Featured Jazz Articles
Enrico Rava: The Secret Corners of a Master
by Marco Iacoboni
Meeting Enrico Rava means stepping into a world of stories, musicians and memories spanning decades of jazz history. We met on the occasion of the release of Corners, the ECM album he recorded with his band, Fearless Five, and a very special guest, Joe Lovano. With so many anecdotes, encounters and digressions to draw on, the challenge was not finding topics to discuss, but deciding where to begin and what to leave out. We settled onto a sofa. ...
Continue Reading...Scott Kinsey: Thought Distortions and the Art of the Left Turn
by Mike Jacobs
Keyboardist Scott Kinsey's multi-decade musical odyssey reads a bit like a novella in spots: The Berklee student who landed the keyboard chair in fusion stalwarts Tribal Tech before graduating, cementing the band's definitive lineup while exerting a major influence on its musical direction. The ardent admirer of Weather Report founder Joe Zawinul who went from fan to friend and mentee, and eventually became one of the most dedicated interpreters of Zawinul's musical legacy. The ...
Continue Reading...Case File: The Walkin' Papers
by Cool Vic, The Music Dick
There are two things I don't trust: a man who claims to know everything about jazz and a record that changes its name without leaving a forwarding address. I was halfway through a respectable cup of coffee when a letter arrived from a reader who'd been listening to Miles Davis's “Walkin.'" He'd come across an earlier recording called “Gravy" by Gene Ammons. Same tune, he figured. Different title. Different composer. Was somebody playing games with the ...
Continue Reading...Bill Bruford And Pete Roth: A One-Of-A-Kind Juxtaposition
by Mike Jacobs
When a drumming legend in the rock or jazz community retires, it's fairly big news. Such was the case in 2009 when Bill Bruford announced he was hanging up his sticks. Much celebrated for his integral and stylized drum contributions to progressive rock bands such as Yes, King Crimson, U.K., and Genesis, as well as for leading his own jazz/rock and jazz ensembles, Bruford and Earthworks, Bruford seemed to have brought an impressive 41-year career to something of ...
Continue Reading...The Quiet Cruelty of the Music Business
by Markus Reuter
For a long time, I, and many colleagues, operated under a singular, sustaining delusion: that music was the most powerful force in the world. As an artist, you build your entire life around this belief. You trust that the art will speak for itself, that the resonance of a musical work will be enough. But eventually, a different reality sets in. The true engine of the music business isn't melody, harmony, or rhythm. It is the cult of personality. It ...
Continue Reading...Enrico Pieranunzi, Right Now
by Todd M. Carlsen
Enrico Pieranunzi turned seventy-six in December 2025. Skip the tribute. He's busy--delivering four masterclass releases across 2026. The solo piano session Ennio Morricone--The Piano Sessions by Enrico Pieranunzi (CAM Sugar, 2026). A mostly-duo album with guitar, Evanscape (Bonsaï Music, 2026). A jazz-classical record with an orchestra, Improclassica (Abeat, 2025). A quartet with tenor saxophone, Perspectives (Red Records, 2026). He is not coasting on a name. He remains a powerhouse of European jazz. For American listeners unfamiliar with Pieranunzi, ...
Continue Reading...Miles Okazaki's Monkathon: The Complete Thelonious Monk–Live
by Keith Flint
Guitarist Miles Okazaki, originally from Port Townsend, Washington, has become an integral figure in New York's creative music scene. Over the course of his career, he has toured and recorded with such artists as Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Steve Coleman, Miguel Zenón, Henry Threadgill, Patricia Brennan, Dan Weiss, Matt Mitchell, Mary Halvorson, and Darcy James Argue. His current projects include the trio Trickster and a large-scale ensemble, which released Boomtown (Pi Recordings) in June.On October 10, 2026, filmmaker ...
Continue Reading...Festival-ing on Historic Grounds
by Josef Woodard
Monterey Jazz Festival Monterey, CA September 25-27, 2026 As the legendary Monterey jazz festival leans into its 70th year in 2027, the artistic and commercial mission remains steadfast, while the leadership chair has been in rotation the last few years. After Tim Jackson retired after 32 years of noble and forward-thinking duty as director, the director role has been passed to Darin Atwater for a year (and a very good year it was), then ...
Continue Reading...John Scofield: Meant To Be
by John Ephland
When John Scofield and I met, in his Vancouver hotel room in June, 1990 on the occasion of the fifth annual du Maurier Ltd., International Jazz Festival, the conversation started with talk of his then-current band and his Blue Note debut, Time On My Hands (Blue Note Records, 1990). By this point, Sco, who turns 75 in December, had been covered by DownBeat extensively, my interview adding to the burgeoning crop. To recap: In the '70s Sco had ...
Continue Reading...Isaiah Collier Plays Coltrane: Live at Jazz Alley in Seattle
by Paul Rauch
Isaiah Collier Plays Coltrane Jazz Alley Seattle, WA September 29, 2026 The final wave of Coltrane 100 performances are rolling in, after the year-long blitz of celebrating his genius and legacy. Chicago-born tenor master Isaiah Collier landed at Seattle's renowned Jazz Alley this week, his first two-nighter there after a few years of attempting to do just that. His patience and our waiting proved to be worth the trouble on opening night-with the foursome delivering ...
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Interview
Bill Bruford And Pete Roth: A One-Of-A-Kind Juxtaposition
Interview
Miles Okazaki's Monkathon: The Complete Thelonious...
Interview
Scott Kinsey: Thought Distortions and the Art of the Left...
Live Review
Isaiah Collier Plays Coltrane: Live at Jazz Alley in Seattle
Reanimating Conversations Past
John Scofield: Meant To Be
From the Inside
The Quiet Cruelty of the Music Business
Phil Schaap's Jazz Room
Franc Williams: Live From The West End
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