Featured Jazz Videos

Upbeat Mood

Music Soup
Duration: 5:12
2,582 views

“Dimopoulous makes no effort to withhold his admiration for hard-bop guitarists such as Grant Green, pre-Verve Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell. He is a technical master, deftly constructing his solos forays. Karlafti is an obvious acolyte of the great Blue Note organists Jimmy Smith and Big John Patton et al. With Joey DeFrancesco sadly gone, Karlafti (along with Tony Monaco) is a Hammond talent worthy of note. Upbeat Mood is just that.”

Nicholas Mondello, All About Jazz

La danza di Amerech

Mauro Sigura
Duration: 5:07
2,472 views

The 7 Virtual Jazz Club International Contest is the one and only on-line jazz contest in the world. Since 2016 we have been discovering jazz talent and spreading the love for jazz music. The contest is open to jazz musicians, groups or soloists of all ages, worldwide. Read why 7 Virtual Jazz Club matters here. Music by the Mauro Sigura Quartet.

Recommended by Michael Ricci.

Gypsy Girl

Toni Jannotta
Duration: 2:00
4,938 views

I wrote “Gypsy Girl" in an effort to shine more Light on our homeless brothers and sisters and to encourage us not to look away, even while we're being cautious. Chris Jensen of Chris Jensen Photo Design, Ventura CA, created and filmed the video at NAMBA Arts, downtown Ventura, and Jade Riley plays our homeless young woman. Recorded at Big City Recording, Granada Hills CA, with Paul Tavenner at the board, Greg Smith on piano, Larry Steen on bass, Chris Wabich on drums, Scheila Gonzales on sax, and Erik Chapman on cello. Thank you for watching!

Recommended by Michael Ricci.

Circular Motion

Francesco Crosara
Duration: 3:44
2,588 views

For Your GRAMMY® Consideration: Francesco Crosara. Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Circular Motion; Best Instrumental Composition: “Preludio Flamenco;" Best Jazz Performance: “Preludio Flamenco."

From a lifetime of music creation, pianist & composer Francesco Crosara selected 10 of his compositions from the last 40 years with the idea of highlighting the nexus between early work, with its simplicity and youthful appeal, to later works where he expressed richer harmonic textures and possibilities.

Circular Motion features three distinct rhythm sections that contribute to its rich, diverse soundscapes. It includes tracks influenced by global music traditions, such as flamenco, tango, and jazz samba, demonstrating Crosara’s broad musical palette and classical background.

Joshua Espinoza Trio: Take the A Train

Joshua Espinoza
Duration: 05:29
3,067 views

If you feel you really know “Take the A Train,” then kindly reconsider… Joshua Espinoza’s piano trio lends a fresh and noteworthy take on the standard. Espinoza opens with a trickle of upper-range notes on the keyboard, as if a rain shower were just starting. The trickle soon turns into a flurry, mixing blues and classical technique, until a full-on “A Train” storm-on-the-prairie emerges. Drummer Jaron Lamar Davis and bassist Kris Monson generate their own kind of supporting groove playing underneath or soloing--as much rimshot as ride cymbal; or staggered bass riffs as walking line.

Taped live at the Pumphouse in Baltimore, this video hints at the many strengths of this emerging trio, whether it is performing originals inspired by the pianist’s Mexican/Appalachian heritage or covering a Billy Joel ballad.

Recommended by Scott Lichtman.

Other Side Live at Bowery Electric

Thompson Newkirk
Duration: 4:22
3,115 views

Thompson Newkirk is New York City's southern pop rock guitarist. The music is blues-influenced, upbeat, and lyric based. He tells stories about love lost, getting kicked out of Canada, and not letting the harsh realities of life win over the soul. The video for “Other Side" was recorded live at the Bowery Electric in NYC in May of 2024 and captured the performer's high energy and audience participation style. The songwriter says, “The song iis really about not comparing yourself to other people's perceived situations or a perceived status in this world and making your dreams and aspirations known to yourself in order to achieve theme."

Recommended by Terence C Burke.

Guinga + Joia Luz Live at JazzB, São Paulo

Guinga
Duration: 3:18
2,003 views

To celebrate Brazilian Song, Guinga joins the young Italian interpreter Joia Luz and presents a selection of his compositions arranged for guitar and voice, recorded last year and released this July 2024 by the Kuarup label. Songs like “Fonte Abandonada,” “Noturna,” “Jogo de Damas,” among others. Guinga is one of the greatest Brazilian composers of today, with a career spanning decades of collaborations with big names in Brazilian music, such as Elis Regina, Chico Buarque, and Ivan Lins. His compositions, marked by melodic beauty, sophisticated harmonies, and poetic lyrics, are true gems of Brazilian popular music. Joia Luz, the stage name of Gioia Persichetti, is an Italian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Brazil. With a sweet and expressive voice, Joia Luz interprets Guinga’s songs with sensitivity and emotion, creating an intimate and engaging atmosphere.

Recommended by Oh! Jazz.

Voyage

Danny Jonokuchi
Duration: 4:36
2,674 views

Danny Jonokuchi, the award-winning arranger-trumpeter-vocalist, has released a new album 'A Decade'. Among the highlights is a rousing rendition of Kenny Barron's “Voyage", which serves as the album opener. “This composition resonates with so many jazz musicians—it’s a classic that we all know and love to perform," Jonokuchi says. “For my arrangement, I introduced a fresh, slightly off-kilter groove to keep listeners on edge, and featured two incredible soloists: Andrew Gould on alto sax and Jeb Patton on piano."

Recommended by Michael Ricci.

Friendly Pressure (Remastered)

Jhelisa
Duration: 3:50
966 views

Celebrating exactly 30 years to the date today since the release of her acclaimed debut album Galactica Rush, Jhelisa has released a newly remastered version of the full record for the momentous anniversary. Hailed as “a potent brew of jazz, funk and soul, with style and substance” by i-D Magazine when it first arrived, the genre-bending album quickly became an acclaimed underground sensation and was cemented as a highly influential work within the London music scene and beyond. Listen to the remastered 2024 version of Galactica Rush now here via Dorado Records.

Jhelisa wrote and co-produced the entire record herself, including title track “Galactica Rush"—an acid jazz opus featuring the saxophone of Greg Osby, harmonica-heavy R&B track “Death Of A Soul Diva"—which was covered by friend and collaborator Chaka Khan, and “Friendly Pressure"—a timeless tune that’s reached a whole new generation of listeners thanks to a sped-up remix of the song serendipitously going viral on TikTok just in time for this 30th anniversary of the release. The Sunship ‘Into The Sunshine’ remix has been used as the sound for over 400k TikTok videos, garnering 1.5 billion collective views on the app, with over 50 million streams across DSPs in 2024 alone.

The Mississippi-born songstress, who GQ dubbed “Cosmic princess of soul," comes from a family of music legends—including Vicki Anderson and Bobby Byrd from the James Brown band, who were her aunt and uncle. Before beginning her journey as a solo artist in the mid-1990s, she got her start singing in church which eventually led to her becoming the go-to vocalist for Bjork, Massive Attack and The Shamen. But she didn’t feel at home until she began working on Galactica Rush, where she had complete creative control and freedom.

It’s no wonder her debut album instantly became a seminal essential for the record collector. Starting November 1, listeners can add two limited-run Jhelisa vinyls to their collection: Galactica Rush and a 12” of Friendly Pressure remixes.

Recommended by Peter Quinn.

The Most Beautiful Jazz Piano Performance: Alton Merrell

Alton Merrell
Duration: 04:07
637 views

Alton Merrell Trio concert, “Withholding Nothing," is a profound musical journey of personal and spiritual surrender, led by the powerful artistry of pianist Alton Merrell. This jazz concert, featuring music from his latest album on the Grammy Award-winning MCG Jazz label, showcases Merrell's dynamic performances and the world-class musicians accompanying him. Blending jazz, gospel, classical, and rhythm and blues, Merrell reimagines classic hymns like “Amazing Grace” and “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” alongside original compositions such as “Alfred Blues” and “Main Street Rag.” With nods to jazz legends like McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock, Merrell's compositions combine lyrical melodies, rich harmonies, and intricate rhythms. The concert's title track, “Withholding Nothing,” arranged by Merrell, holds deep personal significance as it reflects his experience of surrender. Join Merrell on this spirit-filled musical excursion that touches the soul, inviting listeners to embrace the message of surrender and authenticity through a powerful jazz experience.

Recommended by Oh! Jazz.