Interview
From emerging talents to today's brightest stars, we interview musicians from around the globe.
Lara Somogyi: Finding Her Muse in the Desert
by Dean Nardi
When one is making a pilgrimage to Joshua Tree in California--even by Zoom call--you must be careful about protecting your eyes from the blinding sunlight and keep your cap on to cover your brain. Listening to the music of Lara Somogyi from her album désert (Mercury KX 2025), one's brain is constantly heated by thoughts of striking it rich musically, thoughts that do not fade much with the late afternoon sun going down over the horizon. You may need some ...
Continue ReadingJohn Hadfield: An Open Concept
by Katchie Cartwright
John Hadfield's sound is instantly recognizable, due in part to his unique drum kit, which reflects the musics he has studied and with which he continues to engage. Hadfield's formal degrees are in jazz (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and Western classical music (University of Missouri, Kansas City), but he also studied frame drumming and world percussion extensively with Jamey Haddad at The New School in New York. He trained in South Asian classical percussion with Ganesh Kumar and Subash ...
Continue ReadingSergio Armaroli: The Musical Omnivore
by Mark Corroto
Sergio Armaroli is an Italian composer, percussionist, vibraphonist, teacher and visual artist whose music can be found on multiple labels including ezz-thetics, Leo Records, Dodicilune, Ictus Records and Da Vinci Classics. His 2025 releases include Deconstructing Ayler In The Universe (Dodicilune), And I Entered Into Sleep (Die Schachtel), and the ezz-thetics discs Introducing A Very Heavy Person First Visit, Follow A Very Heavy Person First Visit, At Sotto Il Mare First Visit and The Art Of Sound(s). Because ...
Continue ReadingMeet Guitarist Adam Levy
by Mike Brannon
This article first appeared on All About Jazz in March 2002. Even if you have listened to jazz for a while, you might not have heard of Adam Levy, but you likely will, either through his higher profile efforts, including work with Tracy Chapman, Joey Baron, Sexmob, John Zorn, and now the latest Blue Note sensation, singer/pianist Norah Jones. Though Bill Frisell, Brian Blade, and Kenny Wollesen, along with Levy, joined the Dallas native on her first major ...
Continue ReadingPresenting Great Music: Adam Hopkins and Scott Clark of Out of Your Head Records
by Don Ball
It is difficult to make a living as a musician, especially as a jazz musician, and even more so as an avant-garde/free jazz musician. Venues are hard to come by, especially outside of major cities. The COVID pandemic made things worse, closing many of the few places that were available for live jazz. Even putting out recordings is a difficult task. Often, a musician will submit their work to various labels, hoping for a bite. And with so many of ...
Continue ReadingMeet Jack DeJohnette
by Craig Jolley
This article was first published on All About Jazz in March 2002. One of the most creative and propulsive musicians in the history of jazz, drummer/pianist/composer Jack DeJohnette has played with most leading-edge jazz musicians of the time, usually at their request. He invariably brings out another side and a freshness in whoever he plays with. He is most noted as a drummer, but those who have heard him on his piano record (Landmark) and elsewhere realize he ...
Continue ReadingDickie Landry: From Lafayette to the New York Loft Scene
by Thomas Cole
Reknowned in the region for music that reflects its various cultural influences, Dickie Landry is one of the older players still active in Louisiana. Arriving in his home state for the interview, AAJ called Landry to check in. Quickly answering the phone and to the usual greeting of “how are you today," he immediately responded, “Alive!" Not to be taken for granted, life hangs by an ever-tenuous thread at his not so tender age of 86. Early Days ...
Continue ReadingAnton Mikhailov: Raising the Stakes
by Katchie Cartwright
Anton Mikhailov currently lives in Tbilisi, Georgia. He was born and classically trained in Ukraine, then moved to Moscow in 2022, during the pandemic. His engaging debut album, Today Yesterday (Self Produced) was released in August of 2025. All About Jazz spoke with the young pianist and composer in October to find out more about his physical and musical journey. Today YesterdayAll About Jazz: You describe the project as a “compositional journey--written across several transformative years--to explore what ...
Continue ReadingAnthony Jackson and Yiorgos Fakanas: Interspirits
by Ian Patterson
This article was first published on All About Jazz on May 11, 2010. It may come as a surprise to anyone wading through bass guitar giant Anthony Jackson's discography, which mind-bogglingly totals over three thousand recordings, that he has never recorded a solo album. The legendary bassist--who has played with an astonishing variety of artists of the caliber of Chick Corea, Roberta Flack, the O'Jays, Buddy Rich, Paul Simon, Chaka Khan, Michel Petrucciani, Michel Camilo, Pat Metheny, Quincy ...
Continue ReadingShuffle Demons: They Are for Real... Really
by Dean Nardi
On the Shuffle Demons' Are You Really Real (Alma Records 2025), the uncategorizable Toronto band knits together traditional jazz, modern funk playfulness, blues, rap and the sensuality of Prince. For an ensemble that has been a going concern for 40 years, they maintain an optimistic, let's-go-for-something-new outlook, reflected in their flamboyant retro clothing that resembles that worn by harmonizing quartets with 1950s haircuts, looking so sharp they could pierce the heart of a bureaucrat. Born out of busking on Toronto's ...
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