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The impact of Wynton Marsalis’ self-titled debut is immeasurable. Released 40 years ago, the album introduced the wider jazz world to a preening trumpeter from … Read More “The Story Behind Wynton Marsalis’ Debut Album”
Elegant. Exemplary. Erudite. Enigmatic. Those four words best describe the late Dr. George Butler, a seminal figure in the rise of the 1980s and ’90s “young … Read More “Dr. George Butler: Executive Honor”
Take a look at Blue Note Records’ release schedule for 2022 and it’s hard to miss the significant percentage of electronic-oriented music. In March, the … Read More “Jazz Remixed: Blue Note Records’ Burgeoning DJ Catalog”
On tenor saxophone, Jure Pukl possesses a sleek tone with which he sculpts alluring melodies, accentuated by coruscating passages. When he talks about his music … Read More “Jure Pukl Pushes Beyond Compassion Fatigue”
When the National Endowment for the Arts contacted Joanne Brackeen to inform her that she was going to be inducted into the 2018 class of … Read More “Joanne Brackeen: Still Proudly Unorthodox”
Jazz historians routinely throw Blue Note Records’ 1970s output under the bus. Either they discuss it with tremendous disdain and rote arguments about how the … Read More “JazzTimes 10: Great Blue Note Tracks from the 1970s”
“When I started my career,” Dee Dee Bridgewater says, “thinking about wellness was not a thing.” Don’t get the award-winning vocalist wrong; she has long … Read More “Is Jazz Good for Your Health?”
James Francies appeared humbled and startled to see a full house for his gig at New York’s Jazz Standard. It was a chilly Friday evening … Read More “James Francies: Cleared for Takeoff”
A replica of Parliament-Funkadelic’s mid-1970s Mothership tour spacecraft, one of James Brown’s ’70s black wool jumpsuits with the word “sex” in sequined beads around the … Read More “Jazz in the Display Case”
My Life in the Key of E: A Memoir – the new self-released book from famed Latin-jazz percussionist Pete Escovedo – is a case study in … Read More “Pete Escovedo: Rhythms of Life”
Even at 52, Gilles Peterson still exudes childlike glee when he plays records. Watching him host his weekly program at BBC Radio 6 Music in … Read More “Gilles Peterson: The Jazz Tastemaker”
Despite his stature as one of today’s most revered jazz vibraphonists, Steve Nelson ‘s discography as a leader is criminally small. Still, it’s a potent … Read More “Steve Nelson: The Center of the Music”
In less than a decade, Thundercat has progressed from being an in-demand bassist for the likes of Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Flying Lotus and the … Read More “Thundercat: Drinking Songs”
This piece originally appeared as a sidebar to our April issue feature on BadBadNotGood. Karriem Riggins Erykah Badu once called this Detroit native the “clean … Read More “The Producers”
For 17 years and counting, bassist and composer Tarus Mateen has anchored Jason Moran’s acclaimed trio, the Bandwagon. And while Mateen has also played with … Read More “Before & After: Tarus Mateen”
Donny McCaslin’s latest disc, Beyond Now (Motéma), contains colossal emotional weight. The tenor saxophonist composed the album’s original music in the summer of 2015, several … Read More “Donny McCaslin: The Gig of a Lifetime”
Enlightening, enthusiastic groove-jazz for troubling times
Jazz meets Latvian folk song, and more
Saxophonist unites Metheny and Moran with his Blue Note debut
Veteran pianist and composer Renee Rosnes delivers conceptual heft, suspenseful compositions and mesmerizing performances on her first album for the Smoke Sessions label. Evolutionary science, … Read More “Renee Rosnes: Written in the Rocks”
Bassist Michael Formanek certainly goes the distance on this grand endeavor, on which he fronts Ensemble Kolossus, an 18-piece band that leans heavily toward a … Read More “Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus: The Distance”
Rhythm & blues & swing & …
Connecting classic hip-hop to timeless trio interplay
Robert Glasper, Kenny Garrett, Roy Ayers and more highlight sophomore year
Humble beginnings, full of heart
Canadian soprano saxophonist and flutist Jane Bunnett continues to let her love affair with Afro-Latin music guide her. Here she fronts an all-female sextet and … Read More “Jane Bunnett and Maqueque: Jane Bunnett and Maqueque”
A tuba master pushes toward center stage
Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band returns with its winning combination of impeccable musicianship and pop savvy. Goodwin’s long history of working in the film industry … Read More “Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band: Life In the Bubble”
Drummer extraordinaire Alex Garcia deftly balances finesse and fire on this delightful modern-jazz outing. From the very start of the opening cut, “Believe,” it’s obvious … Read More “Alex Garcia’s Afromantra: This Side of Mestizaje”
U.K.-born pianist and composer John Escreet has always demonstrated a knack for the adventurous: When he arrived on the New York City jazz scene in … Read More “John Escreet: Sound, Space and Structures”
