Articles
Hermon Mehari on "Kind of Blue"
This interview was conducted as part of the FranceTV.com special Miles Davis, 100 ans d'avance. Few jazz albums carry the weight of Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959). Revered, endlessly analyzed and almost impossible to escape, it can seem untouchable. Yet precisely because it has become such a monument, it also raises an intriguing question: how can a contemporary musician engage with it without simply paying tribute? Trumpeter Hermon Mehari and a quintet featuring Francesco Bigoni (saxophone), ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Wolf—Future Perfect, 9. Blues Lesson
Before things began in earnest, Maya and Chloe pulled Wolf aside for an honest conversation. “You could step into a concert hall tomorrow and cut a classical record, and it would be phenomenal," Maya said, leaning against the wooden cabinet of the Hammond B3. “You still speak that language fluently. But the music we need to play at the Fillmore? That's a different neighborhood, and you'll need a map. The main thing is, there is no pressure--we only ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Jörg Leichtfried: Solo Concepts for the Left Hand in Modern Jazz
Solo Concepts for the Left Hand in Modern Jazz Jörg Leichtfried 44 Pages Jamey Aebersold Jazz 2026 Solo jazz piano presents a pianist with many significant challenges, making it the most technically demanding role for a jazz pianist. In a solo performance, the jazz pianist must provide the melody, rhythm, improvisation, accompaniment, and the bass activity, so much of which is handled by other players in a trio, quartet, or quintet setting. ...
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Floating with Emile Parisien at 1000jazz 2026
Emile Parisien FloatingThéâtre de l'heure bleue1000Jazz, Third EditionLa Chaux-de-Fonds, SwitzerlandOctober 25, 2026 “If you did not like this, the record is really different!" quips Emile Parisien in a mock-desperate attempt to promote Floating (ACT Music, 2026), released the month before (reviewed by AAJ). Fair enough, but what if we did like? It is true that the concert ran almost twice as long as the digital and CD editions, which themselves include two ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Wolf—Future Perfect, 8. Blues & the Abstract Truth
1970--Manhattan, New York Ten days passed inside the West 26th Street loft. For Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, time had ceased to be an enemy. Over the course of a week and a half, he had eagerly surveyed nearly two centuries of human expression. The band quickly realized that, much like their encounter with George Harrison, Wolf was a sliver of his higher consciousness. Yet clearly the two centuries had rendered him exceptionally potent. He was not just a temporal spirit on ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Introducing the New Jersey All-State Jazz Ensemble and Choir
"Ordinary People," a ballad about an up-and-down romance, was released as the second single on John Legend's 2004 inaugural album, Get Lifted (Columbia). It became his signature song. On Friday evening, November 13, the New Jersey High School All-State Jazz Ensemble and Choir will perform Michael Philip Mossman's arrangement of it at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival. “This a rare opportunity to collaborate with both big band and ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Wolf—Future Perfect, 7. Sgt. Pepper
1970--New York Dinner at their favorite Italian spot down the avenue had been a triumph, if slightly bewildering for their host. Wolfgang had ordered the osso buco in flawless, florid 18th-century Tuscan--addressing the bewildered native Neapolitan owner as if he were a court dignitary in 1770s Milan. By the time the owner realized he was being serenaded in the Italian of Goldoni plays and papal courts, he had beamed, poured extra wine, and refused to let them pay for dessert. ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Christ-Stéphane Boizi at Pizza Express Live London
Christ-Stéphane Boizi PizzaExpress Live Album launch London November 3, 2026 There's an old saying, purportedly from as far back as 1773, that “the Devil has the best tunes." Well, God obviously held some back and sent them to Christ-Stéphane Boizi, bandleader, composer and trombonist, who introduced his gig with a statement that his music was inspired by his deep Christian faith. A brave move for a young man in front of a ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Wolf—Future Perfect, 6. Brazil '66
1970--New York The stillness left by Miles Davis lingered in the West 26th Street loft like cool autumn smoke. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart remained seated at the Steinway, his hands resting motionless on his lap, staring down at the ivory keys with rare, contemplative silence. Maya stepped over to the record crates, the floorboards creaking softly underfoot. “So far today, Wolf, you've heard French mist, Turkish math, and cool American space," she said, flipping through the vinyl ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Take Five with Guitarist Joey Stuckey
Editor's Note: Guitarist, producer, and educator Joey Stuckey completed this Take Five interview shortly before his passing in October 2026. We're grateful that he took the time to share his experiences, musical philosophy, and reflections with All About Jazz. An inspirational, award-winning artist, producer, and podcast host, Joey Stuckey blazed a trail for three decades before his untimely passing last month. Blind since age two, Stuckey made sound his calling card with Alan Parsons dubbing him, ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Wolf—Future Perfect, 5. So What
1970--New York The applause and laughter that followed Wolf's impossible five-four duet with Kyle took a long time to settle. Kyle was still sitting behind the drum kit with both sticks resting across his lap, grinning in a kind of exhausted disbelief. Zack leaned against his upright bass with his head tilted back and his eyes closed, as if recovering from a mild spiritual assault. Chloe had reclaimed her Telecaster but hadn't bothered to plug it back in. ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
All About Jazz: Building the Future of Jazz, Together
When I founded All About Jazz in 1995, I envisioned a place where people who loved jazz could share their knowledge, discover new music, and connect with others who shared their passion. Thirty-one years later, that vision has grown into an internationally respected institution serving musicians, writers, photographers, venues, record labels, presenters, educators, broadcasters, and listeners around the world. Today, All About Jazz encompasses an independent publication, Jazz Near You, an extensive musician database, a historical ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Wolf—Future Perfect, 4. Brubeck
New York 1970 Wolf beamed, pointing an accusatory, joyous finger at the turntable. “What else are you hiding in those crates next?" Julian leaned over the studio console, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Summer of 1959, Wolf. Columbia Records' 30th Street Studio, right here in New York City. Up until this specific moment in history, American jazz lived and died by four-four time--the straight four-four you played in your blues stunt earlier. Or, occasionally, a three-four ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Woody Allen: All Stick, No Schtick
When I look back nowadays, the timing of my interview with comedian/filmmaker Woody Allen ("All Stick, No Schtick"), now turning 91, couldn't have been worse. In fact, I felt that way from the beginning, when I pitched this story at DownBeat, published in their October, 1993, issue. But, I had been a fan of his movies for many years, and I wasn't going to let circumstances surrounding his personal life get in the way. (The controversy involving his former wife, ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
OJKOS plays the Music of Tuva Halse at the Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene
OJKOS Plays: Tuva HalseVictoria Nasjonal Jazzscene OsloOctober 21, 2026 Mountain Jazz: Identity and RootsIn the steep valley of Eikesdalen, in the Norwegian municipality of Molde, wild hazelnuts fall from the tree in September or October. Every hazelnut is destined to fall once it is ripe, and the same holds true for Panorama, by Tuva Halse, who also comes from Molde. It was only a matter of time: it arrived on October 21, 2026, at 7:00 ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Wolf—Future Perfect, 3. Satie
New York 1970 Maya didn't miss a beat. She dropped to one knee beside the wooden crates, her fingers walking rapidly across the album spines until she extracted a slightly worn sleeve. “If Debussy was a painter," Maya said, pulling the black vinyl free, “this next guy was a minimalist with a pencil. Erik Satie. He lived around the same time, but he disliked the grandeur of the concert hall. He wrote music intended to be ambient--he called ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Jazz Near You: Building a Better Way to Discover Live Jazz
Finding live jazz should be easy. Whether you're looking for a show in your hometown, planning a night out in New York City, or traveling abroad and hoping to discover the local jazz scene, you should be able to find out who's playing, where, and when without visiting a dozen websites. That's the idea behind Jazz Near You. Launched in 2011 as an extension of All About Jazz, Jazz Near You has grown into a global ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Wolf—Future Perfect, 2. Debussy
1970--New York The laughter in the West 26th Street rehearsal loft gradually subsided. Maya was still holding her Les Paul against her hip, staring at the slight figure sitting on the piano bench. Chloe set her Telecaster gently into its stand, wiping her palms on her jeans, her expression caught somewhere between utter bewilderment and radiant amusement. “So," Chloe said, crossing her arms and leaning against the edge of the mixing riser with a broad smile, “you're clearly ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Francesco Diodati: Making Room for the Unknown
A central figure in Enrico Rava's groups for the past decade, Francesco Diodati is one of the most creative European guitarists of his generation. An eclectic artist, always open to new explorations, he has led two pivotal ensembles in contemporary Italian jazz, Neko and Yellow Squeeds. He has also been involved in countless projects, including those led by Bobby Previte, Matteo Bortone, Julien Pontvianne, Paolo Fresu, Marcello Allulli, Francesco Ponticelli. In this interview, Diodati discusses his eclectic collaborations, and in ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Wolf—Future Perfect, 1. Punked
1970--Manhattan, New York The rehearsal loft on West 26th Street caught the crisp autumn afternoon sun through its tall, lead-paned industrial windows. Inside, the smell of fresh coffee and Chloe's favorite almond pastries from a bakery down on 8th Avenue mingled with the faint, comforting odor of heated vacuum tubes. Maya sat on an equipment case, tuning her sunburst Les Paul unamplified, while Chloe replaced an E string on her Telecaster. Kyle was seated casually at his drum ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz