Mike LeDonne and Eric Alexander assembled a crack squad of jazz stars with shared history and stellar chops. Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander understands the challenges facing an elite ensemble like The Heavy…
Lakecia Benjamin set an ambitious agenda for Phoenix. Her fourth album celebrates laudable women across social and creative spectrums in a way that requires the saxophonist and composer to perform at a…
Tribute albums done right put a new shine on the jazz canon. The tribute album impulse might seem a bit suspect and, by definition, unoriginal. But when done right, paying respect to…
The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It’s a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. Let’s take it from…
Snarky Puppy bandmates Michael League and Bill Laurance have enjoyed making music together for nearly 20 years. When the opportunity to record as a duo arose, they leapt at the chance. Michael…
For more than 50 years, Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach have nurtured a musical partnership steeped in shared sensibilities and neighborhood roots. The longtime friends reflect on a connection that’s stronger than…
Among the 36 recordings that trumpeter Louis Armstrong and pianist Earl “Fatha” Hines made together in 1927 and 1928 are “West End Blues,” perhaps Armstrong’s single greatest documented performance, and “Weather Bird,”…
A Seattle duo takes inspiration from Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, Butcher Brown and Side 2 of Abbey Road. At first glance, purposely uncapitalized duo sunking — keyboardist Antoine Martel and drummer…
A pair of recent releases deepen pianist Fred Hersch’s passion for and ingenuity within the duo format. Fred Hersch stands among jazz’s first rank of pianists and composers, possessing rare and wide-ranging…
George Winstone and Ben Monder embark on an improvisational odyssey. “He’s like my dad,” says George Winstone. He’s talking about Ben Monder, the ultra-versatile guitarist who teamed up with Winstone on Odysseus,…
The editors of JAZZIZ have the good fortune of being able to listen to new music before it’s officially released in stores and streaming platforms. And because we’re always listening to new…
Ivo Perelman has long embraced the improvised duo format — except with other saxophonists. With a sprawling guest list, his recent boxed set makes up for lost time. “Maybe I am a…
Richie Goods and Chien Chien Lu strike sparks with their music and their message. The road that led veteran bassist Richie Goods and fast-emerging vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu to the provocative musical…
Rachael & Vilray expertly evoke an era when jazzy popular music ruled the roost. For the follow-up to their utterly charming 2019 debut release, Rachael & Vilray headed west. Certainly, their New…
Great excitement followed the announcement that trumpeter Clifford Brown was joining forces with drummer Max Roach in 1954. Bebop royalty, Roach had made his bones alongside Charlie Parker and took part in…
Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and Shirley Scott share a sizzling synergy on Cookbook classics. Culinary metaphors heap high on the plate when it comes to Hammond B3 organ. Think of Jimmy Smith’s Blue…
The pairing came about by accident, really. Both invited to play a jazz festival in Munich with their respective bands, Chick Corea and Gary Burton were the only roster artists to agree…
Don Hunstein’s iconic photograph of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn captured the longtime colleagues in front of the tour bus that had brought the Ellington Orchestra to the Newport Jazz Festival in…
The last time Rickie Lee Jones appeared on a cover of JAZZIZ was 1990. For that cover, JAZZIZ did the photo session in Los Angeles with Rickie and, true to form, when…
Welcome to the JAZZIZ Podcast. This is our new series of podcast conversations, hosted by JAZZIZ Online Editor Matt Micucci and featuring some of the best artists of today’s jazz and creative…