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Introducing Musician Orbit, plus five new interviews, festival coverage and much more
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It's been another extraordinary week for All About Jazz. Last week, we announced HIDDEN GEMS and launched our new series, Reanimating Conversations Past. This week, we're excited to introduce Musician Orbit, where jazz connections come to life through an interactive visual experience.
This week's newsletter is packed with exceptional stories, so there's plenty to discover below. Also, we resolved the problem that prevented AAJ users from uploading photos and MP3s this morning. Thanks for your patience.
For more than 30 years, All About Jazz has documented the people, recordings, and stories that define jazz. Along the way, we've built one of the world's most comprehensive editorial jazz databases. Today, you'll experience what becomes possible when three decades of curated knowledge are transformed into an interactive experience.
At its core, Musician Orbit is a visual map of a musician's artistic relationships. With a single click, you can discover artists with similar musical approaches, explore who influenced them, see the musicians they went on to influence, or simply begin a random journey through jazz history. It's a new way to uncover connections that are difficult to see through traditional articles, reviews, or biographies.
Musician Orbit represents another step in the evolution of All About Jazz. We'll be rolling it out across the site over the next couple of weeks, but you can experience it today, beginning with Dave Holland.
Lucy Yeghiazaryan is one of the most compelling jazz vocalists to emerge in recent years. Especially in New York, where she regularly performs in the city's jazz clubs, audiences have been drawn to her rich, powerful tone and her ability to bring an enchanting emotional depth to every lyric. Those qualities, along with her no-nonsense approach to classic songs and her effortless sense of swing, are behind the steady growth of Yeghiazaryan's audience. That's impressive these days. Then add to her story the fact that she grew up in post-Soviet Armenia, a country facing many challenges. Amid those circumstances, she learned to love singing. That included her native folk music, but also American jazz, which she sang before she could speak English. Her love of singing grew from her family's appreciation of music and the arts. Continue reading...
Located at 62°7 North, Moldejazz (the Molde International Jazz Festival) is the ideal place for a festival in week 29, in early summer. A floral scent drifts through The Town of Roses, a ribbon less than a kilometer wide wedged into a peninsula between fjord and mountains. Even once it has set, the sun is never far away. A single jam session is enough to carry you from sunset to sunrise. At that precise moment, after three in the morning, nothing beats a good nap to get ready for the Jazzlogen (the Jazz Lodge) parade at eleven. Then the midday interviews, and the concerts, overlapping and following one another until the moment when the sunset is a reminder that it is time to rush back to the chateau. For the jam sessions happen at the chateau. Continue reading...
When Oscar Rossignoli was a child in Honduras, he wanted to be a drummer. He was captivated by the instrument and when he went to church services each Sunday with his family, he would scamper to the front row and seat himself close to the drummer. The church services featured a band. His father, while not really a professional musician, was the bassist. Music was frequently played in his home in the city of San Pedro Sula, and it was a source of joy. "The music that I was exposed to from the beginning was church music," said Rossignoli. "I remember being super attracted to the drums. That was my first fascination." But when it came time to pick an instrument for the elementary school's music program, there was no drum set. "It was very classical-music oriented, a Western classical conservatory kind of place. Continue reading...
Cadogan Hall, where Terence Blanchard and I met, was built in 1907 as a church in the Byzantine Revival style. When its congregation dwindled, the Cadogan Estate reopened it in 2004 as an arts venue, preserving Arild Rosenkrantz's stained glass and stone while the purpose was reimagined—a fitting room in which to discuss "inheritance" and "creation" in jazz, how new ideas are built within old walls. We have barely sat down, hours before he takes the stage with Ravi Coltrane, when Blanchard mentions the last time he shared an occasion with Abdullah Ibrahim, in a concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center, not yet released. "Abdullah started chanting and singing this old song," Blanchard says, "and it was amazing. If anything, they should release the part with him singing, just him singing. It was like spiritual. It was like ancestral." Ancestral. It is the word I have come for. Continue reading...
The 1940s might have been the 20th century's most pivotal decade for America and the world. Millions died as war gripped the globe once again, and the Atomic Age and Cold War sprang up in the latter half of the decade as peace was finally achieved. Through it all, music and entertainment reflected the times. Reluctant at first to join the fighting, America had no choice after Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941—"a date which will live in infamy," FDR declared. Americans went overseas to battle Germany, Japan and Italy, including some of the biggest names in jazz—Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Clark Terry, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane and Tony Bennett—and from motion pictures—Paul Newman, James Stewart, Clark Gable, Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson. Continue reading...
"Marco the Phoenix" by Jun Iida
Record Label: OA2 Records
Released: 2026
"Just When You Think You Know" by Brian Landrus
Record Label: Palmetto Records
Released: 2026
Voo Voo Runs the Voodoo Down (read); Steve Swallow: Music Is Elemental (read); Michael Leonhart Orchestra at the 2026 NoMad Jazz Festival (read); Minerva Musicae 2026 (view photos); Moldejazz 2026 (read); Entre Amigos Pays Homage To Two Contemporary Composers on Magpie and Joyful Foundation (read); Mammal Hands at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days (view photos); Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Play Ellington's Black, Brown, and Beige (read); Branford Marsalis Quartet: A Joyous Celebration in Jamaica, Queens (view photos); Introducing Saxophonist Jay Thatte (read); Left Wall Balcony (read); With Time No Longer an Issue: The Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds and Foreign Tongues (read); Nadav Remez: At the Intersection of Modern Jazz and Jewish Folk (read); The Jimmy Masters Trio with guests Laura Ann Singh and Nanny Assis at the Sandler Center (view photos).
Allston Boylston: New music from Terri Lyne Carrington+Social Science, Australia's The Scornful Four, Debut for Austin Trumpeter Rachel Spencer, and Stellar re-issues of Sir Roland Hanna as well as the Joshua Breakstone Quartet featuring Barry Harris (listen); The First Instrument Jazz Show: Gretchen Parlato, Freddy Cole, Tank and the Bangas, Cecile McLorin Salvant and More! (listen); Exploration: Keyboard Special Featuring Joe Alterman, Tyrone Jackson, Kenny Banks Jr, And More (listen); JazzNow: Four new releases from Jeff Rupert, Bria Skonberg, Antonio Adolfo and Ryan Keberle (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Brent Birckhead, Emily Kuhn, Cindy Blackman Santana, Deanna Kirk, Alicia Witt, Louise Alexandra & More (listen); One Man's Jazz: Ralph Alessi Quintet, Shipp/Parker Duo & Barefoot Records (listen); The Stereo Image: From Shecky Greene to Penn &; Teller: Glenn Alai's Showbiz Rise (listen); Neon Jazz: Joey Alexander, Marilyn Maye, Charles Tolliver, NicoleYvette & Eddie Bruce (listen); Bitches Brew: Mohini Dey, Jeremy Green, Aurora Clara, Mike Murray, Evan Marien, Three Wise Monkeys and much more (listen); The Tonearm: Danalogue: Telling The Future Through Old Machines (listen); North Star Sounds: 2026 New Releases, Part 1 (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: Aanya Sengupta (listen); Injazz: Jadi Peperzak Quartet, Efraïm Trujillo with Rembrandt Frerichs and 3 Part Harmony, and more (listen); World of Jazz: New Music from Nduduzo Makahthini And More (listen); Rotations: Camila Nebbia, St. Silva, Danalogue, M. Geddes Gengras, Curio Curio, Myth Math, And More (listen).
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.
Percussionist Ami Molinelli Digs Into Brazilian Music With Duo Violão Plus One On 'Raizes Do Choro E Samba,' Set For September 4 Release By Amimo Records (read); 2026 Blues And Bayou Festival Presents Sol Roots At The Sedalia Center (read); JazzWeek Radio Chart: August 3, 2026 (read); All About Jazz Top 10 Songs: July 2026 (read); Bright Shiny Things Announces The Debut Album 'Dust And The Moon' By Rite Of Strings (read); Palestinian Nay Virtuoso, Faris Ishaq Weaves Cultural Memory With Contemporary Expression On Jasad جَسَد (arabic For "body") (read); Smoke Jazz Club Announces September 2026 Line-up Highlighted By Two Of Today's Leading Trombonists And Mark Turner Quartet's Album Release Show (read).
Got news? Share it in our newsletter and on our website. Learn how, here.
Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci
This week's newsletter is packed with exceptional stories, so there's plenty to discover below. Also, we resolved the problem that prevented AAJ users from uploading photos and MP3s this morning. Thanks for your patience.
A New Way to Explore Jazz
For more than 30 years, All About Jazz has documented the people, recordings, and stories that define jazz. Along the way, we've built one of the world's most comprehensive editorial jazz databases. Today, you'll experience what becomes possible when three decades of curated knowledge are transformed into an interactive experience.
At its core, Musician Orbit is a visual map of a musician's artistic relationships. With a single click, you can discover artists with similar musical approaches, explore who influenced them, see the musicians they went on to influence, or simply begin a random journey through jazz history. It's a new way to uncover connections that are difficult to see through traditional articles, reviews, or biographies.
Musician Orbit represents another step in the evolution of All About Jazz. We'll be rolling it out across the site over the next couple of weeks, but you can experience it today, beginning with Dave Holland.
Reminder: If accessing All About Jazz or Jazz Near You results in a Cloudflare screen, try clearing your browser's cache and reloading the page. This resolves the issue in most cases. If you're not sure how to clear your cache, search for "How do I clear my browser's cache?" and you'll find instructions for your browser.
Album Reviews
The album reviews below represent our most popular from the past week. View more recent reviews. Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra & Avin Omar Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra |  Winter Songs Steve Swallow |  Mother of the Blues, The Complete Paramount Recordings, 1923-1928 Ma Rainey |  Leave That In There Sullivan Fortner |
 Sea Spell Jeff Rupert Quartet |  Healthy Trail Philippe Crettien |  A Supreme Blue Nicholas Payton Butcher Brown |  Unreal City Kevin Kastning |
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.Lucy Yeghiazaryan: Serious And Seriously Talented
Lucy Yeghiazaryan is one of the most compelling jazz vocalists to emerge in recent years. Especially in New York, where she regularly performs in the city's jazz clubs, audiences have been drawn to her rich, powerful tone and her ability to bring an enchanting emotional depth to every lyric. Those qualities, along with her no-nonsense approach to classic songs and her effortless sense of swing, are behind the steady growth of Yeghiazaryan's audience. That's impressive these days. Then add to her story the fact that she grew up in post-Soviet Armenia, a country facing many challenges. Amid those circumstances, she learned to love singing. That included her native folk music, but also American jazz, which she sang before she could speak English. Her love of singing grew from her family's appreciation of music and the arts. Continue reading...
Moldejazz 2026
Located at 62°7 North, Moldejazz (the Molde International Jazz Festival) is the ideal place for a festival in week 29, in early summer. A floral scent drifts through The Town of Roses, a ribbon less than a kilometer wide wedged into a peninsula between fjord and mountains. Even once it has set, the sun is never far away. A single jam session is enough to carry you from sunset to sunrise. At that precise moment, after three in the morning, nothing beats a good nap to get ready for the Jazzlogen (the Jazz Lodge) parade at eleven. Then the midday interviews, and the concerts, overlapping and following one another until the moment when the sunset is a reminder that it is time to rush back to the chateau. For the jam sessions happen at the chateau. Continue reading...
Oscar Rossignoli: Expanding His Musical Journey
When Oscar Rossignoli was a child in Honduras, he wanted to be a drummer. He was captivated by the instrument and when he went to church services each Sunday with his family, he would scamper to the front row and seat himself close to the drummer. The church services featured a band. His father, while not really a professional musician, was the bassist. Music was frequently played in his home in the city of San Pedro Sula, and it was a source of joy. "The music that I was exposed to from the beginning was church music," said Rossignoli. "I remember being super attracted to the drums. That was my first fascination." But when it came time to pick an instrument for the elementary school's music program, there was no drum set. "It was very classical-music oriented, a Western classical conservatory kind of place. Continue reading...
Terence Blanchard and the Inheritance of Jazz
Cadogan Hall, where Terence Blanchard and I met, was built in 1907 as a church in the Byzantine Revival style. When its congregation dwindled, the Cadogan Estate reopened it in 2004 as an arts venue, preserving Arild Rosenkrantz's stained glass and stone while the purpose was reimagined—a fitting room in which to discuss "inheritance" and "creation" in jazz, how new ideas are built within old walls. We have barely sat down, hours before he takes the stage with Ravi Coltrane, when Blanchard mentions the last time he shared an occasion with Abdullah Ibrahim, in a concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center, not yet released. "Abdullah started chanting and singing this old song," Blanchard says, "and it was amazing. If anything, they should release the part with him singing, just him singing. It was like spiritual. It was like ancestral." Ancestral. It is the word I have come for. Continue reading...
The 1940s: WWII, Singers Take Center Stage
The 1940s might have been the 20th century's most pivotal decade for America and the world. Millions died as war gripped the globe once again, and the Atomic Age and Cold War sprang up in the latter half of the decade as peace was finally achieved. Through it all, music and entertainment reflected the times. Reluctant at first to join the fighting, America had no choice after Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941—"a date which will live in infamy," FDR declared. Americans went overseas to battle Germany, Japan and Italy, including some of the biggest names in jazz—Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Clark Terry, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane and Tony Bennett—and from motion pictures—Paul Newman, James Stewart, Clark Gable, Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson. Continue reading...
Songs of the Week
One song is inspired by an anime character. The other comes from one of jazz's modern masters of the low woodwinds. Enjoy them both. "Marco the Phoenix" by Jun Iida
L I S T E N
Album Information
Title: BellflowerRecord Label: OA2 Records
Released: 2026
"Just When You Think You Know" by Brian Landrus
L I S T E N
Album Information
Title: Just When You Think You KnowRecord Label: Palmetto Records
Released: 2026
Top Songs
The songs below represent the most heard in the past four weeks. View the Song of the Day archive. IT's Gotta B U! From the album It's Gotta B U! By Tony Adamo |  Ethics Unimposed From the album Ethics Unimposed By Andrei Marian |  Four Seas From the album Mridhangit By Rahul Mukerji |  Echoes Of Your Formal Education From the album Kammermusik By Guido Spannocchi |
 TERR From the album TERR By Emie R. Roussel |  Goodbye Mr. Evans From the album The Ghost, the King and I featuring Scott Hamilton & Strings By Rob van Bavel |  Secrets That We Keep From the album Soul Journey By Chris McNulty |  Intégration From the album Mezzanine By Greenhouse Ensemble |
Choice Content
Voo Voo Runs the Voodoo Down (read); Steve Swallow: Music Is Elemental (read); Michael Leonhart Orchestra at the 2026 NoMad Jazz Festival (read); Minerva Musicae 2026 (view photos); Moldejazz 2026 (read); Entre Amigos Pays Homage To Two Contemporary Composers on Magpie and Joyful Foundation (read); Mammal Hands at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days (view photos); Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Play Ellington's Black, Brown, and Beige (read); Branford Marsalis Quartet: A Joyous Celebration in Jamaica, Queens (view photos); Introducing Saxophonist Jay Thatte (read); Left Wall Balcony (read); With Time No Longer an Issue: The Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds and Foreign Tongues (read); Nadav Remez: At the Intersection of Modern Jazz and Jewish Folk (read); The Jimmy Masters Trio with guests Laura Ann Singh and Nanny Assis at the Sandler Center (view photos).
Radio & Podcasts
Tune into our extensive collection of quality programs every week.Allston Boylston: New music from Terri Lyne Carrington+Social Science, Australia's The Scornful Four, Debut for Austin Trumpeter Rachel Spencer, and Stellar re-issues of Sir Roland Hanna as well as the Joshua Breakstone Quartet featuring Barry Harris (listen); The First Instrument Jazz Show: Gretchen Parlato, Freddy Cole, Tank and the Bangas, Cecile McLorin Salvant and More! (listen); Exploration: Keyboard Special Featuring Joe Alterman, Tyrone Jackson, Kenny Banks Jr, And More (listen); JazzNow: Four new releases from Jeff Rupert, Bria Skonberg, Antonio Adolfo and Ryan Keberle (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Brent Birckhead, Emily Kuhn, Cindy Blackman Santana, Deanna Kirk, Alicia Witt, Louise Alexandra & More (listen); One Man's Jazz: Ralph Alessi Quintet, Shipp/Parker Duo & Barefoot Records (listen); The Stereo Image: From Shecky Greene to Penn &; Teller: Glenn Alai's Showbiz Rise (listen); Neon Jazz: Joey Alexander, Marilyn Maye, Charles Tolliver, NicoleYvette & Eddie Bruce (listen); Bitches Brew: Mohini Dey, Jeremy Green, Aurora Clara, Mike Murray, Evan Marien, Three Wise Monkeys and much more (listen); The Tonearm: Danalogue: Telling The Future Through Old Machines (listen); North Star Sounds: 2026 New Releases, Part 1 (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: Aanya Sengupta (listen); Injazz: Jadi Peperzak Quartet, Efraïm Trujillo with Rembrandt Frerichs and 3 Part Harmony, and more (listen); World of Jazz: New Music from Nduduzo Makahthini And More (listen); Rotations: Camila Nebbia, St. Silva, Danalogue, M. Geddes Gengras, Curio Curio, Myth Math, And More (listen).
News Announcements
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.
Percussionist Ami Molinelli Digs Into Brazilian Music With Duo Violão Plus One On 'Raizes Do Choro E Samba,' Set For September 4 Release By Amimo Records (read); 2026 Blues And Bayou Festival Presents Sol Roots At The Sedalia Center (read); JazzWeek Radio Chart: August 3, 2026 (read); All About Jazz Top 10 Songs: July 2026 (read); Bright Shiny Things Announces The Debut Album 'Dust And The Moon' By Rite Of Strings (read); Palestinian Nay Virtuoso, Faris Ishaq Weaves Cultural Memory With Contemporary Expression On Jasad جَسَد (arabic For "body") (read); Smoke Jazz Club Announces September 2026 Line-up Highlighted By Two Of Today's Leading Trombonists And Mark Turner Quartet's Album Release Show (read).
Got news? Share it in our newsletter and on our website. Learn how, here.
Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci
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