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.

Radio & Podcasts

Ben Sidran At 83: “Entropy Is Inevitable, But The Antidote Is Available”

by Leo Sidran
August 19, 2026

Last week my father, Ben Sidran, turned 83rd, and as I do every year, I talked to him for The Third Story podcast.These annual conversations have become a tradition, a way of tracking our relationship, and an artist, over time.Ben is a jazz musician, producer, writer and broadcaster. He was once described by the Chicago Sun-Times as “a Renaissance man cast adrift in the modern world." This year, I came across a 1974 DownBeat cover story ...

Groove Orbit

How John Coltrane Changed Rock Music: Santana

by Kyle Simpler
August 18, 2026

When the Santana band first started in the San Francisco area in the late 60s, hardly anyone outside of the Bay Area was familiar with the group. This changed after their performance at the Woodstock festival in 1969. Seemingly overnight, everyone knew about Santana, and the band, under the leadership of its namesake, Carlos Santana has since maintained a strong presence in rock music. Of course, many people familiar with Santana's work know that he has a strong affinity ...

Catching Up With

Goldings, Bernstein & Stewart on 35 Years Together and Their New Album

by Leo Sidran
August 18, 2026

You can tell a lot about a band by the way they act offstage, how they talk to one another, and even more, how they listen. By the quality of their conversation. It's a useful measure when talking about Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, and Bill Stewart, a trio whose history stretches back more than three decades, and whose music still depends on that same essential exchange. Logging onto a Zoom call with them, it's immediately clear ...

Album Review

Gangbé Brass Band: From Ouidah To Another World

Read "From Ouidah To Another World" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
August 18, 2026

Gangbé Brass Band, more than many groups, embodies the hybrid nature of jazz. From Ouidah to Another World, the Beninese ensemble's sixth album since forming in the late '90s, is a swashbuckling fusion of New Orleans-style brass bands and Beninese rhythms. And with jazz, it was ever thus. The jazz creation story may mythologize New Orleans and proclaim the music a uniquely American art form, but such a neat, essentialist summation downplays the back-and-forth flow of instruments, rhythms and influences ...

Radio & Podcasts

Birthday Remembrances for Jack DeJohnette, Mulgrew Miller, and others

by David W. Daniels
August 18, 2026

In addition to the musicians named in the headline, we recognize the birthdays of Ben Sidran, Patti Austin, Oscar Peterson, and others. More classic jazz from Sonny Rollins, Gene Krupa wih Anita O'Day, and additional artists. Newly released music from Tommy Smith, Joe Alterman, David Sanchez, and more.Playlist Grachan Moncur III “Sonny's Back!" from Exploration (Capri) 00:00 Sonny Rollins “The Bridge" from The Best Of The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Compilation) (RCA Victor) 6:34 Kenny Burrell “Yes Baby" ...

Album Review

Bruce Williams: Solid Perspective

Read "Solid Perspective" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
August 18, 2026

Alto saxophonist Bruce Williams, who doubles as composer, triples as arranger and quadruples as vocalist on one number, brings enviable creds to Solid Perspective, his fifth recording as leader of his quartet. Williams has worked steadily since leaving his native Washington, DC, for New York City, where he has remained for more than two decades, performing with groups large and small both stateside and around the world while polishing his resume as a respected educator and mentor to many rising ...

Radio & Podcasts

Fred Pallem, Bignami Veltri Jazz Ensemble, Reis Demuth Wiltgen, Julia Keefe & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
August 18, 2026

Enjoy a journey through the lush sonic world of recent large-ensemble recordings.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Fred Pallem & Le Sacre du Tympan “Avron Evrard" François De Roubaix, 50 ans après ... (Train Fantôme) 0:16 Host talks 3:08 Reis Demuth Wiltgen feat. Luxembourg Philarmonic, Vince Mendoza, Joshua Redman “Freedom Trail" Freedom Trail (Cam Jazz) 4:58 Host talks 14:24 John Taylor, Stan Sulzmann, NDR Big Band “Potion 2" ...

Album Review

Seamus O'Muineachain: Island of Flowers

Read "Island of Flowers" reviewed by Geno Thackara

by Geno Thackara
August 18, 2026

A Seamus O'Muineachain recording is part tone poem and part daydream. It mostly consists of notes and melodies, but those ingredients are no more or less important than shimmering drones or stray nature sounds. This is an emotionscape drawn from life. The music is not in the notes but the whole experience, crafted with a slow thoughtfulness that invites deep listening to soak in all the feelings. With a catalogue already centered around calmness and quietude, O'Muineachain generally ...

Radio & Podcasts

Alex Frank: Jeff Goldblum's Bassist on Swing and the Ray Brown Tradition

by Mike Jones
August 18, 2026

Alex Frank grew up in the room while the music was being made. The son of an LA film composer, he was a kid at recording sessions who traded the clarinet for an upright the moment he heard Ray Brown . Now he's the musical director of Jeff Goldblum's jazz band and one of the most in-demand bassists working the drummerless-trio tradition that ran from Nat King Cole to Oscar Peterson. He joins host Mike Jones for a conversation about ...

In Pictures

Jalen Ngonda at Palladium

by Marek J. Śmietański
August 18, 2026

A collection of photos from the Jalen Ngonda concert at Palladium in Warsaw on August 11, 2026 featuring Adam McKone, Adam Rust, Ben McKone and Carlos Sanchez. ...