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.

Album Review

Tomeka Reid Quartet: Dance! Skip! Hop!

Read "Dance! Skip! Hop!" reviewed by Jeff Cebulski

by Jeff Cebulski
April 30, 2026

Spring arrives; along with the typical climactic inconsistencies, the jazz market blooms. One of the early blossoms is a minor label treat, Dance! Skip! Hop! from the cellist Tomeka Reid and her quartet. This could be a major season for the adopted Chicagoan Reid, who is also featured on an ECM album from pianist Craig Taborn, Dream Archives (ECM Records, 2026). Dance! Skip! Hop! Is the album of choice, the second album from the quartet that includes the guitarist du jour Mary ...

Live Review

Coltrane 100 at Freight and Salvage

by Roy Strassman
April 30, 2026

Coltrane 100 Freight and Salvage Berkeley, CA April 15, 2026 Chatting with Joe Lovano after the evening's proceedings, I remarked, “How amazing it must be to have a group of all top notch New York bandleaders," to which he replied, “Combining bandleader personnel does not always produce what you might expect!" On this night in the heart of Berkeley, however, the performance of this group of stellar cats far exceeded one's wildest expectations; it was ...

Album Review

Jared Hall: Hometown

by Jack Bowers
April 30, 2026

The Hometown in question is Spokane, Washington, where trumpeter and composer Jared Hall was born and raised. On his third album for Origin Records, Hall salutes the hometown to which he has returned after years as a touring musician with a splendid series of his original compositions and new readings of others by Bobby Hutcherson and Thelonious Monk. To help carry out his plan, Hall enlisted the services of four stellar sidemen: tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts, pianist Ben ...

Radio & Podcasts

More Sugar on the Frosted Flakes, Please

by Patrick Burnette
April 30, 2026

The boys take a peek at four releases from 2025 sprawling all over the map. If you ever wondered what would happen if Dave Brubeck met an African percussion ensemble, you're about to find out. You'll also find out why evocations of the “young lions" period gives Pat PTSD, how a vocalist / trumpeter's new release deals with actual trauma, and why putting more sugar on your frosted flakes still won't help you catch up with a mononym keyboard wonder-woman.

Album Review

Melissa Errico: I Can Dream, Can't I?: Illusions & Conversations from the Great American Songbook

Read "I Can Dream, Can't I?: Illusions & Conversations from the Great American Songbook" reviewed by Jacob Sylvester

by Jacob Sylvester
April 30, 2026

In I Can Dream, Can't I?: Illusions & Conversations from the Great American Songbook, Tony Award-nominated Broadway actress, singer, and writer Melissa Errico proves once again that she is one of the best at keeping classic songs alive. Released in early 2026, the album uses a less is more style. Instead of a big orchestra, it features a quiet, late-night feel. This record feels less like a big show and more like a private conversation. While legends like Ella Fitzgerald and ...

Radio & Podcasts

New Music From Joe Lovano, Peter Erskine, George J. Gilliam And More

by Bob Osborne
April 30, 2026

This collection offers a sophisticated journey through the expansive landscape of contemporary jazz, balancing reverent interpretations of the tradition with bold, experimental frontiers. From intimate trio dialogues and reimagined standards to the sweeping textures of modern orchestral arrangements, these selections highlight the genre's remarkable ability to evolve while staying rooted in its core values of improvisation and rhythmic rigour. Whether exploring the avant-garde edges of the New York scene or the storied heritage of European jazz, this playlist serves as ...

Radio & Podcasts

Celebrating Duke Ellington's Late-Period Creative Music On His 127th Birthday And More

by Lawrence Peryer
April 30, 2026

This week's Rotations marks the 127th birth anniversary of Duke Ellington with a deep dive into the final fifteen years of his career. Those were the years of surprising, searching work that tends to get overlooked in favor of the canonical recordings. Ellington appears in four different contexts: sacred, suite, duo, and globe-spanning large ensemble. Close your eyes and listen without the name attached.Opening and closing sets from a variety of contemporary artists frame the Ellington material.

Anatomy of a Standard

"Good Morning, Heartache" by Irene Higginbotham

by Tish Oney
April 29, 2026

"Good Morning, Heartache" by Irene Higginbotham with lyrics by Ervin Drake and Dan Fisher remains one of the most well-known songs composed by Higginbotham, a highly prolific female songwriter of the Tin Pan Alley era, writing over 1,000 songs. Originally recorded by Billie Holiday in 1946, “Good Morning, Heartache" was later recorded by hordes of other vocalists including Diana Ross for the 1972 film, Lady Sings the Blues, in which Ross portrayed Holiday. Twenty-six years after it was composed and ...

Album Review

Lawson Rollins: Next Steps

Read "Next Steps" reviewed by Dean Nardi

by Dean Nardi
April 29, 2026

Next Steps is a mainstream but delightful mix of jaunty and splendid originals from gifted North Carolina acoustic guitarist Lawson Rollins, continuing his steady rise into the ranks of the finest contemporary musicians. These are ingenious transformations of his eleven heady compositions into rich improvisations in the company of fine musicians who have played with him over the years. Listening to Rollins play guitar, one is struck by not only the sheer magnitude of his prowess, but how ...

Live Review

Coltrane 100 at The Freight

by Harry S. Pariser
April 29, 2026

Coltrane 100: Both Directions at Once The Freight Berkeley, CA April 15, 2026 On September 23, 1926, in Hamlet, North Carolina, a child was born. He would have--by the time of his untimely demise at the age of 40--an immense influence on the structure, performance of, and future of the music known as jazz. John William Coltrane was a force of nature. And his influence still reigns strong today. At 73, Joe Lovano ...