Featured Jazz Articles
Marilyn Crispell: Fearless, Deeply Sensitive and Shaping the Moment
by Dean Nardi
As Marilyn Crispell talked about her multitude of recent recordings, either solo or with this trio or that quartet, she mentioned needing to pack her bags before going out on tour. She has lived in Woodstock, New York since 1977 and is comfortable there. “When I'm at home, not out recording, I look out in the morning and very much like being in this place," she explained. But when the opportunity came knocking at her door, she accepted because, “I ...
Continue ReadingHow Creedence Clearwater Revival Saved Jazz
by Kyle Simpler
By 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival was arguably the biggest rock and roll group in America--if not the world. Songs like “Proud Mary" (Fantasy 1969), “Green River" (Fantasy 1969) and “Born on the Bayou" (Fantasy 1969) dominated both Top 40 and album-oriented radio, and their music continues to thrive decades later, becoming a staple of classic rock radio, film, and television. Their unique blend of country, blues, and rock and roll resonated with listeners across the board. But what many do ...
Continue ReadingSavina Yannatou: Letting the Voice Go Where It Goes
by Katchie Cartwright
Savina Yannatou flies through vast reaches of space and time as she works, like the swallows and warblers who traverse the Sahara, stopping in jny: Greece on their annual pilgrimage to breeding grounds in the North, thousands of miles away. She is an artist “beyond category," to borrow Duke Ellington's phrase, whose programs and performances combine Mediterranean songs with sources as disparate as Early Music and free jazz. The sounds she creates are her own, kaleidoscopic yet distinctive. Over the ...
Continue ReadingLaMP: The Three Of Me Blend Into One Of Us
by Dean Nardi
LaMP's rousing albums have a knack for keeping you listening, whether it is Russ Lawton propelling the trio along through punchy, substantial snare, Ray Paczkowski indulging in the inner point-of-view of melody and harmony on both organ and clavinet, or Scott Metzger inserting reveal after reveal in a twist-laden odyssey of gleeful, darting notes. But there is more to LaMP than all-out propulsion. Yes, at times the songs groove like there is rocket fuel baked into the amps, but the ...
Continue ReadingThe Legacy of Lillian Hardin Armstrong
by Karl Ackermann
In 2020, I published A Map of Jazz: Crossroads of Music and Human Rights (WS Publishing), a book that looks at the culture of jazz on a timeline with cultures of the world. At more than 500 pages, the book is incomplete by necessity; there is no well-marked path, and the history is sometimes nebulous. However, as a map and as jazz music, it leads to unfamiliar places. The series Backstories dives deeper into people and places along the genre's ...
Continue ReadingBig Ears Festival 2025
by Mark Sullivan
Big Ears Festival Knoxville, TN March 27-30, 2025 This year's festival again featured several spotlighted events (but none of them required special ticketing, as was tried last year). “Across the Horizon" was a series of concerts combining Americana and ambient music, curated by Bob Holmes and the band SUSS. “Age of Reflections" hosted ambient music with a light show at Church Street United Methodist. “Blacktronika" celebrates the pioneering electronic artists of color. There were ...
Continue ReadingJazz Highlights for Record Store Day 2025
by Kyle Simpler
For most Americans, April brings to mind tax deadlines and spring cleaning. But for vinyl collectors, April means something far more exciting: Record Store Day. Each year, music lovers line up early for a chance to snag limited-edition releases--many of them archival treasures, rarities, or long-lost recordings brought back to life. While the overall selection spans multiple genres, 2025's offerings deliver an especially rich batch for jazz fans. Here are some of the most notable jazz releases for Record Store ...
Continue ReadingLaura Dreyer: Dancing Through Time
by Katchie Cartwright
When something sparks her creativity, Laura Dreyer is the sort of person who jumps in with both feet and gets right down to business. A multi-hyphenate artist, saxophonist-flutist-composer-teacher-clinician, she has been serious about jazz since junior high school in jny: El Cerrito, California, across the bay from jny: San Francisco. “El Cerrito High had an award-winning--like state champion award-winning--jazz band that was really, really exciting," she explains. Flute was her first instrument, but she was happy to pick up a ...
Continue ReadingThe Story Of The Bishkek International Jazz Festival Jazz Bishkek Spring: Celebrating Music Against All Odds
by Anastasia Bogomolets
The international jazz festival Jazz Bishkek Spring takes place in the capital of Kyrgyzstan every year in April, spanning two or three nights across multiple venues. This vibrant event offers a dynamic mix of local and international talent, providing a unique experience for jazz enthusiasts and highlighting the city's evolving cultural scene. For Bishkek, a city still finding its footing on the cultural stage, the annual jazz festival holds great importance. It serves as a key platform for ...
Continue ReadingA Brief Guide To Ukrainian Jazz: Part 2
by Ian Patterson
The second installment of A Brief Guide To Ukrainian Jazz--a series developed with the cooperation of the Ukrainian Institute--introduces five more highly talented jazz artists/groups from Ukraine. In addition, we profile the jazz festivals and jazz clubs that are keeping the Ukrainian jazz flame burning brightly in these most difficult of times. Pokaz Trio Pokaz Trio takes its name from pianist and composer Andrew Pokaz, who founded the trio in Odesa in 2016. Its debut album, Kintsugi (Losen ...
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