If You Build It...; New York's Hottest New Club; John Coltrane and Santana, Zela Margossian, plus Goldings, Bernstein & Stewart, and More

Last week we featured an article about All About Jazz entitled "Thirty Years Later, the Vision Remains," and if you missed it, you can read it here. This week, yours truly is the latest subject of B.D. Lenz's column, Chats with Cats. We cover a lot of ground, and I shared some stories about AAJ's history that make for a fun read. It was also a good opportunity to reflect on our past three decades and chat about what's to come.

If you're so inclined, please share the article with your mailing list or on your socials. AAJ has always been a word-of-mouth operation; we're heading into a pivotal time, and spreading the word would be much appreciated. Thank you.

New & Improved

Last month we introduced a new section on the home page called HIDDEN GEMS. Since then, we've steadily added more stories to the mix, with even more to come. And you don't have to wait an hour to see four more random articles—just hit the random button associated with the section for another batch.

Our Jazz Birthday section has become a popular staple over the years—referenced by fans and radio professionals alike. Though we have two pages dedicated to birthdays (see the calendar version), we recently updated the Born Today page. Originally presented as a sequential list, it now features four musicians per row, making it easier to browse with much less scrolling. If you're a musician and want to be included on our Born Today page, scroll down to the "Unlock Your All About Jazz Presence" article below to learn how.

Album Reviews

The album reviews below represent our most popular from the past week. View more recent reviews.

Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra & Avin Omar Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra	A Supreme Blue Nicholas Payton / Butcher Brown	Voo Voo Runs the Voodoo Down Voo Voo	I Still Rise Lisa Rich
Rendezvous Rodeo Tu-Ner	nen Kiri Ra!	Eve Again... Naturally Eve Cornelious	Fifteen Henry Threadgill Vijay Iyer Dafnis Prieto

Looking for an album review?

If you're a musician, publicist, or record label seeking album review coverage on All About Jazz, please read our review submission guide, then complete the coverage request form here. When submitting your request, include up to five AAJ album reviewers who best align with your music.

Michael Ricci: Still Building a Home for Jazz

This is a very special installment of Chats with Cats. Normally, I interview people from different corners of the jazz world. This time, I turned the microphone toward the person who made this conversation possible—the cat, if you will. As the founder and publisher of All About Jazz, Michael Ricci has spent decades building one of the most respected destinations for jazz journalism, discovery, and conversation. What began as a passion project grew into a global resource connecting musicians, writers, and listeners while documenting the ever-changing landscape of jazz. Over the years, All About Jazz has become more than just a place for reviews and interviews. It has served as a meeting point for the jazz community, helping introduce artists to new audiences and providing a platform for stories that might otherwise go unheard. Continue reading...

How John Coltrane Changed Rock Music: Santana

When the Santana band first started in the San Francisco area in the late 60s, hardly anyone outside of the Bay Area was familiar with the group. This changed after their performance at the Woodstock festival in 1969. Seemingly overnight, everyone knew about Santana, and the band, under the leadership of its namesake, Carlos Santana has since maintained a strong presence in rock music. Of course, many people familiar with Santana's work know that he has a strong affinity for John Coltrane's music. This in itself is not surprising, considering that Coltrane's music has influenced several rock musicians. But Santana is slightly different, and this leads to an important question. Why does Coltrane resonate differently with Santana than many other rock musicians? A simple answer to this question is that Coltrane connects to Santana not only musically, but spiritually as well. Continue reading...

New York's Hottest New Club Has Arrived

Martin Porter's life has revolved around jazz from an early age. Growing up playing jazz piano and listening to the greats, he eventually found himself living out a dream—working at the Jazz Standard, one of the city's premier jazz clubs. The closing of the Standard left a void in New York's jazz community—one that Martin Porter was determined to help fill. Along with his partner, he did just that with the opening of their new club, The Pocket. During the Newport Jazz Festival, All About Jazz had the opportunity to sit down with Martin and talk about his journey, his passion for jazz, and the vision behind The Pocket. Continue reading...

Zela Margossian: Music That Is Healing

The music of pianist Zela Margossian draws on many influences. It's an amalgam of what she's learned from classical training, investigating of jazz, and her vast exposure to the folk music of her native Armenia. Her music is garnering praise for its varied textures and originality. It carries listeners down interesting pathways. Fans of varied music genres can find something intriguing. Margossian is of Armenian heritage, and that plays a big part in her art. But she was born in 1980 in Beirut at a time of conflict and upheaval in Lebanon. Her interest in music as a child would grow and guide her through difficulties. Eventually, music carried her to Armenia. And then from Armenia to Sydney, Australia, where she now resides. Today, her impressive talents continue to fuel a reputation that is on the rise. Continue reading...

Songs of the Week

Two lyrical compositions that begin intimately, then blossom into richly textured ensemble statements. Enjoy them!

Top Songs

The songs below represent the most heard in the past four weeks. View the Song of the Day archive.

IT's Gotta B U! From the album It's Gotta B U! By Tony Adamo	Secrets That We Keep From the album Soul Journey By Chris McNulty	Seer From the album Seer By Loren Stillman	Just When You Think You Know From the album Just When You Think You Know By Brian Landrus
Goose Dance From the album Live Your Dream By Brad Goode	Marco the Phoenix From the album Bellflower By Jun Iida	Like a Rolling Stone From the album Jackson Plays Dylan By Javon Jackson	Chalk From the album Katarahi By Myra Melford

Choice Content

Goldings, Bernstein & Stewart on 35 Years Together and Their New Album (read); Jussi Reijonen: Memory and Consciousness Not Visited Before (read); Take 6 at Miner Auditorium (read); Tal Cohen Quartet featuring John Daversa At Jazz In The Ruins 2026 (view photos); Jalen Ngonda at Palladium (view photos); Strange Heavens, Sublime Music: Linda May Han Oh Trio at the 2026 Newport Jazz Festival (view photos); Take Five with Singer-Songwriter Rachelle Garniez (read); The Led Zeppelin Papers: Presence, Deluxe Edition (read); New York's Hottest New Club Has Arrived (read); Champian Fulton with the Jimmy Masters' Trio at the Sandler Center for the Arts (view photos); Sonia Spinello Quartet at Jazz in the Ruins 2026 (view photos); Thirty Years Later, the Vision Remains (read); Quartsky at The 19th Summer Jazz Academy (view photos); Gordian Knot: Muttersprache (listen).

Radio & Podcasts

Tune into our extensive collection of quality programs every week.

The Outer View: Shawn Lovato, Vijay Iyer, and Charles Chen (listen); Allston Boylston: Ambrose Akinmusire and Mary Halvorson, Miki Yamanaka and Nicole Glover, Melissa Aldana and Linda May Han Oh, Christian Finger with Ralph Alessi and Ben Monder (listen); The Third Story: Ben Sidran At 83: "Entropy Is Inevitable, But The Antidote Is Available" (listen); Exploration: Birthday Remembrances for Jack DeJohnette, Mulgrew Miller, and others (listen); Mondo Jazz: Fred Pallem, Bignami Veltri Jazz Ensemble, Reis Demuth Wiltgen, Julia Keefe & More (listen); The Stereo Image: Alex Frank: Jeff Goldblum's Bassist on Swing and the Ray Brown Tradition (listen); The Stereo Image: Bill Prady: Saxophonist & Successful Script Writer (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Yoron Israel, Haruna Fukazawa, Somi, Jim Donica, Visions Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Leos Abbey Lincoln, Dorothy Ashby & More (listen); One Man's Jazz: Celebration Of Clean Feed Records, Part 2 (listen); Neon Jazz: Senri Oe, Dave Glenn, Erica von Kleist, Ryan Barry & Early Times (listen); Bitches Brew: Pat Metheny, Weather Report, Tohpati, Jeremy Green, Manuel Gamez, Michael Manring, alan Pasqua (listen); Liner Notes: Turning Sound Inside Out: Steven Bernstein on ResoNation and Ultra Resonance (listen); The Tonearm: Terri Lyne Carrington: A Dance Record For Dark Times (listen); Jazz On The Tyne: Abbie Finn, Harry Keeble, Omar Sosa, And More (listen); The Mystery Of Artie Shaw: Chapter 1: Whatever Happened to Arthur Arshawsky? (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: Theron Brown Quartet Featuring Cliff Barnes (listen); Rotations: Hill Collective, Terri Lyne Carrington, Pharoah Sanders And More (listen); World of Jazz: New Music From Dorota Piotrowska, Josh Warren And More (listen).

News Announcements

Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.

Jazz Professional? Unlock your All About Jazz presence. (read); Jazz Pianist Jun Hee Park Is Shaking Up The New York Jazz Scene (read); Enoch Smith Jr. Returns With This Is What Love Does (read); JazzWeek Radio Chart: August 17, 2026 (read); Vel Lewis' 'Smoovee' Featuring Marion Meadows Celebrates Nine-Week Chart Run (read).

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Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
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