Short, often opinionated pieces by JazzTimes’ editor and other trusted contributors.
Organ trios and quartets were ubiquitous by the mid-1960s. In African American neighborhood bars and clubs up and down the East Coast, throughout the Rust … Read More “Chronology: Grant Green, Larry Young, and Elvin Jones Move Organ Jazz Forward”
Terence Blanchard looked around the restaurant table and launched into a gentle sermon about jazz education in Detroit that was part homily, part pep talk, … Read More “20 Years of Supporting Detroit Jazz”
Creating a program of solo piano music is the ultimate challenge for any improvising pianist. The music on my latest album, Ways of Disappearing (Sunnyside), … Read More “Chops: Lucian Ban on Solo Improvisation”
First the good news: As you can see in our annual Festival Guide, there are plenty of jazz festivals scheduled to happen around the world … Read More “JT Notes: The Fate of the Leopolis Jazz Festival”
Steve Lacy was once a brilliant bebop player. Yet conventional wisdom says the opposite. Many have long argued that a key to the innovative soprano … Read More “Chronology: Steve Lacy and the Influence of Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk”
What is a jazz film? Does it have to be a film about jazz and the people who play it? Or can it also be … Read More “JT Notes: It Begins to Tell ’Round Midnight”
Films that tell stories about jazz open a revealing window on the place and perception of the music within popular culture. See Kevin Whitehead’s compelling … Read More “Chronology: Eight Great Jazz Soundtracks”
Sponsored When he titled his 1959 album The Shape of Jazz to Come, Ornette Coleman probably didn’t expect that shape to be a familiar one. … Read More “Drumeo: The Jazz Drummer’s Best Friend”
In November, the Ben Allison Quartet finished a sold-out three-night stint at Birdland. The performance featured music from the bassist’s latest offering, Moments Inside. Allison … Read More “Chops: The Fight Over Music Royalties”
