Our September 2018 issue is on sale now!
Highlights include:
JOHN COLTRANE
On March 6, 1963, the John Coltrane Quartet cut an album’s worth of new music at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio. In the summer of 2018, that music was released at last. With help from Ravi Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Trane scholar Lewis Porter, and others, Michael J. West got the inside story on Both Directions at Once, why it took so long to reach our ears, and what other “lost” Coltrane recordings are still out there.
BETTY DAVIS
For a brief period (1967 to 1969), she was Miles’ partner, muse, and key artistic influence. Some say she came up with the title Bitches Brew. But an eye-opening new documentary suggests that Davis’ greatest cultural significance may actually lie in the music she made post-Miles. Natalie Weiner argues that we’re only starting now to get hip to what this nasty gal was doing 45 years ago.
CLASSIC CLUBS: REMEMBERING BRADLEY’S
Bradley Cunningham’s Greenwich Village saloon quickly became popular with jazz musicians after its 1969 opening. Then Paul Desmond willed his Baldwin grand piano to the club. For the next two decades, Bradley’s would be a vital creative center for the entire New York jazz scene, but especially for pianists. Dan Bilawsky talks to players and staff about this treasured hangout’s rise and fall.
THE COMEBACK THAT WASN’T (from Nate Chinen’s Playing Changes)
Here’s the standard narrative: Jazz was dying in the ’70s, Wynton and Co. saved it in the ’80s. Nate Chinen has a different view of the music’s history. In this exclusive excerpt from his new book Playing Changes, he shows that reports of jazz’s demise were greatly exaggerated—and makes the point that innovation and conservation don’t always have to be opposing forces.
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John Murph investigates the jazz content at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture
Nolatet expand their sound with a few visits to the percussion closet
Nancy and Beth (a.k.a. actresses Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt) mix plenty of jazz into their “punk-vaudeville” cabaret act
Erik Friedlander discusses his new inspiration: absinthe
Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin approach jazz as a mixed martial art
JT Notes: New editor Mac Randall introduces himself
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A Before & After listening session with James Brandon Lewis
An Overdue Ovation for Eddie Daniels
AudioFiles: Brent Butterworth takes a critical listen to the controversial new MQA audio format
Chops: Up-and-coming jazz players offer tips on making the move to New York City
Artist’s Choice: Penn Jillette and Mike Jones pick their favorite bass-driven songs
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Album reviews: Archival releases by Dexter Gordon and Woody Shaw, plus new music from Marcus Miller, Holly Cole, Theo Hill, María Grand, and many more