Results for "Video"

Video

I Wish

Featuring the music of Alfredo Rodriguez
Duration: 03:44
January 3, 2027

With his album “Take Cover!”, pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and his small band take on a “mission possible” of creating original, authentic Latin jazz arrangements of some of pop music’s most recognizable tunes. On Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish,” the displacement in time of the bass/keyboard left-hand groove immediately stands out. That groove is underpinned by a fierce conga rhythm and the heavy lock-step bass guitar and drum kit, making it undeniably Latin. Meanwhile, vocalist Alana Sinkëy injects soul and swing. The band’s sound can easily pull you in for more; if so, search YouTube for “Alfredo Rodriguez” and “Thriller” for his Michael Jackson cover or “NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert” for his native Cuban repertoire and original songs.

Video

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Featuring the music of Steven Feifke
Duration: 05:00
December 27, 2026

Surprisingly, there is very little in the jazz standards repertoire dedicated to the last night of the year. “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” (composed by Frank Loesser) is unrivaled for well-known covers as well as a title that gets right to the point. As for modern versions, deft pianist and big band composer Steven Feifke joined with trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III to extract joy from their early 2020s cut. It’s an uplifting version featuring a captivating vocal track, warm saxophone “buzz”, and tight vibraphone and trumpet solos. The video also contains a fair share of snowballs, goofing around a New York rooftop, and a nostalgic reference to virtual video performances and “half-mask-on” gigs.

Video

Winter Wonderland

Featuring the music of Oni Marsalis
Duration: 02:37
December 20, 2026

If you are a parent who has ever hoped your child would learn to play a jazz instrument, here’s an ambitious role model for you: Wynton Marsalis. His daughter, Oni Marsalis, was 11 or 12 when she recorded “Winter Wonderland” in 2018. She had a surprisingly satisfying, polished delivery and vibrato at the time. She also posted a YouTube video singing “Body and Soul” that has gone somewhat viral. Oni Marsalis has since attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art in New York, and was a Winner with Distinction in the 2026 YoungArts national competition and mentorship program. It makes you wonder: just how fun are jam sessions with her musically-impressive uncles?

Video

Blue Monk Sandwich

Featuring the music of Julian Lage
Duration: 09:00
December 13, 2026

It is a special accomplishment when one guitarist displays masterful technical proficiency and a unique, recognizable sound. It’s a coup when a video brings together three such guitarists for a jam. Here, Julian Lage displays his mellow, plucked tone, angular lines, and chordal clusters. Miles Okazaki plays his vintage, high-action guitar while sacrificing nothing in solo speed. Meanwhile, Mary Halvorson’s cut-away acoustic guitar lays down nose dives from her effects board’s pitch bend. The result, titled on the spot “Blue Monk Sandwich,” is free improvisation framed by a blues progression. The piece comes across as beautiful, cacophonous interplay.

Video

Quartet 1

Featuring the music of Chick Corea
Duration: 13:47
December 6, 2026

Chick Corea’s music was so stylistically varied, technically mind-blowing and musically gorgeous, that the pianist/composer's name is etched in granite at the pantheon of jazz masters. One proof point is Corea’s opus, Three Quartets, (Warner Bros. Records, 1981). Here, he ambitiously sets out to combine the dynamism and liberating improvisation of post-bop with the structure and intimacy of classical string quartets. Inviting Michael Brecker, Eddie Gomez and Steve Gadd to record and perform the work live essentially guaranteed it achieve “must listen” status. On “Quartet 1” (music begins at 0:33), observe how closely the quartet listen and respond to each other. Compare this to a version with Brecker-contemporary Bob Berg on saxophone, opening his solo with plenty of space and crescendoing more demonstrably (search on YouTube for "chick with bob berg quartet 1").

Video

Whiplash

Featuring the music of Hank Levy
Duration: 05:18
November 29, 2026

Whiplash is as thrilling and tension-filled as any full-length jazz movie you may encounter. It’s written around the big band tune by Hank Levy. The premise is that an egotistical, latent-psychotic conservatory band conductor focuses his jealousy on his ensemble, especially a talented drummer, until their collective relationship falls apart. The combined talents of well-known actor J.K. Simmons as the conductor, Miles Teller as the young drummer and writer/director Damien Chazelle make the relationships compelling enough to prompt the audience to ask: “what if this has happened to my school jazz band?” Spoiler alert: this video clip is an iconic scene – the conductor has a question about keeping time. It’s a must-see movie and clip, but if you’re pressed for time start at 0:49.

Video

Oleo

Featuring the music of Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen
Duration: 03:10
November 22, 2026

He is arguably the best walking acoustic bassist of all time… with the hardest to pronounce name: Neils-Henning Ørsted Pederson. Pederson, a Dane born in 1946, was playing with some of jazz’s greats in his teens and eventually spent long partnerships with Oscar Peterson, Sonny Rollins and Kenny Drew among others. In this remarkable performance of Rollins' “Oleo,” he transforms the bass into a swinging, bop solo voice, demonstrating the extraordinary technique and rhythmic command that would make him one of jazz's A-list. Listen for the astonishing speed and clarity of his lines and how effortlessly he navigates the tune's "Rhythm Changes" harmony. The solo is not merely a display of chops--it has momentum, melodic direction and undeniable swing.

Video

Birks' Works

Featuring the music of Christian McBride
Duration: 6:52
November 15, 2026

How often does one get to hear two top-notch upright basses, alternately walking and soloing as a duo? Russell Hall (seen on the right) is known for his work with Emmet Cohen, as well as Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste and Wayne Shorter. Christian McBride is arguably the most prolific and accomplished bassist / project leader in jazz today. Here they ease into Dizzy Gillespie’s modified minor blues, "Birks’ Works." McBride picks up steam at 3:25 and the pair have real fun together starting 5:06. Before you finish, turn off your ears and simply visualize the joy exchanged between the two. For a peppier version, search YouTube for the Red Garland Quintet take on the same song.

Video

Allan Holdsworth: Frankfurt '86

Featuring the music of Allan Holdsworth
Duration: 02:51
November 8, 2026

While it’s impossible to substitute for a top notch musical spirit, there are times where technology can serve as a soulmate. Such is the case with British guitar maestro Allan Holdsworth. He developed an electronics-driven sound that incorporated long-sustain / constant volume lines and a fat tone that was equal parts distorted guitar, violin and 80’s synth pad. To top it off, his improvisational lines contained turns and leaps that forged a new vocabulary for guitarists. His performance at the Deutsche Jazz Festival in Frankfurt, 1986, capture Holdsworth at the cutting edge. He starts out on a Stratocaster copy plus heavy doses of digital delay, compression, pitch shifters and distortion. The instrumentalist then switches to the SynthAxe Guitar Synthesizer, a whole new invention that uses triggers under the frets and a separate set of short strings to track the guitarist’s playing and map it to synth modules (search YouTube for "Allan Holdsworth plays SynthAxe" ). Sadly, the “bionic guitarist” passed away in 2017.

Video

Live at Transition Festival

Featuring the music of Emma Rawicz
Duration: 22:24
November 1, 2026

Emma Rawicz (pronounced Rah’-veech) is an high-flying tenor and soprano saxophonist based in London. To give a sense of her accelerating maturity and popularity, she won the prestigious UK Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Newcomer in 2022 and for Best Instrumentalist just two years later. Her playing combines impressive technical command with natural musicality, and compositions that shift between lyrical passages, probing grooves and modern harmonic twists. Rawicz tours prodigiously and is at home in a live setting (read the review Emma Rawicz At Roscommon Arts Centre. Listen to the opener “A Wide, Wide Sea” from this Transition Festival performance in the Netherlands. Rawicz builds intensity without simply turning up the volume, while pianist Ivo Neame, bassist Kevin Glasgow and drummer Asaf Sirkis continually reshape the music underneath her. The three-piece set also includes “The Oak Tree” (at 08:18) and “Rebecca” (15:16).