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.

The Blue Note Portal

Reaper on the Bus

by Blue Note Portal
April 26, 2026

The gig in D.C. had been a burner--two encores, standing ovation--but now the lights were low, the coffee was cold, with the five of them sprawled in the back lounge like old friends who'd never left the road. The year 2031 was off to a good start as their bus droned south on I-95, slicing through the Virginia dark. It was 2 a.m., but sleep felt miles away. The adrenaline from the show still pulsed in their veins, ...

Album Review

Daniel Bennett Group: The Deconstructed Songbook

Read "The Deconstructed Songbook" reviewed by Kyle Simpler

by Kyle Simpler
April 26, 2026

In many cases, the idea of “deconstruction" suggests dismantling something to reveal its inner workings. When it comes to art, this is often done in ways that lean toward the avant-garde. But on The Deconstructed Songbook, veteran saxophonist Daniel Bennett takes a different approach. Rather than tearing down familiar material, he reshapes it into something both familiar and modern, offering a new perspective on a collection of mostly well-known songs. Bennett, an award-winning performer and composer with more ...

Radio & Podcasts

Joe Henderson, Tia Fuller, Jack Wood, Dave Stryker & Lionel Cole

by Joe Dimino
April 26, 2026

Turn it up--Episode 955 of Neon Jazz is bursting with flavor and fire. We kick things off with the great Lionel Cole--born into jazz royalty yet carving a bold, unmistakably personal path through the music. From there, we step into another powerful lineage with Tia Fuller, Shamie Royston, and the dynamic sound of Fuller Sound. Then it's on to seasoned masters delivering fresh heat--Dave Stryker drops his 2026 burner Blue Fire, recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio, alongside standout ...

Album Review

Noa Levy & Paul Edis Trio: Portrait In Evans

Read "Portrait In Evans" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
April 26, 2026

Vocals and lyrics are often added to tracks that their composers intended as instrumentals. When those instrumentals form part of the legacy of pianist Bill Evans, the potential for something to go wrong is considerable. Fortunately, nearly everything goes right for singer Noa Levy and the Paul Edis Trio, as their shared devotion to Evans' music sparkles throughout Portrait In Evans. For many listeners, Evans' melodies and touch are so deeply ingrained that anything new may feel odd ...

Radio & Podcasts

Harriet Tubman, Peter Brötzmann, Angelika Niescier and many exciting new releases

by Jon Greenbaum
April 26, 2026

Featuring music from Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity, Ornette Coleman & Prime Time, Elliot Sharp, Ishmael Ali, Ken Vandermark Pulverize, The Sound Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow, Angelika Niescier/Christopher Tordini/Gerald Cleaver, Filippo Sala, Albert Mangelsdorff/Jaco Pastorius/Alphonse Mouzon, Peter Brötzmann/John Edwards/Steve Noble/Jason Adasiewicz, Adam Schatz, Chrome Hill & DŌJŌ NPV, Chris Speed Trio, Aruan Ortiz with Andrew Cyrille and Mauricio Herrera. Playlist Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity “The Root" from Great Intentions (Action Jazz) 00:00 Ornette Coleman & Prime Time ...

Album Review

Cecil Taylor: Fragments: The Complete 1969 Salle Pleyel Concerts

Read "Fragments: The Complete 1969 Salle Pleyel Concerts" reviewed by Joshua Weiner

by Joshua Weiner
April 26, 2026

"On one level you can look at him as one of the grandfathers of the free jazz tradition," says pianist Matthew Shipp of Cecil Taylor in the generous booklet included with Fragments: The Complete 1969 Salle Pleyel Concerts, a three-LP set released by Elemental Music for Record Store Day 2026 (CD and digital releases will also follow). “But on the other hand...(h)e was very insistent that he came out of a certain tradition, and he talked about Ellington, Monk, and ...

Radio & Podcasts

Eric Montzka: Music Doesn't Breathe Anymore

by Mike Jones
April 26, 2026

In this conversation, Eric Montzka shares his journey as a drummer in the Chicago music scene, discussing his early influences, professional experiences, and the evolution of live music. He reflects on the importance of wedding bands, the impact of technology on music, and the future of jazz performance. The discussion highlights the challenges and joys of being a musician in today's world, emphasizing the enduring love for music despite industry changes. ...

Album Review

Anna Elizabeth Kendrick: In Out Of The Rain

Read "In Out Of The Rain" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
April 26, 2026

These albums were recorded more than a decade apart by Chicago-based singer Anna Elizabeth Kendrick who uses her middle name, she says, to avoid confusion with another Anna Kendrick, a singer and actress. The first of these sessions, In Out of the Rain, recorded in 2013, consists of a dozen of Kendrick's original compositions; the second, from 2025, is devoted entirely to standards from the Great American Songbook. Even though she surrounds herself with jazz musicians, Kendrick isn't ...

Album Review

Collin Sherman: Ouroborosuite

Read "Ouroborosuite" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
April 25, 2026

The first sentence in multi-instrumentalist Collin Sherman's liner notes for his 2026 CD Ouroborosuite says: “The United States is eating itself." Ouroboros, the image of a snake eating its tail, is historically seen as a symbol of eternal, cyclical renewal. Sherman is using it as a symbol of self-destruction, specifically to the United States in 2026, as the country sinks into a stinking quagmire of political venom. For Sherman, this is an often strident exploration undertaken in a ...

Multiple Reviews

Branciforte & Barbieri: Ghosts in the Machines

by Geno Thackara
April 25, 2026

Here we have a couple very different varieties of electronics: two deep dives into sound-sculpting that remain determinedly human, however technological or spooky things get. Joseph Branciforte & Jozef Dumoulin ITERAE Greyfade 2026 When describing the thinking behind ambient music, Brian Eno famously said that it should be “as ignorable as it is interesting." If anything, the continual challenge is to do the opposite: practically anyone can create something easy to ignore, but ...