Community Blog Posts
All About Jazz: What's New for September 24, 2026
By Michael Ricci
September 24, 2026
87 views
Fresh off compiling a multinational tribute celebrating Miles Davis's centennial, Ian Patterson is back with John Coltrane At 100: A Global Perspective. Drawing on voices from 100 countries, it's another fascinating look at a legendary figure whose influence extends far beyond jazz's traditional centers. We also took the opportunity to complete John Coltrane's Musician Orbit, where you can explore the artists who influenced him, the musicians he influenced, and those whose music shares a connection with his own. ...
read moreThe European Jazz Festivals
By Martin McFie
September 22, 2026
60 views
The monster of the European Jazz Fest circuit is Montreux, Switzerland. Covering Montreux is an exercise in triage, with twelve live stages working from midday into the night for two consecutive weeks. It's also very hot in July, with only air-conditioned spaces or a light breeze from the lake for respite. The Press Office is organised; the press workroom less so. It is decorated with the odd used coffee cup, newspapers, press releases and daily information from the efficient press ...
read moreIntroducing Paul's Picks: A Seasonal Guide to Live Jazz in NYC; Detroit Jazz Festival Coverage; Ronnie Cuber: Baritone Boss; Everybody Digs Bill Evans; and More
By Michael Ricci
September 17, 2026
464 views
It's always exciting to announce something brand new, and this week we're introducing a seasonal column called Paul's Picks. Courtesy of New York City-based concert reviewer Paul Reynolds, the column will highlight the shows Paul finds most intriguing in the coming season. You can access his Fall 2026 picks below. Last week we outlined our approach to social media (read about it here), and we've been gathering your feedback through our one-question surveys. Our latest asks if you ...
read moreA Word About Social Media and Other Platforms
By Michael Ricci
September 12, 2026
490 views
Thanks to everyone who participated in our recent Bluesky survey. Your responses were helpful, and they lead naturally to another question we're asking this week. Over the years, we've taken a different approach to social media than many publishers. It's not that we don't see its value. Social media works especially well when the person is the destination--a musician, writer or other personality whose followers want to hear directly from them. All About Jazz is ...
read moreGuitars In Oxford
By Martin McFie
September 11, 2026
108 views
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has a fine collection of early guitars, including one which was made by the most famous luthier ever known, Antonio Stradivari. He is renowned for violins and 'celli but he made some guitars. The Stradivarius is the tallest guitar in the showcase and has eighteen frets, although some may have been retrofitted. The museum also houses the Messiah Stradivarius violin. Inlaid on the reverse of the guitar's head is “Ant Stradivarius Cremonen 1688," ...
read moreChopin In Warsaw
By Martin McFie
September 9, 2026
177 views
Afternoon tea at Raffles in Warsaw is always a pleasure, but a visit to Poland's capital is not complete without some music by Fryderyk Chopin. Staying close to the river, next to the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy, it is a hard climb through a park to get to the main square in the Old Town. Crossing the street, dodging cars and trams, there is an old wooden elevator staircase for the last steep part of the climb. It ...
read moreBossa Nova Discovered
By Martin McFie
September 4, 2026
146 views
In Lima, Peru, the Huaca Pucllana pyramid is made of clay and adobe, the size of cinder blocks on end. A message came from Rio de Janeiro, an invitation to fly there and spend New Year with a dear friend who had recently managed the Equestrian Events at the Brazilian Olympic Games. The mystery of how clay pyramids could coexist with the Amazon rainforest in Peru was solved by checking the annual rainfall in Lima, which is the ...
read moreThe Jazz Scroll Is Taking Shape
By Michael Ricci
September 3, 2026
339 views
Years ago, we built what is now called The Jazz Scroll as a proof of concept--a place where we could experiment with a new way to discover and experience jazz on All About Jazz. It's gone through a handful of name changes and iterations since then, but this year we committed to completing the project and transforming it into our flagship app. Our current All About Jazz app, though perfectly functional, is essentially the website presented as ...
read moreLou Marini: 80 is the new 50; Cassandra Wilson, Charlie Haden, Elias Haslanger and Percy France; A Poll & A Survey; Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition (update); and more
By Michael Ricci
September 3, 2026
115 views
This week we have a new installment from John Ephland's Reanimating Conversations Past series, resurfacing a Charlie Haden interview from 1991 (see below). We also have an early newsletter-exclusive peek at part 4 of The Mystery of Artie Shaw: “Art Goes Artie." Author Alan Bryson is back, too, with a new time-traveling alternate-reality story that brings musicians from the future face-to-face with The Beatles at a pivotal moment in their history. The Jazz Scroll Is Taking Shape ...
read moreStaffa and Mendelssohn
By Martin McFie
September 1, 2026
216 views
The Isle of Staffa is an uninhabited nature reserve off the West Coast of Scotland. It was formed sixty million years ago by volcanic activity, the same activity that formed the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Upright hexagonal basalt pillars formed in the cooling process. It's difficult to get to Staffa. It requires two crossings of sea swells, often driven by wind and waves coming directly across the Atlantic Ocean. The first crossing went well. Caledonian MacBrayne's “Isle ...
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