Party Time in NYC: 2025 By The Numbers; More Jazz Fiction; Philly Joe Bio; and Songs of the Week

This Sunday, we're celebrating 30 years of All About Jazz the best way we know how... with music! Our anniversary concert brings together pianist Joe Alterman, bassist/producer Mocean Worker (aka Adam Dorn), and an all-star band featuring Lenny White for an evening inspired by the spirit of Les McCann and the deep groove of 1960s soul jazz. It all happens at Rizzoli Bookstore (1133 Broadway, NYC). If you already have tickets—fantastic. If you're planning to go, now's the time to get them.

And because no good jazz night should end too early... After the concert, Ludovico Ganvassu (that's his name—don't wear it out) and I will be heading over to the bar at the ACE Hotel, just two blocks away. If you can swing it, stop by, say hello, hang out, and enjoy a beverage—it would be great to meet you. We should arrive a little after 7:00pm and plan to stay for a couple of hours. We have no idea how many people to expect, but if you're considering joining us, please let me know. Hope to see you this Sunday!

2025 Year in Review by the Numbers: The Magnificent Seven and the Pluralism of Taste

What happens when jazz's famously individualistic listening culture meets hard data? In this Year in Review analysis, AAJ's resident mathematician Marek J. Śmietański looks beyond rankings to examine patterns drawn from 46 year-end lists submitted by 42 All About Jazz contributors, encompassing 428 albums from more than 230 labels worldwide.

Rather than producing a tidy hierarchy, the numbers reveal a landscape defined by pluralism. Only a small group of albums appeared repeatedly across lists— the "Magnificent Seven," led by Patricia Brennan's Of the Near and Far—while the vast majority of recordings were cited by just one contributor. In fact, 77% of all albums received a single mention, a striking illustration of jazz's breadth in 2025.

The analysis also explores label presence and release timing, suggesting that early-year releases enjoy a visibility advantage, unless a late-year album is truly exceptional. Yet the larger takeaway is cultural rather than statistical: jazz remains resistant to canonization, thriving instead on a wide range of aesthetics, scenes, and personal listening paths.

The good news? Even in this sea of independent choices, a handful of recordings still manage to resonate across communities—offering shared reference points without narrowing the music's scope. As ever, the numbers don't decide what's "best," but they do help illuminate what connects us. Continue reading...

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	The Solastalgia Suite Kris Davis and the Lutoslawski Quartet	REX Christopher Hoffman
Love Dance Woody Shaw	Gospel Music Joel Ross	Ahead Of July Pipeline	Deodato: In Concert—Live At Felt Forum

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.

The Life and Legacy of a Drummer Who Transformed Modern Jazz

Anyone who is seeking out anecdotes about Philly Joe Jones's relationships with a veritable who's who of jazz greats, or particulars of his life off the bandstand, might want to steer clear of Michael C. Davis's biography of the celebrated drummer, bandleader, mentor, and teacher. Employing a streamlined approach (130 pages of text; no quotes, references, endnotes, or discography), Davis concentrates on Jones's musical goals and values, and the nuts and bolts of his methods. Without employing a surfeit of music terms and concepts, he artfully describes the sound of his subject's drumming and its relationship to the music of Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, and other significant figures. Continue reading...

Unfiltered—Ben Jaffe at Preservation Hall, New Orleans

In the Moment, a yet-to-be-published interview put together for a New Orleans music magazine with Ben Jaffe, creative director of Preservation Hall, was actually the distillation of a conversation rather than a mere moment in time. Nor was it an interview in the dictionary sense of that word; for the most part, the Q and A format was absent. Prepared with a list of maybe fifty questions, fewer than 10 were ever asked. Shy to request two hours (I did, though, just in case), we hooked up for a three-hour-long, at times deeply personal, conversation. Jaffe spoke, recalling what it was like to grow up at Preservation Hall. Continue reading...

Vadim Neselovskyi: The Beauty Of Music And The Scourge Of War

Ukrainian-born, Brooklyn-based pianist and composer Vadim Neselovskyi's art emerged from a fairly traditional path. He was classically trained at conservatories in his native Odessa and Germany, then received a scholarship to Berklee School of Music where he developed a distinct, sophisticated style that bridges jazz and classical music. His compositions have been performed by Randy Brecker, Antonio Sanchez, Julian Lage, and Gary Burton, classical saxophonist Daniel Gauthier, and symphony orchestras in the United States and Europe. His world was turned upside down, however, by Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its brutal full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. In this interview, Neselovskyi relates how the trauma of war has affected him and his music. Continue reading...

Songs of the Week

Two propulsive selections from seasoned piano trios, where ease of interaction and melodic intelligence do the heavy lifting. 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 [Feat. New York Voices, Mark Egan] From the album Full Moon [Feat. New York Voices, Mark Egan] By Luiz Millan	Reflection From the album Dear Cleveland, By Dimitri Nassar	Train's Window From the album Northern Train By Pedro Neves
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	Just After You Left... From the album Just After You Left... By Raymond Hardy

Choice Content

Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet at the Jazz Cafe (read);Trond Kallevåg: Twins of Træna (listen); Teodross Avery & The Kei Akagi Trio Commemorate The Miles Davis and John Coltrane Centennials at Winifred Smith Hall (read); Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra at Dazzle (read); Chris Dave, Pino Palladino and Isaiah Sharkey Trio At The Blue Note Jazz Club (read); ...and in three months' time, Cecil Taylor freed jazz (listen); Which African Jazz Artist Most Merits A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award? (read); Jazz is Alive and Well at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival in Cape May, NJ (view photos); Take Five with Saxophonist Steve Treseler (read); Ignition of the Ages: Sonny Sharrock's Seismic Siege of the Detroit State Theatre (read).

Radio & Podcasts

Tune into our extensive collection of quality programs every week.

The Outer View: Jaleel Shaw, John Vanore, and Richie Beirach (listen); Allston Boylston: What I Learned By Juxtaposing Sylvie Courvoisier And Red Garland (listen); Ben Boddie On Jazz: Charlie Apicella, Jazz Sabbath, Mark Christian Miller, Melissa Aldana and more (listen); Mondo Jazz: Stéphane Kerecki, Michael Leonhart, Rebecca Trescher, Shake Stew, Matthieu Donarier (listen); Exploration: Classic jazz from Shirley Scott and more, and birthday shoutouts to Behn Gillece and Maceo Parker among others (listen); Backstage Bay Area: Delfeayo Marsalis on Street Rhythms and the Spirit of Mardi Gras (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Mark Christian Miller, Nicole McCabe, Audrey Ochoa, Bellbird, Sivan Arbel & More (listen); The Jazz Disturbance: Martin Wind, Dimitri Nassar, Toninato & Thiessen, Tigran Hamasyan (listen); North Star Sounds: Music from Charles Tyler, The Webber Morris Big Band, and Italy and Scandinavia (listen); Neon Jazz: Miles Davis, Helen Merrill, Charlie Apicella & Aretha Tillotson (listen); Bitches Brew: New music from Mike Seal,Sakis Zachariades, Salon De Musica, and David Binney. Plus old favourites with Zawinul, Uzeb and Yellow Jackets (listen); Mondo Jazz: Shai Maestro, Frank Kimbrough, Antonio Faraò, Keith Jarrett & More (listen); The Tonearm: Lawrence English: Capturing The Impossible Trio (listen); Jazz Connections: Improvising the Russian Classical Composers: Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev (listen); Jazz On The Tyne: Joe Steels, Samara Joy, Jo Harrop, And More (listen); Mondo Jazz: Thomas Strønen, Tortoise, Britta Virves, Seb Rochford, Dishwasher_, Beiggja (listen); Allston Boylston: Maria Schneider's Latest, "American Crow" + Dave Adewumi, Dawn Clement and Al Foster (listen); World of Jazz: New Music From Bellbird, Rosenblum, Howell, Miller And More (listen).

News Announcements

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

'Everybody Digs Bill Evans' Film by Director Grant Gee Debuts at the Berlin International Film Festival (read); Simplify Your Approach To Improvisation—A practical 10-step guide for all instrumentalists by Bill McBirnie (read); Judith Owen Releases New Single "that's Why I Love My Baby" Ahead Of International Tour (read); John McNeil Memorial Concert On Monday, February 23 Honors The Longtime New England Conservatory Faculty Member With Performances By Faculty, Students, And Alumni (read); Vinterjazzfestivalen 2026 Brings World-class Jazz To Fredrikstad, Norway (read); Daggerboard Showcases A Pair Of Iconic Musical Associates On 'The Skipper And Mike Clark,' Set For Release March 6 On Wide Hive (read); Jazz Great Dan Damon Breaks Barriers With New Album 'Needed Time' (read).

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