Results for "Video"

Video

Cherokee

Featuring the music of Wynton Marsalis
Duration: 11:10
February 1, 2026

Up-tempo "Cherokee" has long served as a proving ground for jazzers who claim to have serious chops. In this rendition, soloists Wynton Marsalis, Walter Blanding Jr. and Véronica Swift show definitively how it’s done, each taking several choruses. Long lines of 16th notes, then sixteenth triplets, then squeals spew forth from Marsalis’s trumpet. Blanding (starting at 3:47) keeps up the pace while introducing fresh motifs, yet maintaining his gritty sound. Finally, Swift (at 5:37) resurrects the sound of classic vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O'Day, displaying robust air support, bell-tone vibrato, elastic time and blues-bending notes and some of the best scat vocalization in jazz today.

Video

Lady Bird

Featuring the music of Dexter Gordon
Duration: 05:41
January 25, 2026

It’s rare for the New York Times to give space to a jazz icon, so when they printed "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Dexter Gordon" in January 2026 (with song links), it felt time to revisit this tenor sax legend. Dexter Gordon’s sound beautifully bridged the swing feel of straight-ahead jazz with dexterity of bop. As can be heard on "Lady Bird," the sax player uniquely balanced the elements of his sound. Often, he would play a hair behind the beat, with a syncopation that was closer to straight 8ths than a swung triplet feel and using a full breath supporting each note’s tone but never over-blowing. One of the finest moments in jazz film is Round Midnight (1986, Warner Bros.), in which Gordon acted and played songs live, while portraying a poor, drug-addicted musician who gave his soul to play jazz.

Video

Hit the Ground Running

Featuring the music of Gordon Goodwin
Duration: 06:32
January 18, 2026

Listening to Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band is like opening a cool birthday gift – it’s wrapped shiny on the outside, with just enough rattle when you shake it, and you want to play with it for hours. In terms of "shiny," Goodwin’s 18-piece big band tends to explode from beat one. They combine traditional, up-tempo swing feels with funk, R&B and rock beats. The "rattling" inside comprises the technically demanding runs and sweet solos highlighted in his pieces. Finally, the band’s four Grammy awards and 20 nominations testify to the lasting power of the big phat sound. Goodwin was also known for collaboration with many giants in jazz, his efforts in jazz education, scores for film and daytime animation TV, and his funky sound on keyboards and sax. He passed away on December 8, 2025.

Video

Sonny Bird's Cage

Featuring the music of Pierre Veniot
Duration: 2:37
January 12, 2026

With my albums Storias and Storias Too, I’ve been exploring music as storytelling. Too often, jazz risks becoming a showcase of technical prowess, where musicians compete to impress with complexity rather than connect with listeners. My work resists that trap. These albums are concept-driven, blending the sophistication of jazz with the clarity of pop structures. Improvisation appears not as ego-driven display, but as sparks of spontaneity within carefully composed narratives. Each track is crafted to balance accessibility with depth, inviting audiences into stories that value communication over exhibition. ~Pierre Veniot

Video

Funky Fête (Iko Iko/Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing)

Featuring the music of Julie Benko
Duration: 90:00
January 6, 2026

During rehearsals for Funny Girl on Broadway, a moment of sheer panic unexpectedly led to a meaningful musical collaboration for Julie Benko. Faced with the daunting realization that tap dancing was part of the role, a breakdown in rehearsal turned into a breakthrough thanks to tap dance great John Manzari, whose generosity, encouragement, and impromptu coaching made all the difference. Now, the spotlight turns back to Manzari as a very special guest soloist on the first single from the forthcoming New Orleans–inspired jazz album Julie Benko 'Euphonic Gumbo'. Released on Twelfth Night to kick off the Mardi Gras season, “Funky Fête” is a joyous medley of "Iko Iko" and "Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing", capturing the spirit, rhythm, and communal energy of New Orleans. 'Euphonic Gumbo', which features pianist Jason Yeager, will be released on February 13 via Club44. Consider this your invitation to move: it’s impossible not to dance along. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Video

Lennie Tristano - Solo Piano

Featuring the music of Lennie Tristano
Duration: 40:53
January 4, 2026

Lennie Tristano was blind yet a piano visionary. His pioneering approach to improvisation, characterized by long, unbroken melodic lines and intricate polyphony, remains a cornerstone of the cool jazz movement. This 1965 solo performance from Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens captures the pianist at his most daring and introspective. Listen for the independence of his hands as he reconstructs familiar standards, often ballads, into dense, contrapuntal tapestries. On more swinging tunes, Tristano’s left hand provides a steady pulse while the right unfurls endless jagged improvisations. The nine-song set begins with "Darn that Dream."

Video

Auld Lang Syne

Featuring the music of WDR Big Band
Duration: 04:08
December 28, 2025

New Year’s gives us the chance to combine the best of the past year with hopes for the coming period. Similarly, the (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) {{m: WDR Big Band = 96675}} and WDR Symphony Orchestra here give us a remarkably blended jazz/classical arrangement of Auld Lang Syne. Bask in the closed voice swells, advanced chordal extensions, contrapuntal motion, string and horn timbres, and gentle lilt offered by arranger Jörg Achim Keller and conductor Cristian Mǎcelaru. In the year ahead, may your music be a canvas where the stars take hold.

Video

A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live at The Jazz Estate

Featuring the music of The Commercialists
Duration: 58:20
December 23, 2025

The Commercialists are a Milwaukee, Wisconsin trio formed to share Christmas holiday cheer -- especially by playing music from A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy Records, 1965) album and TV special. The group consists of Anthony Deutsch on piano and voice, Clay Schaub on bass, and Patrick Morrow on drums. Song highlights in this complete set include the swinging "Oh Tannenbaum," the wistful "Christmas Time is Here" and the pulsating "Skating." It's a perfect collection of sensitive jazz to play when friends come over for your holiday eve party or you’re sipping hot cocoa the day after. Recorded live at {{e: The Jazz Estate = 52881}} in Milwaukee.

Video

The Poet Who Makes Jazz Sing and Words Swing

Featuring the music of Charles Mingus
Duration: 92:09
December 23, 2025

This episode is the second installment of Timeless Classics, a series that has been painstakingly put together to bring you the most memorable discussions from the Quintessential Poetry podcast archives. This episode revisits Dr. Michael Anthony Ingram's interview with celebrated poet, author, spoken word artist, and All About Jazz staffer Mike Jurkovic.

Video

Linus and Lucy: with the Jerry Granelli Trio

Featuring the music of Jerry Granelli
Duration: 06:05
December 21, 2025

One of the most-recognized Christmas jazz tunes is “Linus and Lucy” from the 1965 cartoon TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. With this scene/song, the kids of the Peanuts comic strip shimmy freely amongst themselves at the school dance. Meanwhile, three of the characters jam on piano (Linus), guitar (Snoopy) and bass (Pig Pen). Jazz pianist and composer {{m: Vince Guaraldi = 7278}} created a shuffle-like eight-note groove that seeps from the drummer’s brushes and a pentatonic melody that is impossible to forget once you’ve enjoyed it. As seen in this 2014 video of "Linus and Lucy," {{m: Jerry Granelli = 7166}} (drums) was the last living member of the Vince Guaraldi Trio that recorded the original. Granelli was joined by {{m: Chris Gestrin = 21699}} (piano) and {{m: Simon Fisk = 22951}} (bass).