Battening Down the Hatches; Jovino Santos Neto interview; The Rise And Fall Of The Hippest Show On Television; Mal Waldron; and Songs of the Week

All About Jazz continually evolves, and we regularly introduce new features and improvements. This past week was particularly active as we focused on website stability and security (more on that below). We're also in the early stages of an All About Jazz optimization project to improve performance and page speed. Along the way, we introduced a style issue that you may have noticed. We're aware of it and should have it fixed by the time you read this.

Remembering Bob Rogers

We wanted to recognize the passing of internet radio trailblazer Bob Rogers, who founded Taint Radio in 2008—an international alliance of independent producers dedicated to presenting music and music-related programming on a 24/7 basis. Bob's career spanned more than 60 years in radio, from working with Buck Owens' stations in the 1960s, to underground radio in Lake Tahoe, to managing Pacifica Radio's Houston station and many other endeavors, culminating in his outstanding online radio platform, TaintRadio.org.

Bob assembled a talented and eclectic roster of hosts, many of whom present their shows on All About Jazz, including Maurice Hogue, Hobart Taylor, Cheryl K., Jua Howard, Benjamin Boddie, and Bob Osborne. Hobart Taylor, host of Allston Boylston, described Bob as "deeply iconoclastic and witty—he shared profound observations with a gentle, self-effacing, and wry smile," while Maurice Hogue, host of One Man's Jazz, added, "Bob created a streaming station with volunteers who had complete freedom. It was novel for the time, but it worked," with Bob Osbourne, host of World of Jazz sharing, "I am grateful to Bob for letting me be part of the Taint family where he gave me access to a much wider audience and allowed me to broaden the scope and content of my shows."

I personally communicated with Bob Rogers over the years and spoke with him on several occasions around the time he decided to retire. Bob had a vision and inspired everyone who had the pleasure of working with him. While I couldn't keep his vision for Taint Radio alive in its original form, I was able to provide its hosts with a home on All About Jazz, helping them reach a new audience. In that way, the spirit of Bob Rogers' vision lives on.

A Note on Site Security and Stability

I wanted to share an update on the steps we've taken recently to mitigate the impact of increased bot activity—both malicious and benign—on All About Jazz and Jazz Near You.

Like many publishers across the web, we've seen a significant rise in automated traffic hitting our servers. This activity affects page load speed and, just as importantly, generates false usage numbers that are reported to third-party services we rely on and are billed for. In short, bots cost real money and real time.

Over the past week, we implemented additional Cloudflare security measures across our platforms to counter a steady escalation of attacks. The situation has stabilized, but it will require ongoing monitoring and adjustment.

Beyond bots, there is reason to believe there may also be a concerted effort to disrupt the site. Unfortunately, this is not new. All About Jazz has been targeted before—dating back to 1997. Who is behind these efforts, or why they target AAJ, remains unclear. It may relate to our longevity, our reach, or simply what the platform represents. What is clear is that we operate with a modest staff and modest financial resources. When we're forced into a defensive posture, it inevitably pulls focus away from what we do best: building the platform and expanding on the work we began in 1995.

Yes, it's frustrating. 2026 was meant to build on the momentum we established in 2025, and while we will get back on track, the security work we completed was essential and will fortify our websites moving forward.

Album Reviews

The album reviews below represent our most popular from the past week. View more recent reviews.

Four Freedoms Dave Douglas	In Action Roberto Magris / Denis Razz Quartet	Love Dance Woody Shaw	REX Christopher Hoffman
Gospel Music Joel Ross	In My Dreams Bill Frisell	Vital Spark Dave Holland / Norma Winstone / London Vocal Project	Day Trip Brian Culbertson

Looking for an album review?

If you're a musician, publicist, or record label seeking album review coverage on All About Jazz, please first read our review submission guide, then complete the coverage request form here. When submitting your request, include up to five AAJ album reviewers who best align with your music. For example, if it's a big band or large ensemble recording, select Jack Bowers. You can familiarize yourself with our staff, here.

Jovino Santos Neto: The Music Leads Itself

Following a years-long recording hiatus, Brazilian-born Seattle-based Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Jovino Santos Neto released three albums in 2025, all captured live. Two are digital-only releases, both recorded in 2024: Retratos: Brazilian Portraits (Audiophile Society), a duo performance with Estonian bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann in a program of great Brazilian composers, and A Onça e o Pajé (Self-Produced), recorded live at the Amazonas Green Jazz Festival with the Amazonas Band conducted by Rui Carvalho. In conversation with All About Jazz, Santos Neto focused on his third release of 2025, Mais Que Tudo: Live at Kerry Hall 1995 (Origin Records), which documents an extraordinary concert in Seattle 30 years prior, shortly after he had completed a 15-year stint with the great Brazilian composer-improviser Hermeto Pascoal and had subsequently relocated to the Pacific Northwest. Continue reading...

The !!!!Beat: The Rise And Fall Of The "Hippest Show On Television"

During the mid-1960s, American television programming often featured syndicated music variety shows. While many of the programs featured country and western artists, performers like Porter Wagoner and The Wilburn Brothers did not completely dominate the airwaves. In fact, there were plenty of rock and roll programs like Sump'n Else, Shivaree or Upbeat, showcasing rock and pop artists who were getting airplay on radio stations. While some r&b and soul musicians made appearances, the artists featured were predominantly white. This all changed when The !!!!Beat came on the scene (and yes, the exclamation marks are part of the title, but hey, this was the '60s). The !!!!Beat made its debut on 13 stations around the country on May 7, 1966, and it was one of the first shows to feature solely African-American performers. Unfortunately, it was syndicated for only 26 episodes. Continue reading...

Mal Waldron: His Journey Across 12 Albums

Mal Waldron's life story is compelling, and to mark his 2025 centenary, this article aims to introduce his work to those less familiar with it by tracing his journey across 12 distinctive recordings. Max Roach once singled him out, along with Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Hasaan Ibn Ali and Randy Weston, as uniquely original composer-pianists. Matthew Shipp later expanded this pantheon, adding Cecil Taylor, Andrew Hill, Sun Ra, Horace Tapscott and Ran Blake for forging personal languages and idiosyncratic music from their experiences and imaginations. Prominent in any discussion of Waldron are the dark vamping, heavy touch and exploratory riffing of his mature music. He wove together several diverse threads, refined by a near-death experience, into that simplified, albeit true, summary. Continue reading...

Songs of the Week

This week: upbeat swing and invigorating big band. Enjoy!

Top Songs

The songs below represent the most heard in the past four weeks. View the Song of the Day archive.

Bossa Breeze From the album Bossa Breeze By Alex Sino	Full Moon From the album Full Moon By Luiz Millan	Dream Walking From the album Dream Walking By Benjamin Boone	Lisboa From the album Anhum—Ghadyego Carraro Quarteto By Ghadyego Carraro
Whenever From the album The Path By Paul Ricci	Inner Drive From the album Inner Drive By Joseph Quiles	Crystal Silence From the album Crystal Silence—Tribute to Chick Corea By Selma Boragian	Some Skunk Funk From the album MSU Jazz Trombones: Spartan Strong By Michael Dease

Choice Content

Make Him an Offer He Can't Refuse: Tony Bennett and the Mafia (read); Giacomo Ganzerli Trio at the Arcipelago, Cremona, Italy (view photos); Meshell Ndegeocello at the Newman Center (read); Ben Stapp Solo / Frank London Electronics Trio at Loove Labs Annex (read); Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi Quartet (view photos); Laura J Marras: Isotope (listen); Trombone Shorty: Dumaine St. (listen).

Radio & Podcasts

Tune into our extensive collection of quality programs every week.

Allston Boylston: New Music from Bill Frisell, Melissa Aldana and Nicole McCabe (listen); The Outer View: Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jeff Beck, and Dave Wilson (listen); Mondo Jazz: Palle Mikkelborg, NO(w) Beauty, Kris Davis, Vitor Araújo & More (listen); Exploration: Tribute to Jesse Jackson, Also Classic Jazz from Woody Shaw and Others (listen); The First Instrument Jazz Show: Nancy Wilson, Trombone Shorty, Esperanza Spalding, Kenny Washington and More (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Tom Oren, Julie Benko, Alfie Jackson, Yelena Eckemoff, Ingrid Jensen, Melissa Aldana & More (listen); Neon Jazz: Ken Peplowski, Linda Oh, Phil Woods, Maja Jaku and Jacob Wutzke (listen); Talk About Jazz: Ray Seol, Berklee Associate Professor, Bassist, Composer And Performer (listen); Mondo Jazz: Tomeka Reid, Marco Mezquida, ALA.NI, Craig Taborn & More (listen); Jazz Connections: Band on Fire: The George Adams Don Pullen Quartet (listen); Mondo Jazz: Sheldon Agwu, Nabou, I Hold the Lion's Paw, SML, TL;DR, Kalia Vandever (listen); The Tonearm: Stephen Vitiello: The Punk Attitude Of Collaborative Sound Art (listen); Jazz Bastard: Two from the Times, Two from the Bastards (listen); World of Jazz: New Releases And A Tribute To Ralph Towner (listen); The Jazz Disturbance: Mark Turner, Brad Goode Polytonal Big Band, Django Festival Allstars, Adonis Rose (listen).

News Announcements

Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.

The Milt Hinton Institute For Studio Bass camp For Young Musicians Returns This Summer, July 19-25, 2026 (read); 'Fusion Festival' Electrifying New Album 2026 by renowned film composer and multi-instrumentalist Gerhard Daum (read); New Single 'Urban Tribal Dance' by Pianist Julio Awad featuring Mike Stern, Paul Wertico & Mark Egan (read); New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra Presents African Cookbook: Music Of Randy Weston And Melba Liston On Thursday, February 26 (read); New England Conservatory Jazz Studies Student And Alumni Chosen For 2026 Jazz Gallery Residency Commissions (read).

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Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci