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.

Album Review

Stephen Arnold & Sea Change: The Hitting Wall

Read "The Hitting Wall" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
August 11, 2026

Although is difficult to pinpoint the precise thread that ties them together, bassist and composer Stephen Arnold envisions the 14 songs of The Hitting Wall as a suite, albeit one whose parts are at times more divergent than complementary, compositionally and in terms of groove. Arnold leads an able sextet whose horn section is comprised of trumpeter Brandon Woody and tenor saxophonist Brian Settles, with guitarist Nelson Dougherty, pianist Federico Pena and drummer Keith Butler Jr. in the ...

Album Review

Michel Petrucciani / Dave Holland / Eliot Zigmund: Kuumbwa

by Jack Bowers
August 11, 2026

Michel Petrucciani was not blessed with a long life. What the French-born jazz pianist was blessed with was an enormous talent, one most people could not amass in several lifetimes. Petrucciani was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disease that led to brittle bones, stunted his growth and left him in almost constant pain--the sort of ailment that would cause many lesser men to simply throw in the towel and retreat. Petrucianni never even gave that a passing ...

Radio & Podcasts

Happy Birthday Marcus Roberts! Also Tony Bennett, Allan Holdsworth, and more

by David W. Daniels
August 11, 2026

In addition to the artists named in the title, this edition of Exploration recognizes the classic genius of The Quintet (Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charlie Mingus, and Max Roach), Horace Silver, and others. More new music from Joe Alterman, Doug Webb, and Terri Lyne Carrington. Birthdays recognized include Eddie Jefferson, Ravi Coltrane, and “Pops" (Louis Armstrong). Playlist Marcus Roberts “Exploration" from Time And Circumstance (Columbia) 00:00 Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell and Charles ...

Radio & Podcasts

A Celebration of Clean Feed Records

by Maurice Hogue
August 11, 2026

The constant pleasure of being able to play Clean Feed Records on One Man's Jazz over the years outweighed the disappointment when the Lisbon-based, Portuguese label announced recently that it was ceasing releasing new recordings. They had a great run of over 25 years, releasing free and avant jazz, presenting creative musicians from around the world, and showing the talent that exists in Portugal alone. Perhaps most impressively, they never sold out genre-wise: they remained true to their mission from ...

Radio & Podcasts

Spreading Love for 40 Years: Claude McKnight of Take 6

by Steven Roby
August 11, 2026

Host Steve Roby sits down with Claude McKnight, founding member of the legendary a cappella group Take 6. With 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, and a spot in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Take 6 has spent more than four decades redefining what the human voice can do. McKnight previews the group's forthcoming record, featuring collaborations with Snarky Puppy, Dirty Loops, drummer J.R. Robinson, and trumpeter Chris Botti, plus an inventive take on Dave Brubeck's “Take Five." Expect ...

In Pictures

Black Lives at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days

by Marek J. Śmietański
August 11, 2026

A collection of photos from the Black Lives concert at Club Stodoła in Warsaw on July 03, 2026 featuring Reggie Washington, Christie Dashiell, Adam Falcon, David Gilmore, Carl-Henri Morisset, Pierrick Pedron, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Sharrif Simmons, E.J. Strickland, Sonny Troupe and DJ Grazzhoppa. Other photo reports from the same festival: Tomoki Sanders at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, Adrian Younge at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, Lizz Wright at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, Jowee Omicil at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, Mammal ...

Interview

Dorota Piotrowska: Jazz With International Voices

by R.J. DeLuke
August 10, 2026

As a child in Poland, Dorota Piotrowska was musical. She played piano and listened to records of music from America that her father was fond of, like The Doors, Led Zeppelin and Queen. At age seven her piano studies centered on classical music, as is the case with most kids taking up the instrument. But in high school, she had a friend who played in a band of his peers. She was invited to attend a rehearsal. There ...

Bailey's Bundles

The Golden Era of Art Pepper on Contemporary Records (1957-1960)

by C. Michael Bailey
August 10, 2026

The arc of alto saxophonist Art Pepper's early career is one of the most dramatic narratives in jazz history--a relentless tug-of-war between transcendent musical genius and the devastating grip of heroin addiction. Between 1957 and 1960, Pepper recorded a sequence of five albums for Lester Koenig's Contemporary Records that redefined the jazz capabilities of the alto saxophone and the genre “West Coast Jazz." Operating within the sunny confines of Los Angeles, Pepper was fighting a dark, private war against narcotics, ...

Album Review

John Shannon: A Day In Tarifa

Read "A Day In Tarifa" reviewed by Joshua Weiner

by Joshua Weiner
August 10, 2026

Pittsburgh guitarist John Shannon began playing at age six, was performing around his hometown by his high school years, and has been recording with a variety of acoustic, rock and film music projects since 2008. A Day in Tarifa is his debut jazz album, and it lands firmly in the tradition, with a diverse and beguiling set of original tunes performed by an outstanding trio including Cliff Barnes on organ and James Johnson III on drums. The song titles and ...

Radio & Podcasts

Joe Alterman on Mentors, the Blue Note, and Keeping Jazz Joyful

by Mike Jones
August 10, 2026

Joe Alterman fell for jazz at his dad's backyard barbecues... Wes Montgomery and Oscar Peterson over the steaks. He's spent his life chasing that same high. A 37-year-old pianist from Atlanta, Alterman talks with Mike Jones about coming up through an internship at the Blue Note, where his first assignment was keeping McCoy Tyner company for two hours, and how that hustle turned into friendships with his heroes. He tells the story of meeting Les McCann, who took ...