Matthew Kassel is a freelance writer whose work has been published by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review, among other publications.
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Nashville isn’t a city that most people would immediately associate with jazz. Until recently, the world’s country music capital didn’t have a single jazz club. … Read More “The Scene: Rudy’s Jazz Room in Nashville”
Joe Randall had only just retired from his decades-long career as a chef and culinary instructor when a local businessman came to him with an … Read More “The Scene: Good Times Jazz Bar & Restaurant”
The Kansas City jazz scene was one of the country’s most vibrant hubs of blues and improvisation, home to such pioneers as Jay McShann, Bennie … Read More “The Scene: Kansas City’s Blue Room”
Those who pay close attention to New York jazz will probably have noticed that, over the past few years, a number of top-shelf musicians have … Read More “The Scene: Brooklyn’s Bar LunÀtico”
The Polish city of Wrocław—population 640,000—doesn’t have a very robust jazz scene, but for 10 days this past November it was transformed into one of … Read More “Jazztopad Festival: From Poland, with Swing”
Jazz was developed outside of the academy, but it lives on in part through the schools and institutions that have sought to preserve the music’s … Read More “Paper Trail: Where You Can Find the Historical Documents of Jazz”
Leon Parker has been keeping busy since he returned to the United States a few years ago, having previously spent about two decades abroad in … Read More “Before & After: Leon Parker”
Michael Brecker used to receive one or two unsolicited cassettes in the mail, every week, from young and aspiring musicians seeking his advice and guidance. … Read More “Michael Brecker Competition Continues Legacy of Generous Musician”
Over the course of his distinguished recording career, Miguel Zenón has frequently drawn inspiration from the folk traditions of his native Puerto Rico. On his … Read More “Before & After: Miguel Zenón”
In the late 1970s, John Patitucci heard Dave Holland’s Emerald Tears, one of the rare solo bass albums and an influential record for bassists of … Read More “John Patitucci’s Soulful Bass”
Simba Baumgartner, Django Reinhardt’s great-grandson, is just 22, but he has already proven himself an adept practitioner of Gypsy jazz, the indelible style pioneered by … Read More “Before & After: Simba Baumgartner”
For nearly two decades, Carlos Henriquez, 39, has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s bass specialist. In that role, he’s accompanied the band on … Read More “Carlos Henriquez: Before & After”
Joshua Redman’s excellent new album marks a homecoming of sorts. The tenor saxophonist is joined by Aaron Goldberg on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and … Read More “Joshua Redman Quartet: Come What May (Nonesuch)”
The title of Eric Reed’s new album has a double meaning—as in, everybody understands the blues, and everybody feels down from time to time. “Your … Read More “Eric Reed: Everybody Gets the Blues (Smoke Sessions)”
On a New York evening in mid-autumn, the pianist Myra Melford, playing with her quintet, Snowy Egret, opened the first set of a two-night run … Read More “Myra Melford: Both Sides Now”
There’s a moment at the beginning of “The Power Of,” the second track on drummer Sanah Kadoura’s debut album, Hawk Eyes, when the hip-hop-inflected beat … Read More “Sanah Kadoura: Back from the Brink”
The 2000s were a particularly diverse decade for jazz. To name just three major factors in the music of that era, the influence of rock … Read More “JazzTimes 10: Essential Albums of the 2000s”
“I was kind of worried that the first set would be underattended,” Eliot Zigmund deadpanned to a packed room at Smalls, the basement jazz club … Read More “Eliot Zigmund: A Sideman Moves to the Front”
Above: Cécile McLorin Salvant. Photo by Mark Fitton. On a cool evening in late September, Cécile McLorin Salvant wafted onto the stage of the Metropolitan … Read More “Cécile McLorin Salvant: Wide Open Window”
Benje Daneman is slightly uncomfortable with the idea that you might hear his new album, a 10-part suite based on Biblical scripture, as explicitly religious. … Read More “Benje Daneman: Improvising on the Bible”
Jazz has changed a lot over the past hundred or so years, but at least one thing about it has remained a constant: New York … Read More “Chops: Living for the City”
On a recent evening at Jazz Standard in Manhattan, Mary Halvorson was hunched over her large hollowbody guitar, unleashing some alien sounds. Though her instrument—a … Read More “Mary Halvorson: Reinventing the Identity of the Jazz Guitarist”
On a March evening at the Blue Note in Greenwich Village, the alto saxophonist Sherman Irby, wearing a charcoal suit, was unfurling a lithe solo … Read More “Overdue Ovation for Sherman Irby”
The estimable tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington has, over the past few years, earned a reputation as something of a seer. That’s partly thanks to his … Read More “Kamasi Washington: Heaven and Earth (Young Turks)”
Since moving to New York almost 20 years ago, the bassist Thomas Morgan has appeared on more than 100 albums, establishing himself as one of … Read More “Thomas Morgan: The Universal Answer”
On a mild evening in mid-October, the Cuban-born pianist David Virelles was channeling Thelonious Monk at Jazz Standard in Manhattan. The occasion was Monk’s centennial, … Read More “David Virelles: Mystery, History”
The singer-slash-horn player is a rare phenomenon in jazz, mostly because singing and horn playing are mutually exclusive. There are, of course, standouts, including the … Read More “Camille Thurman: Double Threat”
