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

Civil Disobedience: Blue Note In The Progressive Sixties

Read "Blue Note In The Progressive Sixties" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
April 29, 2026

Bassist and educator David Ambrosio's quintet Civil Disobedience: Blue Note in the Progressive Sixties is both a tribute and a reclamation, a love letter to the music, the musicians and the social movements that shaped a turbulent era. The project was sparked by a student, which led Ambrosio to revisit a body of Blue Note recordings from the 1960s that had been shelved for years. As jazz-rock fusion rose in popularity and Alfred Lion sold the label, many adventurous post-bop ...

Radio & Podcasts

Mike Westbrook 1936 - 2026 & More

by Jerome Wilson
April 29, 2026

About half of this episode is dedicated to the work of pianist and composer Mike Westbrook who passed away on April 11, 2026. Music from some of Westbrook's large and small groups will be played as well as a performance with his wife Kate Westbrook. The show will also feature music from Melissa Aldana, Chico Hamilton, and Curtis Amy among others. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia ...

Album Review

Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan

Read "Jackson Plays Dylan" reviewed by Katchie Cartwright

by Katchie Cartwright
April 29, 2026

Bob Dylan without the lyric? Javon Jackson's Jackson Plays Dylan makes a strong case. With two exquisite exceptions, the arrangements are purely instrumental, but Jackson manages to draw us in past the words (he knows we can hear most of them in our heads) to the emotional heart of each piece. More than that, he turns the program into a sort of film score. Each song (scene) dissolves into the next via a snippet of its intro. Starting ...

Interview

Melissa Errico: A Voice Reimagined

by Sherry Rubel
April 28, 2026

Melissa Errico is much more than a Broadway star with a great voice. She is an artist who really digs into the “why" behind the music. Her mentor, Stephen Sondheim, once told her to “sing the silence"--to make the quiet moments in a song just as powerful as the big notes. That advice didn't just change her singing; it changed how she tells stories and how she understands the things so many women often leave unsaid. In this interview, Melissa ...

Interview

Rebekka Salomea: German's Jazz Award's 2026 Artist of the Year

by Ieva Pakalniškytė
April 28, 2026

Held annually on April in Bremen, Germany, jazzahead! marked its 20th edition this year and remains one of the most important gatherings in the global jazz industry--a trade fair, conference, and festival that brings together musicians, promoters, labels, journalists, and cultural professionals from around the world. It serves as a key platform for networking, showcasing new projects, and reflecting on current developments in jazz. One of the highlights of jazzahead! is the German Jazz Award Ceremony, where the prestigious German ...

Album Review

Julian Lage: Scenes From Above

Read "Scenes From Above" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
April 28, 2026

There are always expectations when Julian Lage plays: effortless, assured virtuosity and melodic finesse. Those qualities are present here, but they are deliberately understated, subsumed within a broader emphasis on collective interplay. Produced by Joe Henry, the album resists any attempt to remake Speak to Me. Instead, Lage sought to create an egalitarian session, explicitly avoiding a leader-centric approach. As he has suggested, this was not about “I'm the leader--let's build something around me," but rather about fostering ...

Radio & Podcasts

Happy Birthday Charles Mingus, Carl Allen, and Others; Recent music from Sasha Berliner, Lexingtone, and More

by David W. Daniels
April 28, 2026

Celebrating Charles Mingus' birthday with the (still relevant) classic “Fables of Faubus." Other birthdays recognized include Harvey Mason Sr., Paul Chambers, Joe Henderson, and others. Recently released jazz from Soulive, the Sistering (aka Nnenna Freelon et al), Ingrid Jensen, and others. Classic jazz from Eddie Palmieri, Yusef Lateef, Sonny Rollins, and more.Playlist Eddie Palmieri “Random Thoughts"--from Exploration (Salsa--Jazz--Descarga) (Compilation) (Coco) 00:00 Dr. Lonnie Smith “Scream"--from Live At Club Mozambique (Blue Note) 8:43 Dinah Washington “Love For Sale"--from Verve ...

Album Review

Pete Mills: This Is Now

Read "This Is Now" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
April 28, 2026

Let us imagine asking a sociologist whether something like musical FOMO, fear of missing out, exists. Pete Mills makes a convincing case that it does with This Is Now. Even though we have the recorded evidence, there is a lingering sense that something special happened in the room, something listeners can hear but not fully share. The result is a kind of envy: Mills and his band are clearly having a great time, and their camaraderie radiates across all twelve ...

Album Review

Bria Skonberg: Brass

by Jack Bowers
April 28, 2026

Canadian-born and New York-based trumpeter, vocalist and composer Bria Skonberg focuses almost exclusively on the horn on her seventh recording, the aptly named Brass. Even though Skonberg may be a splendid singer, she plays trumpet so extremely well it's a pretty sure bet that no one but the most diehard lovers of vocal jazz may miss her voice, heard here only on the album's last number, Cole Porter's “You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To." Skonberg's solos ...

Radio & Podcasts

Four new releases from The Ben Markley Big Band, Brian Lynch, Tierney Sutton & Tamir Hendelman, and Ulysses Owens, Jr.

by George Graham
April 28, 2026

George Graham presents four new and varied jazz releases. Playlist Ben Markley “Tell the Truth" from Tuesday Morning Feeling (OA2l) 06:13 Ben Markley “NPS" from Tuesday Morning Feeling (OA2) 07:41 Brian Lynch “The Luck of the Draw" from Torch Bearers (Holistic Music Works) 6:02 Brian Lynch “7-24" from The Luck of the Draw (Holistic Music Works) 5:21 tierney sutton and Tamir Hendelman “S'Wonderful" from Spring (BFM Jazz) 5:38 Tierney Sutton and Tamir Hendleman"April Come She Will" from Spring ...