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.
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Malaby Reed Smiley Coulter: Continental Divide
by Glenn Astarita
A crackling energy permeates Continental Divide, as if the album itself straddles tectonic plates, with the music shifting and erupting underfoot like a geological tempest in full bloom. Saxophonist Tony Malaby and trumpeter Josh D. Reed, masters of controlled chaos, lead this exploratory quartet with raw yet precise lines amid urgent, reflective, and occasionally transcendent musings. The ensemble plunges headfirst into free jazz, crafting spontaneous yet cohesive sonic landscapes that feel as vast and unpredictable as the geographical feature the ...
Continue ReadingPatrice Rushen, Peter Bernstein, Alice Zawadzki, Ezra Collective
by Ludovico Granvassu
Revelations and confirmations in a playlist that mixes new releases and reissues bridging tradition and innovation.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Ezra Collective “Expensive" Dance, No One's Watching (Partisan) 0:16 Host talks 6:27 Patrice Rushen “Haw-Right On" Prelusion (Prestige) 7:20 Host talks 15:21 Joe Webb “100 years of Bill & Lil" Hamstrings & Hurricanes (Edition) 16:42 Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas, Misha Mullov-Abbado “Golden Lady" Ze Gorami (ECM) 20:18 ...
Continue ReadingLucian Ban and Mat Maneri: Transylvanian Dance
by Scott Gudell
Classical composer Bela Bartok was fascinated by folk melodies he heard throughout his native Transylvania at the close of the 19th century / beginning of the 20th century. Similar to when American musicologist Alan Lomax journeyed into the rural communities of the US (and other counties), Bartok journeyed deep into his native countryside to research and collect songs. He eventually archived approximately 3600 pieces on the then-prevalent cylinders. It was not long before he incorporated some of those sounds into ...
Continue ReadingHold Music, Chord Changes, and Undisclosed Recipients
by Mr. P.C.
Hold MusicDear Mr. P.C.: When I call a business and get put on hold, it seems like they usually have jazz as their hold music. Here's the thing: I don't usually like jazz (can I admit that to you?), but the jazz they play is really good! Where can I find live jazz bands that play like that? --Happy to be Held Dear Happy: It's not that there aren't jazz groups playing ...
Continue ReadingJohanna Summer / Jakob Manz: Cameo
by Neil Duggan
Cameo showcases the remarkable partnership between pianist Johanna Summer and saxophonist Jakob Manz. While their instrumental prowess shines throughout, the duo's true strength lies in their diverse musical influences. These varied inspirations infuse their compositions with unexpected twists that transcend the conventional boundaries of their chosen instruments. Classical music can often be found at the heart of European jazz and serves as the dominant influence on pianist Summer. She frequently performs at classical music venues, often playing free ...
Continue ReadingOlivia Trummer Trio at Piacenza Jazz Fest 2025
by Danilo Codazzi
A collection of photos from the Olivia Trummer Trio concert at Fondazione di Piacenza e Vigevano Auditorium in Piacenza on January 29, 2025 featuring Olivia Trummer, Makar Novikov, and Earl Harvin. ...
Continue ReadingDörner-Schwerdt-Sartorius: Jul Fuel
by Mark Corroto
Jul Fuel unfolds more like a tale of three cities than a singular statement--especially when the tracks are experienced in album order. The release transitions from a solo piano performance to a piano-drum duet, a trio performance, and, finally, a slide trumpet solo. At its core, however, Jul Fuel revolves around German improviser Axel Dörner, even in moments when his horn is silent. Pianist and label chief Oliver Schwerdt takes on dual roles here: as an innovative artist ...
Continue ReadingRan Blake, Tim Berne, Satoko Fujii & Clemens Kuratle
by Maurice Hogue
Another of those “found" albums is the highlight of this episode. In 2006 master pianist Ran Blake and guitarist Dave “Knife" Fabris were performing at The Bimhuis in Amsterdam. After the gig the club gave them a recording of their performance, and as often happens, that disappeared. It finally emerged during the pandemic when Fabris found it. Live In Amsterdam 2006 is now available and another addition to the Ran Blake legend. Dave Fabris got his name “Knife" because he ...
Continue ReadingRonald Snijders: Penta
by Tony Poole
The son of renowned bandleader Eddy Snijders, Dutch-Surinamese multi-instrumentalist Ronald Snijders is best known as a flautist and for the four albums he released between 1977 and 1983 on his own label, Black Straight Music. An original copy of his debut, Natural Sources (1977), is considered a holy grail among collectors of 70s jazz fusion. Born in 1951 in Paramaribo, Suriname, on the northwest coast of South America, Snijders began learning to play the flute at age seven ...
Continue ReadingBarbara Carroll Centennial, Judy Wexler, Jenny Hill, Judy Wexler, Lisa Markley, Nancy Harrow
by Mary Foster Conklin
This broadcast includes new releases from Judy Wexler, Jenny Hill, Lisa Markley and Nancy Harrow, with birthday shoutouts to Barbara Carroll (100!), Etta James, Michelle Nicolle, Gary Burton, Jose James, Mariah Parker, and Lizz Wright, among others. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear. See them live, purchase their music so they can continue to distract, comfort, provoke, inspire and remind the world that A Woman's Place Is In the Groove.Playlist Mary Lou Williams “Gloria" from ...
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