Brilliant Corners; Forgotten Philly; Antonio Forcione and Cenk Erdogan Interview; Songs of the Week and more

Over the years, I've tended to keep my head down—focusing on the work, planning for positive outcomes, and letting the results speak for themselves. Lately, that approach has been tested. Broader technological and ideological shifts across the landscape are creating real challenges, especially for small, independent publishers like All About Jazz.

That said, we're not standing still. Not by a long shot.

Over the past week in particular, I've taken a deep dive into the issues in front of us—especially around infrastructure—and I'm actively working through solutions. It's been an intense but productive stretch, and we're already making meaningful progress toward stabilizing and strengthening the foundation we rely on.

At the same time, as quickly as AI is reshaping the landscape, we're embracing it thoughtfully—using it to improve every part of what we do, from the front-end experience to the systems behind the scenes. In all my years working on the commercial web, I've never seen this level of rapid advancement—or this kind of opportunity to rethink how things are built and delivered.

We're also assembling a new team aligned with this moment—people who can help us make smart, forward-looking decisions as we guide All About Jazz into its next phase. Through all of this, our mission remains unchanged: to serve the music and the musicians who make it with the care and attention they deserve.

Grit. Discipline. Guts, continued...

The response to Lindsey Boullt's piece, Grit. Discipline. Guts: A 25-Year Blueprint for the Modern Music Career, has been overwhelmingly positive—and for good reason. If you're a musician or student, it's essential reading. We encourage you to spend some time with it, and if it resonates, join the conversation. Lindsey is actively following the comments and engaging directly with readers.

Study the Lydian Chromatic Concept with George Russell's Certified Protégé

Andy Wasserman—one of the very select few musicians personally certified by George Russell—offers a rare opportunity for serious student enrollment and institutional engagement centered on Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization (LCCOTO). As highlighted in the #1 trending All About Jazz article, Andy Wasserman, George Russell, and the Living Lineage of the Lydian Chromatic Concept, Andy provides customized private instruction for dedicated musicians and expertly structured group seminars, workshops, and guest lectures in both in-person and virtual formats. His work is backed by the highest possible endorsement from the Maestro himself: "I am pleased to recommend Andy Wasserman as a most extraordinary musician, educator, performer, innovator and thoroughly dedicated artist. Mr. Wasserman is unique in a time that does not encourage individuality. He is persistent in his insistence on quality and excellence. I feel that any Institution or enterprise would be wise to have him in its employ, and I ask that you give him your most serious consideration." —George Russell, 1995. Whether through academic lectures, podcast interviews, or solo piano lecture-demonstration performances, Andy brings a direct lineage of excellence to every presentation. Recent highlights include his two-day "homecoming" workshops in Oslo (read the story) and the documented experience of his student, pianist Helge Lien (see Helge's blog). Explore lessons and booking opportunities at andywasserman.com.

Album Reviews

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

The Guesthouse Shai Maestro	Danny Gatton and Funhouse—Live at the Holiday Inn 1987 Danny Gatton	Twio Vol. 2 Walter Smith III	Knucklebox Dave Mattock
Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard Immanuel Wilkins Quartet	Side-Eye III+ Pat Metheny	Cybersyn: Live From the Stray Cat Film Center Seth Andrew Davis & EMAS	Manifeste Tigran Hamasyan

Looking for an album review?

If you're a musician, publicist, or record label seeking album review coverage on All About Jazz, please 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.

Brilliant Corners 2026

Few events signpost the time of year quite like a city's flagship contemporary music festival. For one week every March, as winter gradually recedes, Belfast's aptly named Brilliant Corners illuminates jazz—and jazz-adjacent music—in many of its myriad forms. Inevitably, some of the more outré music ignites the old 'but is it jazz?' debate, but for most of the faithful who attend year upon year, musical labels are of less concern than the quality of the music on show. In this regard, Brilliant Corners nearly always delivers. Since its first edition in 2013, you could count the number of underwhelming gigs on the fingers of one hand. In tennis parlance, the festival's promoter Moving On Music: Literal Magic is getting 95% of its first serves in—with many an ace to provoke the oohs and aahs. Continue reading...

1502 Ridge Avenue and Other Extinct Philly Jazz Temples

So we give Cannonball Adderley the floor. It is late 1955, and Adderley was in Philadelphia at the legendary Blue Note Café—yes, there was a Blue Note in Philly, in Chicago, and in New York, no kin to each other. Adderley was making an initial tour in the North, this after his sensational debut in Café Bohemia in New York. It isn't entirely clear who Adderley had with him in Philadelphia: he called them his "Florida men." And they had rehearsed for two weeks before Philly. Adderley said he thought the band he had swung pretty good, but the then-owner of the Blue Note in Philly, a former trumpet player named Jack Fields, was not happy. Adderley's manager thereupon fired the band. Continue reading...

Omar Sosa Suba Trio at SFJAZZ Center

Pianist and composer Omar Sosa saved something very special for the fourth and final evening performance of his SFJAZZ Center residency, his second for the institution. In mid-2012, Sosa had encountered London-based Senegalese kora master and singer Seckou Keita at a recording session there. They began jamming, which led to the genesis of what was to be a sustained musical collaboration. This led, in turn, to the albums Transparent Water (Otá Records, 2017) and SUBA (Bendigedig, 2021). Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles—who plays instruments including tuning forks, tom-toms, maracas, Bata drums, congas, bongos, cajon, culo e' puya, quitiplás (bamboo tubing), maracas, and calabash—serves to glue it all together. Sosa is no stranger to San Francisco, having lived here in the 1990s before relocating to Barcelona. Continue reading...

Antonio Forcione and Cenk Erdoğan: A Masterclass in Musical Storytelling

In the world of contemporary string music, there are collaborations born of convenience, and then there are those born of destiny. The union of Italian acoustic virtuoso Antonio Forcione and Turkish fretless master Cenk Erdogan belongs firmly to the latter. Their debut duo album, Storytellers (Jazz Plus, 2025), is not merely a collection of compositions; it is the culmination of a musical dialogue that has been waiting twenty years to find its voice. The two musicians first crossed paths two decades ago in the vibrant cultural landscape of Istanbul. At the time, Forcione—already an internationally acclaimed force in jazz and world music—recognized a rare, vocal-like honesty in the playing of a young Erdoğan. He extended an invitation for the bassist to join him in London, but the complexities of life and geography intervened. Continue reading...

Songs of the Week

From an epic work inspired by Easter Island to a soul jazz shuffle dedication. Enjoy.

Top Songs

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

Crystal Silence From the album Crystal Silence—Tribute to Chick Corea By Selma Boragian	Walkside From the album While I Was Away By Julia Hulsmann	Gravity From the album Convergence By Björn Meyer	Mumbo Jumbo From the album Dream Archives By Craig Taborn
Dedo & Utrillo From the album Mood Indigo By Filippo Bianchini	Blappin' From the album Jazz in Meanjin 021 By Brodie McAllister	Estuary From the album Still Waters By Niklas Lukassen	More Guitar From the album Guitars on Life By Jack West

Choice Content

Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band at Zellerbach Playhouse (read); Take Five with singer-songwriter-pianist EBBA (read); More Muse-ical Masterpieces Reissued By Time Traveler Recordings (read); Frank Gambale All Stars At Dolomiti Ski Jazz 2026 (view photos); Rufus Wainwright: I'm a Stranger Here Myself (listen); Listening to Prestige: Chronicling Its Classic Jazz Recordings, 1949—1972 (read); Two very different albums from Urs Leimgruber (read); Kinga Glyk 4th at Dolomiti Ski Jazz 2026 (view photos); Marion Rampal: And It's Supposed to Be Love (listen); Fred Hersch Trio at Smoke (read).

Radio & Podcasts

Tune into our extensive collection of quality programs every week.

Allston Boylston: New Tunes from Jeremy Pelt, Harriet Tubman with Georgia Anne Muldrow, Aubrey Johnson and Remembering Willie Colon (listen); The Outer View: Javon Jackson, Jack McDuff, and Brian Landrus (listen); The Stereo Image: Stride, Stories, and Legendary Mentors: Judy Carmichael, Part 1 (listen); Mondo Jazz: Metropole Orkest, Michael League, Booker Stardrum, Luca Dell'Anna & More (listen); Exploration: Classics from Paul Chambers, Eddie Jefferson, and Others With New Music from Joe Gransden, Pat Bianchi and More (listen); A Broad Spectrum: New Music From Brian Lynch, Diane Marino, Anthony Branker, Jenny Hill & More (listen); The Jazz Disturbance: Antonio Faraò, Björn Meyer, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Mativetsky Amiri Pagé (listen); Liner Notes: Patricia Brennan: Star Light, Star Bright (listen); Neon Jazz: Bob Reynolds, Andy James, Harvie S. & Aubrey Johnson (listen); The Tonearm: Zeena Parkins: Invention, Loss, And The Living Harp (listen); Mondo Jazz: Elias Stemeseder, Brandon Seabrook, Alain Metrailler, Eivind Opsvik & More (listen); Jazz Connections: Plays Duke: Contemporary Covers of Early Ellington Classics (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: George DeLancey Sextet (listen); Jazz Backstory: For the Vocalists (listen); Ben Boddie On Jazz: Entre Amigos, Daggerboard The Skipper and Mike Clark, Sam Yahel, The Sistering and more (listen); World of Jazz: New Music From Landrus, Imboden, Crispell & Jormin, Frisell, And More (listen); Jazz Bastard: Four Quartets (listen).

News Announcements

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

Guitarist Bobby Broom Celebrates Jazz Titan (and Mentor) Sonny Rollins With 'Notes Of Thanks,' Set For May 1 Release By Steele Records (read); March 24 At Drom NYC: Alba Musik & Niña Pastori Tribute A Historic Double-billing Of Alba Musik And A Tribute To Niña Pastori: Bringing Together The Flamenco Community In NYC (read); Available Now: Remixed, Remastered Edition Of Harold Mabern's "Afro Blue" Recording (smoke Sessions Records) (read); Celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month With April Performance Series And 20th Anniversary Gala Concert & Fundraiser (read); Jazz En Dominicana—20 Years Of Opening Windows Into The Jazz Scene In The Dominican Republic (read).

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Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
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