All content by admin
Rick Roe | Wake Up Call
January 20, 2026 / No Comments / Tags: Brandon Wozniak, Chris Bates, Pete Hennig, Rick RoeWake Up Call by pianist Rick Roe delivers a focused, modern statement that balances lyrical clarity with rhythmic urgency, reflecting his long-standing presence in the Upper Midwest jazz scene. The album unfolds with a sense of purpose, pairing Roe’s harmonically inquisitive piano writing with ...
Betty Bryant | Nothin’ Better To Do
January 14, 2026 / No Comments / Tags: Aaron Serfaty, Betty Bryant, Hussain Jiffry, Kevin Winard, Kleber Jorge, Luanne Homzy, Ned Taro, Richard Simon, Robert Kyle, Tony GuerreroAt 96 years young, Los Angeles mainstay Betty Bryant delivers another deeply lived-in statement with Nothin’ Better To Do, a recording that reflects nearly seven decades of immersion in blues-inflected jazz and unvarnished storytelling. Mentored early on by Jay McShann and long celebrated as ...
Vance Thompson | Lost and Found
December 19, 2025 / No Comments / Tags: Marcus Finnie, Steve Kovalcheck, Taber Gable, Tommy Sauter, Vance ThompsonLost and Found documents a seminal moment in Vance Thompson’s artistic life, shaped by necessity as much as creative resolve. After years as a trumpeter, Thompson was forced to step away from his horn due to focal dystonia, a neurological disorder that ultimately made continued trumpet ...
Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra | The Nutcracker Remix
December 16, 2025 / No Comments / Tags: Aaron Jacobs, Brad Myers, Brian Stevens, Dominic Marino, Dwayne Irvin, Eric Lechliter, Garin Webb, Jamie Walkenhauer, Jeremy Long, Jim Leslie, John Zappa, Josh Omaits, Kim Pensyl, Mandy Gaines, Marc Fields, Matt Harris, Matthew Anklan, Phil Hilger, Ralph DiSylvestro, Zachary GrangerThe Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra’s The Nutcracker Remix takes Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s familiar holiday themes and reframes them with modern big-band color—less a straight “jazz Nutcracker” replay than a set of contemporary re-compositions that move through swing, funkier backbeats, ...
Vicki Burns | Almost Christmas
December 10, 2025 / No Comments / Tags: Art Hirahara, Jay Sawyer, Steve Wood, Vicki BurnsSinger Vicki Burns brings a warm, reflective spirit to Almost Christmas, a five-song holiday EP shaped by a deeply personal moment and an inspired studio session. Centered around the original title piece, written by Roger Schore with music by Eddie Higgins, the project expands to include ...
Carl Schultz | The Road to Trantor
December 10, 2025 / No Comments / Tags: Adam Benjamin, Alwyn Robinson, Carl Schultz, Tim Wendel, Zack TeranCarl Schultz’s The Road to Trantor explores a spacious, modern jazz landscape shaped by his work on tenor saxophone and flute, supported by compositions that draw from both acoustic and electronic ideas. Guitarist Tim Wendel, pianist Adam Benjamin, bassist Zack Teran, and drummer Alwyn Robinson ...
Kuumbwa Jazz celebrates 50 years with special all-star concerts
December 9, 2025 / No CommentsKuumbwa Jazz will cap its 50th anniversary celebrations on an impressive high note. Saxophonist Joshua Redman, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, flutist-vocalist Elena Pinderhughes, pianists Billy Childs and Gerald Clayton, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Gregory Hutchinson are all expected to ...
Judy Whitmore | Christmas
December 3, 2025 / No Comments / Tags: Chris Walden, Jamie Wooten, Judy Whitmore, Michael OrlandVocalist Judy Whitmore casts a luminous glow across her new holiday record Christmas, delivering a listening experience that feels less like “another Christmas album” and more like an evening at a wonderful holiday gala. Supported by the Chris Walden Orchestra under the direction of ...
NEA Announces 2026 Jazz Masters
November 25, 2025 / No CommentsThe NEA announced the newest recipients of this honor: Carmen Lundy, Airto Moreira, Patrice Rushen, and A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy recipient Rhonda Hamilton. Read More
Paul Marinaro | Mood Ellington
November 25, 2025 / No Comments / Tags: Eric Jacobson, John Tate, John Wojciechowski, Mike Allemana, Neil Hemphill, Paul Marinaro, Raphael Crawford, Rich Moore, Ted Hogarth, Tom VaitsasThe two-album release by vocalist Paul Marinaro, Mood Ellington, offers a luscious journey through the legendary songbook of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Marinaro’s warm, resonant voice glides along rich musical landscapes crafted by thirteen top-tier arrangers, including Alan Broadbent, ...
