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.

In Pictures

Aaron Parks Trio & Kurt Rosenwinkel at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa

by Marek J. Śmietański
April 10, 2026

A collection of photos from the Aaron Parks Trio & Kurt Rosenwinkel concert at Bielsko Cultural Centre in Bielsko-Biała on March 19, 2026 featuring Aaron Parks, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Street and Cornelia Nilsson. Other photo reports from the same festival: Francesca Tandoi Trio at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Dave Holland & Lionel Loueke at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Steve Coleman and Five Elements at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa, Wayne's Sessions for Miles and Lee at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. The rest coming ...

Album Review

Joel Lyssarides: Late On Earth

Read "Late On Earth" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
April 10, 2026

One might debate whether the phrase “lies, damn lies and statistics" belongs to nineteenth-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli or to Mark Twain, but it is hard to dispute the popularity reflected in over 100 million streams. Whatever the numbers say, Swedish pianist : Joel Lyssarides' music is clearly resonating with audiences around the world. Alongside his streaming success, Lyssarides has accumulated numerous jazz awards, which makes it all the more intriguing that the two words most naturally ...

Radio & Podcasts

The Legacy of Billy Strayhorn, part I: Lush Life, Take the A Train and more

by Larry Slater
April 10, 2026

Billy Strayhorn had one of the most unusual careers in jazz. Today his genius as a composer of jazz and song is uniformly acknowledged, but that was not the case during his lifetime. Strayhorn spent his entire career as in Duke Ellington's words, “his composing and arranging partner."Many of his most famous creations were often attributed to Ellington, and Strayhorn rarely sought the limelight. It wasn't until several decades after his death in 1967 that jazz writers and ...

Radio & Podcasts

You're a Funny Guy

by Monk Rowe
April 10, 2026

Find a gathering of jazz musicians and you'll hear laughter and humorous stories galore. Lou Marini, Dave Pell, Jake Hanna, Bill Watrous, and Joe Wilder make Episode 38 one to smile about. ...

The Big Question

What Shapes Jazz Improvisation: Culture, Training, or the Moment?

by Anastasia Bogomolets
April 10, 2026

Improvisation is widely regarded as an inherent characteristic of jazz, with the exception of a few subgenres. At the same time, there is a contrasting view that much of modern improvisation amounts to a recombination of well-learned, drilled scales and licks. There is also a third dimension to consider: many folk music traditions across cultures incorporate improvisation as an essential element. This leads to a broader question: to what extent does a musician's cultural background shape ...

Live Review

Big Ears 2026

by Mark Sullivan
April 9, 2026

Big Ears Festival Knoxville, TN March 26-29, 2026 Another year, another jam-packed festival lineup. The Spotlight presentations included SUSS Presents Across the Horizon, an ambient country experience; films and performances related to Ethiopia's musical legacy; and David Byrne's Who is the Sky? Polish pianist/composer Hania Rani offered an ambient concert and the North American premiere of her piano concerto; returning saxophonist/composer John Zorn was featured in a 12-performance series; and there were several performances by Laurie ...

So You Don't Like Jazz

5 Epic Jazz Songs That Forever Changed the World

by Alan Bryson
April 9, 2026

So You Don't Like Jazz normally focuses on ways to turn people on to jazz, but this column focuses on five jazz songs whose impact profoundly changed modern music. In the process they also demonstrated that jazz could be successful in a modern culture dominated by pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues. Arguably the two most powerful examples were released in 1959, on the cusp of the '60s, followed by another in 1961, and then two more examples ...

Album Review

Albert Ayler Quintet: Copenhagen, Bordeaux 1966 & Newport 1967 Live First Release

Read "Copenhagen, Bordeaux 1966 & Newport 1967 Live First Release" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
April 9, 2026

Heroin addicts often speak of chasing that first high for the rest of their lives. A similar impulse can be found among devoted listeners of Charlie Parker, the Grateful Dead and especially free jazz, perhaps most intensely among followers of saxophonist Albert Ayler. That initial encounter with Ayler's music, whether live or on record, can feel transformative, even overwhelming. Once experienced, it becomes something listeners spend years trying to rediscover. Maybe you were fortunate enough to hear Ayler ...

Album Review

Marty Ehrlich and Julius Hemphill: Circle the Heart

Read "Circle the Heart" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
April 9, 2026

As a teenager in St. Louis, Missouri in the 1970s, young multi-instrumentalist Marty Ehrlich encountered the Black Artists Group, the pathbreaking musical collective co- founded by Julius Hemphill in 1968, and he eventually came to work closely with Hemphill for many years. Hemphill, himself an accomplished multi- instrumentalist on alto, soprano sax and flute, was an invaluable mentor for Ehrlich, particularly starting in the late 1970s when both musicians were working in New York City. Then, when health problems began ...

Radio & Podcasts

New Music from Smith, Wendel, Fraser, Sweenie & More

by Bob Osborne
April 9, 2026

This selection offers a sophisticated journey through the expansive landscape of contemporary and classic jazz, seamlessly blending intricate post-bop textures with avant-garde exploration and orchestral grandeur. From the evocative, cinematic atmospheres to the raw, legendary improvisations, the tracks traverse a broad spectrum of emotional and technical brilliance. Modern leaders provide a fresh dialogue between tradition and innovation, ensuring a listening experience that is as intellectually stimulating as it is harmonically rich. Whether navigating the tightly knit polyrhythms of a modern ...