If jazz is dead, then why are there still new forms of it popping up everywhere? You May Also Like: Matt Nelson, Tim Dahl, Nick Podgurski – GRID (2017) GRID – ‘Decomposing Force’ (2020) Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis shared an uncanny chemistry on Two Men With the Blues

We never question the notion of two guitarists playing alongside each other but the idea of two bassists doubling up the low end still seems to be an exotic proposition. You May Also Like: Colin Edwin and Lorenzo Feliciati – ‘Twinscapes Vol. 2: A Modern Approach to the Dancefloor’ (2018)Read More

Wayne Escoffery returns to his hometown New Haven, Connecticut to tape a live performance with his latest quintet and the feels right at home during the gig, captured on his upcoming album Live At Firehouse 12. You May Also Like: Denny Zeitlin – Early Wayne (2016) Pearcy / Gratzmiller JazzRead More

Though my mind sometimes likes to classify all “big band” jazz into that Benny Goodman/Glenn Miller/Paul Whiteman box, doing so ignores the innovations in working with larger groups brought by Fletcher Henderson, Sun Ra and, mostly prominently, Duke Ellington. You May Also Like: Rickie Lee Jones, Alexis Evans, Shawn MaxwellRead More

Wilco lead axe man and everyone’s favorite experimental rock-jazz guitarist Nels Cline is poised to unleash his fifth album leading his Nels Cline Singers on April 29. You May Also Like: The Nels Cline Singers – ‘Share the Wealth’ (2020)

Karl Denson’s longtime outfit Tiny Universe has evolved a bit over the past fifteen or so years, but the basic mission has always been to make audiences move. You May Also Like: Rez Abbasi – Unfiltered Universe (2017) How Mike Keneally’s Comeback on ‘The Universe Will Provide’ Fulfilled All ofRead More

Aram Bajakian had spent the last couple of years touring with the late, great Lou Reed, but this guitarist’s own music had been taking a walk on the wild side well before that. You May Also Like: Aram Bajakian – Dolphy Formations (2016)

Sylvester Uzoma Onyejiaka II is a jazz saxophonist you should get very familiar with, especially once his debut album Akuma hits the streets on February 11. You don’t have to remember that name though, “Sly 5th Ave” will work just fine. You May Also Like: How the Overlooked ‘Menlove Ave’Read More

Ensemble, Et Al. is a four-piece band that could have just as easily been named “Percussion, Unlimited” for its makeup of all-percussive instruments: marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, drums, Indian cowbells and Tibetan Bowls. You May Also Like: Mike Pride – ‘Marimba, July’ and ‘Drums, August’ (2019) Kate Gentile + International ContemporaryRead More

The West Coast ensemble The Ocular Concern meekly touts their product as “Music for the Curious Listener,” but that belies a whole lot of adventure contained within their songs. You May Also Like: Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love (2015) ‘We Are Twisted F***ing Sister!’ (2014): Movies