

Consider a surge of interest in Mediterranean jazz-funk and grooves, built on the Neapolitan nightclub scene and championed by the likes of Nu Genea and labels such as Early Sounds Recordings. Simulacra is a worthy addition to this oeuvre. A Venetian bassist and producer, Eric Demuro has studied formally in New York, spent time working with Swiss pianist Nik Bartsch, and in Berlin's Gifted Culture collective, where the modus operandi is “explorative cross-genre records with a spiritual electronics vibe." A spot-on description ...

Radio & Podcasts

Duchess, Suzanne Pittson, Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kemuel Roig, Eve Cornelious, Chuck Bergeron & More

by Mary Foster Conklin
June 15, 2026

This broadcast celebrates Jazz In June with new music from Duchess, Suzanne Pittson & Bevan Manson, Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kemuel Roig, Eve Cornelious and Chuck Bergeron, with birthday shoutouts to Dakota Staton, Memphis Minnie, Valaida Snow, Bobby Sanabria, Emilie-Claire Barlow and Ian Shaw, among others. 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 A Woman's Place is in the ...