With music now coming to us from streaming services, downloads, Internet radio and artist websites in addition to traditional physical media like CDs, many jazz fans may long for the days when we had but a single simple way to discover the latest music: flipping through the racks at the local record store. One website, Bandcamp, seeks to bring back that simple pleasure while letting you stream for free or buy in practically any format you want.
Hitting Bandcamp’s home page is like walking into a record store with offerings that are refreshed every day and staff who are truly passionate about music. At the top, you’ll see interviews with various artists, plus articles focusing on genres both familiar (indie rock, pop and EDM) and foreign (Japanese house music, German tropical drum recordings). Scroll down to the Discover section and click on the Jazz tab, and you’ll find new music from current jazz artists such as Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Tyshawn Sorey, Anat Cohen, Snarky Puppy and Jason Moran. Focusing on subgenres such as bebop, free jazz and soul-jazz requires just one more click.
