Year in Review
Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.
Doug Collette's Best Releases Of 2020

Given the challenging year that was 2020, Best of..." lists may turn out to be the high points of the last twelve months. Certainly there were times in the spring when it seemed as though a drought of new music might be inescapable, but as summer turned to fall, the titles kept rolling out, with the usual clockwork regularity (almost). Here, then, is music worth remembering, released during a time mostly worth forgetting. Kim Simmonds/Savoy Brown
read moreLa-Faithia White's Best Releases of 2020

Music is the gift that keeps on giving, especially during difficult times. Music also helps us navigate through our busy days and long nights. The artists included in my Best of 2020 list have shared their gifts and talents with these outstanding releases. Charles Lloyd Kindred Spirits Live Blue Note Records John Coltrane Giant Steps 60th Anniversary Atlantic Records Gregory Porter All Rise ...
read moreDoug Hall's Best Releases Of 2020

An extraordinary time for musicians facing an unprecedented scale of impact on their lives and profession as artists. Nevertheless, for the listener, a range of incredible compositions were released in 2020 under these circumstances. I have highlighted just some of my favorites. However, truly, my support goes out to the whole jazz community, and may there be light at the end of the tunnel" for all of us in 2021. Brian Landrus For Now BlueLand ...
read more2020: The Year in Jazz

The COVID-19 pandemic put the jazz world in a tailspin, just like the world at large, in 2020. And there is plenty of uncertainty going into the new year about what new normal: might emerge from the darkness. International Jazz Day, like so many other things, became an online virtual event this time around. Pianist Keith Jarrett disclosed that he might never perform in public again because of lingering health issues. The National Endowment for the Arts welcomed four new ...
read moreIan Patterson's Best Releases Of 2020

A year like no other produced a terrific amount of great music, much of inspired by--or in spite ofthe surreal circumstances. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases of the year. A huge thank you to all the musicians, record labels, studios, agents, promotors and virtual technicians who helped keep us relatively sane and uplifted. Carole NelsonArborealBlack Stairs Records The growing threats to the environment provide the grist to ...
read morePeter J. Hoetjes' Best Releases of 2020

It's been an unusual year for the music industry within any genre. The first few months of 2020 were fairly typical, followed by months of uncertainty prompted by fear and misinformation. As the year closes however, jazz musicians are hopefully able to glimpse the sun rising on the distant horizon. If 2019 was a year dominated by unearthed or re-released recordings from decades past, its successor was the hardscrabble year, one where those whose business sense and adaptability ...
read morePopular Tracks: 2020

All About Jazz tracks how often a featured song is heard, and the following represent the most popular in 2020. If you missed them the first time around, give them a listen now, and enjoy! Did Mark Murphy Believe In UFOS? Tony AdamoDid Mark Murphy Believe In UFOS? Ropeadope Featured: February 22, 2020 Cache-Cash Sal La RoccaShifted Igloo Records & El Negocito ...
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