Featured Jazz Videos

Béla Fleck & Edmar Castañeda: Live at Big Ears Festival 2019

Bela Fleck
Duration: 44:04
372 views

Strike a victory for #alt-instrument-jazz ! This video features two absolute masters of their instruments, Bela Fleck on banjo and Edmar Castaneda on harp. Among the elements that might blow you away are: the opening groove established without percussion instruments; how the duo is locked in together across up-tempo lead lines and arpeggios (never having played together before); their ability to generate musical and emotional dynamics from instruments with limited volume range; and “watch me fly!" solos; Enjoy just the first song, “No Fear", through 08:15, or more pieces from “Live at Big Ears Festival 2019.”

Recommended by Scott Lichtman.

Live at Notsolatin

Julius Rodriguez
Duration: 44:04
278 views

Julius Rodriguez emerged as a prodigy (on piano as well as drums and bass) with his critically acclaimed first album, Sound Tell All (Verve Records, 2022). Certainly, his arpeggiated piano runs, distinctive turns of linear phrases, and waves of sound are ear-catching. Moreso, audiences cherish his performances because of the infectious energy he and his band bring to a combination of straight-ahead, New Orleans/gospel, and R&B styles. To experience this phenomenon, start with the video above: “Julius Rodriguez | Live at Notsolatin” for straight-ahead. Next, search for the generally more accessible “Julius Rodriguez | Tiny Desk Concert,” also on YouTube. With both videos, you can enjoy just the first song or kick back with the complete mini-concerts.

Recommended by Scott Lichtman.

DOCTONE: The Genius of Kenny Kirkland

Noah Haidu
Duration: 38:00
343 views

Doctone: The Genius of Kenny Kirkland is a moving and powerful 39-minute documentary film honoring the life, music, and legacy of modern jazz piano legend Kenny Kirkland. Known as “Doctone” to his peers, Kirkland was one of the most influential pianists and composers of his generation, shaping the sound of modern jazz, fusion, and contemporary music through his work with Sting, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garrett and Jeff “Tain” Watts.

Directed by Jeffrey Chuang and produced by Noah Haidu, this film features interviews, stories, and performances with world-class artists including Jeff Watts, Jason Moran, and members of the Marsalis family. Together they reveal Kenny Kirkland’s genius: his deep harmonic imagination, fearless improvisation, and powerful contributions to the evolution of modern jazz.

Recommended by Michael Ricci.

Starlight Starbright

Eugenie Jones
Duration: 3:58
680 views

For Your GRAMMY® Consideration | Best Jazz Vocal Album - Eugenie | Best Jazz Performance - “Starlight Starbright"

“Starlight Starbright" is a believe-in-love again ballad. Produced by Lonnie Plaxico, the miracle of second chances is brought to life in this impassionately beautiful original ballad, with stirring cello and violin play emphatically supported by piano (Mamiko Wantanabe), bass (Lonnie Plaxico), & drums (Russell Carter).

Recommended by Michael Ricci.

Olha Pro Ceu (feat. Selma Boragian)

Dan Fontaine & His Orchestra
Duration: 2:31
713 views

A stunning rendition of Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova gem “Olha Pro Céu" was released in 2025, featuring Selma Boragian as special guest artist of Dan Fontaine & His Orchestra from Sydney. The song was originally released by Jobim on his first album for CTI Records, Wave (1967), arranged by Claus Ogerman.

Recommended by Michael Ricci.

Billie and Trane

Tony Adamo
Duration: 4:05
738 views

Tony Adamo's single, 'Billie and Trane', is described as a jazz version of Gil Scott-Heron's original classic 'Lady Day and John Coltrane', with a “pulsing electro-jazz funk groove." Music written by Adamo.

Tony Adamo is a “hip-speak" spoken word vocal artist from the San Francisco area, known for incorporating his own “jazz history-class original lyrics" into his music. He is known as the original Hip spoken word storyteller in jazz music today. Adamo uses the framework of Gil Scott-Heron's song to add his own “jazz history-class original lyrics" to pay tribute to influential artists like Holiday and Coltrane. Adamo's work frequently references and honors jazz greats, showing his deep knowledge and respect for the genre. 'Billie and Trane', the legends the song is named for, are two of the most revered and influential figures in the history of jazz. Adamo's vocal power is most evident on this new single. A must listen. --Kentan Herd, My Life In Jazz

Recommended by Michael Ricci.

Poetry: How Does It Feel Now???

Akua Naru
Duration: 07:55
10,910 views

The blending of jazz and poetry has been a deep, yet off-and-on affair. Peak periods of co-mingling include the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, the Beat Generation in the 1950s, the Black Arts Movement in the '60s and '70s, and hip hop starting in the '90s. Singer, composer, educator and activist Akua Naru takes this jazz/poetry blend intensely into the present. She has been compared to famous author Toni Morrison and has addressed topics including gender-based violence, the African diaspora and loving relationships. One of her defining pieces is the slow-burn “Poetry: How Does it Feel Now???" The lyrics declare “My, I wanna drink the sweat of your intellect; Reflect, and watch your light passion mark my neck… This right here is poetry." While enjoying the lyrics that start at 00:36, spend time appreciating the sax-fronted ambient groove.

Recommended by Scott Lichtman.

If It Was

Gretchen Parlato
Duration: 04:44
1,110 views

Award-winning singer Gretchen Parlato and song writer/multi-instrumentalist Alan Hampton share an uncommonly beautiful chemistry. Perfectly-crafted recordings such as the ballad “If It Was” (first released in 2011 to commemorate Japan’s tsunami victims) incorporate tender ensembles and blended vocals and leave a sense of catharsis and completeness. Thus, it was noteworthy to learn they decided to revisit “If It Was” as of August 2025. There was good reason for this -- to show support for their fellow residents of the Altadena community in Los Angeles after the Eaton fires. All proceeds from the recording go to www.altagether.org, working for a collective recovery from that disaster. The new version features a wistful upright bass introduction by John Clayton and increasingly rich piano solo by his son, Gerald Clayton. Meanwhile, the in-studio video illustrates the musical power of a simple arrangement. Within the YouTube video description box, click on “Show transcript” to see a rendition of the poetic lyrics.

Recommended by Scott Lichtman.

Blues with Brandon Goldberg

Brandon Goldberg
Duration: 04:38
3,731 views

When it comes to stylistic range, inventiveness and technique, Emmet Cohen (born 1990) has few equals in in his cohort of jazz pianists. In pianist Brandon Goldberg (born 2006), however, Cohen may have found a worthy peer. Goldberg is the youngest semifinalist in the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition and youngest recipient of the 2022 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. In this video, Goldberg and Cohen play four hands on one piano and obliterate a 12-bar blues. Listen for how they can take a fast solo and modulate it by whole or half tones; respond to each other’s riffs; remain true to the lineage of blues piano; and share joy with the audience.

Recommended by Scott Lichtman.

Estate

Till Bronner
Duration: 06:51
1,217 views

Here’s an international treat: the Italian-composed, bossa nova-arranged standard “Estate" is given luxurious treatment by German trumpeter/flugelhornist Till Brönner with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. While the piece (whose title in Italian is pronounced eh-stah'-tay), is played at a “chill" 100 bpm, it warms up the listener through several mesmerizing elements. First, conductor Magnus Lindgren has arranged for the big band beautifully with close, modern harmonic shifts in the introduction. Next, starting at 1:05, Brönner delivers the melody and first solo with choice pauses and flourishes, demonstrating why he's Germany’s biggest selling jazz artist. An added surprise is Fausto Beccalossi's accordion solo starting at 3:57 on which he vocalizes. Finally, when is the last time you heard flugelhorn and accordion trade fours?

Recommended by Scott Lichtman.