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

Neil Tesser: Music That Made Him and All That Jazz

by Mike Jones
May 27, 2026

In this conversation, Mike Jones and Neil Tesser explore the rich history of jazz, its personal significance in Tesser's life, and the evolution of jazz radio and clubs in Chicago. Tesser shares his early experiences with music, his transition from classical to jazz, and his journey through the vibrant Chicago jazz scene. They discuss the importance of community, education, and the avant-garde movement in jazz, reflecting on how these elements shape the current landscape of jazz music. In this engaging ...

Album Review

Jim Robitaille: Sonic

by Jack Bowers
May 27, 2026

As guitarist in a trio setting, Jim Robitaille has to wear a number of hats: melodic, harmonic and improvisational. And on Sonic, the Massachusetts-based guitarist's ninth recording under his name, Robitaille dons one more headdress, as eight of the album's ten numbers are his original compositions.Robitaille plays his parts well, as do his astute teammates: bassist Tom Casale and drummer Chris Poudrier. Even so, there is a persistent sameness throughout the session that seems to say, “Yes, this ...

In Tribute To...

Miles Davis At 100: A Global Perspective

by Ian Patterson
May 26, 2026

Miles Davis' centenary has arrived. The second century begins. What changes jazz has undergone in the 100 years since Miles Dewey Davis was born in Alton, Illinois on May 26, 1926! Davis was all about change, evolution, growth, and reinvention. A driving force behind many of the changes in direction jazz took during his 65 years on Earth, Davis was also a leader who inspired--one way or another--a host of young musicians who took wing in his various ...

Chats with Cats

The A&R Producer: Matt Pierson

by B.D. Lenz
May 26, 2026

Behind many great records is someone helping shape the music beyond the notes themselves: a producer, collaborator, sounding board, and sometimes even an unofficial artist-development guide. While listeners often focus on the musicians on the cover, producers and A&R figures can play a major role in how a project ultimately comes together--and whether it reaches an audience at all. Few people have occupied that space as successfully as Matt Pierson. Over the years, Pierson has worked with an ...

Album Review

Dave Douglas: Transcend

Read "Transcend" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
May 26, 2026

Dave Douglas has spent a career dodging his own shadow, and that restlessness is precisely what keeps his catalog from ever feeling stagnant. Transcend locates its friction point between two titans who seem unlikely to share the same oxygen: the spiritual grandeur of Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts and the dense, mosaic canvases of painter Jack Whitten.The weight of the album rests on the chemistry of this specific quintet. With James Brandon Lewis on tenor, Tomeka Reid on cello, ...

Album Review

Simon Hanes: Gargantua

Read "Gargantua" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
May 26, 2026

Two quotes come to mind in the wake of Simon Hanes' Gargantua. The first is from Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction: “Camera got them images / Camera got them all / Nothing's shocking... “ The second, often attributed to William S. Burroughs: “Nothing is true, everything is permitted." Taken together, they suggest a world where boundaries dissolve and meaning becomes fluid. Hanes both affirms and challenges that premise in this sprawling, provocative work. Gargantua is written for an ...

Radio & Podcasts

Jazz Classics from the '80s and '90s including Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, and others; new music from Gregory Hutchinson, Eliane Elias, and more

by David W. Daniels
May 26, 2026

In addition to the artists named in the title, classic '80s and '90s jazz is featured by Wallace Roney, Joe Lovano, and others. New jazz fusion from Brooklyn Funk Essentials and the UK band Knat is included. Birthday recognition given for Ralph Peterson, Cecil McBee, Tom Scott, and others.Playlist Chick Corea “Puccini's Walk" from Further Explorations (Concord Jazz) 00:00 Wallace Roney “For Duke" from Intuition (Muse) 7:56 Joe Lovano “Lines And Spaces" from From The Soul (Blue Note) ...

Album Review

David Janeway: David Janeway Trio/Live At Blue Llama

Read "David Janeway Trio/Live At Blue Llama" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
May 26, 2026

Live at Blue LLama by the David Janeway Trio was recorded in June 2024 at the Blue LLama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it is the kind of album that is unforced, deeply conversational, and grounded in a shared musical trust. Pianist Janeway has long valued rhythmic authority and melodic clarity over display and possesses a composer's sense of proportion. He is paired with Billy Hart, a drummer whose influence spans generations, and Robert Hurst, a bassist deeply ...

Radio & Podcasts

A set of tracks from 10 new big band albums released so far in 2026, including Kurt Elling, John Beasley and 8 others

by George Graham
May 26, 2026

George Graham presents a cross-section of tracks from 10 new Big Band albums released so far during 2026. Playlist Javier Nero “The Fourth Dimension" from Alkebulan (Outside In) 7:28 Ben Markley Big Band “Off Minor" from Tuesday Morning Feeling (OA2) 6:32 Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra “Ain't No Sidekick" from Multiversal (Self Released) 5:41 Paul Keller Jazz Orchestra “Jer's Latin Tune" from Thank You Notes (Cold Plunge) 5:57 Dan West Big Band “Besmirched, Befuddled and Verklempt" from Presenting ...

Album Review

Callum Au: Sing Seven Seas

Read "Sing Seven Seas" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
May 26, 2026

Callum Au is not one for half measures. As an arranger he has worked with international orchestras and contributed to movie scores; as a performer he is an in-demand session trombonist. He steps into the spotlight with Sing Seven Seas, a project of genuinely epic ambition: 81 musicians, a voiceover artist, 16 compositions and nearly two hours of music. The album explores classic swing, progressive orchestral arrangements and contemporary jazz, with Au contributing trombone alongside a remarkable cast of cross-generational ...