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

Jamey Haddad Quartet Featuring Helio Alves

by Daniel Peck
September 11, 2026

Jamey Haddad holds a singular position in the world of jazz and contemporary music. Haddad's musical voice transcends styles and trends, and the universal quality of his playing has attracted many international collaborations with artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, and Sting. Born of Lebanese descent, he is regarded as one of the foremost world music and jazz percussionists in the United States. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, pianist Helio Alves combines the rhythmic complexity of modern ...

The Blue Note Portal

The Beatles—Future Perfect, Part 13

by Blue Note Portal
September 11, 2026

Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 Year 1969--Two Riders Ray had been driving cabs since he came back from Korea, and in that time he'd developed a sense that never wasted words on him. He didn't call it a gift. He called it paying attention, which was free and most people didn't bother with it.

Radio & Podcasts

Chapter 5: Art Goes Artie

by Larry Slater
September 11, 2026

Artie Shaw was an enigma. A self-taught, brilliant clarinetist blessed with movie-star good looks, he became one of the defining musicians of the Big Band era. Yet at the height of his fame, he walked away from the music business, leaving behind a legacy as fascinating as it was influential. In the early 1990s, Ted Hallock--a passionate jazz scholar and former Oregon State Senator--spent a week with Shaw recording an extraordinary series of in-depth conversations about music, life ...

Live Review

Summer Bummer 2026

by John Sharpe
September 10, 2026

Summer Bummer 2026 Trix, Antwerp Belgium August 28-29, 2026 Intro The 11th edition of the Summer Bummer festival more than lived up to the promise of the mouth-watering bill, presenting a wide variety of experimental music without fealty to any particular genre. While Summer Bummer inevitably tips its hat to the local Belgian improvised music scene, it is notable for bringing in projects not routinely heard elsewhere, including one world premiere. Trix--more often a rock ...

Jazz Fiction

Jazz on a Summer's Day in Paris

by Mike Raggett
September 10, 2026

Paris sizzles in the summertime It was so hot the birds weren't singing. Or moving even. They too sat exhausted on the branches of the pine avenue in the Bois de Vincennes. Some were even trying to find shelter under the bonsai collection. Not the peacocks though. They had flopped under the heritage apple and pear collection. Others congregated in the willows hoping some cool air would be wafted from the lake. Pierre and Violette zigzagged through the ...

Album Review

Andy Sheppard: Salt Catchers

Read "Salt Catchers" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
September 10, 2026

Since discovering John Coltrane as a teenager, tenor and soprano saxophonist Andy Sheppard has forged a remarkable career, earning multiple British Jazz Awards, international acclaim and even a place in the UK pop charts. His musical range is equally impressive: alongside jazz giants George Russell, Gil Evans and Carla Bley, he has worked with artists as diverse as Baaba Maal, Runrig and John Martyn. Equally at home in a big band, solo setting or small group, Sheppard now ...

Radio & Podcasts

Janel Leppin, YUGEN, Oscar Evans, Rich Halley

by Cheryl K.
September 10, 2026

During this week's two-hour program of jazz and improvised music--Ensemble Tuvalu; the quintet Slow Tiger; guitarist Nicolas Meier and World Group; YUGEN; bassist Oscar Evans; vibraphonist/composer Jalen Baker; and the trio of pianist Nicki Adams, saxophonist Michael Eaton, and drummer Francisco Mela.Playlist Jimmy Smith “Where or When" from Live at The Club Baby Grand, Vol. 1 (Blue Note) 9:18 Janel Leppin “Bohemian Caverns" from The Realist (Out of Your Head) 3:17 Ensemble Tuvalu “Manu Eva" from d'une rive ...

Album Review

Ivan Valentini: Camera Funky

Read "Camera Funky" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
September 10, 2026

Modena, Italy-based saxophonist Ivan Valentini's quintet traverses a wide range of styles on Camera Funky, from African-oriented themes to funk, rock, free and contemporary straight-ahead jazz. As Valentini wrote and arranged every number, the album's charisma rests for the most part squarely on his shoulders. Are those shoulders strong enough to carry the load? That depends largely on the listener's point of view, which should be informed by a number of factors. First, Valentini and his teammates are ...

Radio & Podcasts

New Music From Andy Sheppard, Rita Marcotulli, & Michael Benita Plus More

by Bob Osborne
September 10, 2026

This playlist pairs a diverse selection of new and forthcoming contemporary jazz releases with a pair of foundational live recordings. The first ten tracks highlight recent and current directions in improvised music--spanning modern piano trios, cross-cultural collaborations, and adventurous small-ensemble arrangements. Providing historical context, the final two tracks deliver classic live performances from John Coltrane and the avant-garde outfit Curlew.Playlist Andy Sheppard, Rita Marcotulli, & Michael Benita “This Too--Three Hills" from Salt Catcher (ECM Records) 00:00 Volkan Kaplan ...

The Blue Note Portal

The Beatles—Future Perfect, Part 12

by Blue Note Portal
September 10, 2026

Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 Year 1969--Reno Zack and Kyle quickly realized their upcoming WOOD set would never quite sit right without the proper tools. Zack needed a lap steel, and Kyle wanted a small warm tube amp that could handle the percussive, palm-muted thump of his Fender six-string tic-tac bass. Because the two of ...