Amir ElSafffar – New Quartet Live at Pierre Boulez Saal 2 (Maqām Records, 2025) ~ The Free Jazz Collective

By Stef Gijssels American trumpet player with Iraqi roots Amir ElSaffar brings us his second album…

Otoliths (Aerophonic Records, 2025) ~ The Free Jazz Collective

By Martin Schray Dave Rempis’s latest releases reveal his influences even more clearly than his earlier…

Abbey Rader (1943 – 2025) ~ The Free Jazz Collective

Abbey Rader (still from Get Free)      His Bandcamp page description lays out the fundamentals:…

Sweeps Week: Top September Jazz Releases, Amorosi Edition

Here are A.D. Amorosi’s monthly picks, coming to you the last Tuesday of the month. Cole…

Jim McNeely, 1949–2025 – JazzTimes

Jim McNeely, who played piano with many legends of jazz before becoming one of the most…

Sweeps Week: Top September Releases, Henkin Edition

Here are Andrey Henkin’s monthly picks, coming to you the last Wednesday of the month. Gary…

Conscious Mayhem: Jason Rigby/Mark Guiliana and Pino Palladino/Blake Mills

Recordings rarely get more intimate than duo projects, the musical equivalent of one-on-one conversations. Saxophonist Jason…

Missed Opportunities: When Duke Ellington Fired Bobby Durham and Elvin Jones

According to legend, Duke Ellington only fired one band member in the 50-plus years leading his…

Alberto Popolla – Really the Blues (AUT Records, 2025) ~ The Free Jazz Collective

By Ferruccio Martinotti  The blues. The fingers are getting stiff simply by writing down the word.…

What Is Funk Music: Origins, Style, Influence

I’ll never forget the first time I heard “Cold Sweat” blast through my neighbor’s speakers in…