LATEST JAZZ ALBUM
- Former ‘American Idol’ Contestant Casey Abrams Returns to His Jazz Roots
You might remember Casey Abrams as the acoustic bass-toting, jazz-crooning finalist on Season 10 of American Idol, on which he surged to a remarkable sixth-place finish on the strength of songs by Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Art Blakey. There’s no denying that Abrams was hugely responsible for bringing jazz to ... read more - Jazz Chart Update: Week of June 17
The Mattson 2 (Photo: Andrew Paynter) It was a relatively calm week on the jazz charts, though not without its fair share of surprises. On Billboard, the Southern California-based psych-jazz duo The Mattson 2 rocketed into the second place spot with their new album, Paradise, while over in the JazzWeek ... read more - Pete Coco – “Lined with a Groove”For his self-released debut recording as a leader, bassist Pete Coco assembled a set of songs that pay homage to his greatest influences on his instrument. In fact, the album, Lined With a Groove, takes its name from a composition by the late Ray Brown, which is included in the ... read more
- JAZZIZ Weekly Discover Playlist: June 14, 2019Ryan Porter’s new album Force For Good is featured on our Weekly Discover Playlist for June 14. (Photo: Courtesy the artist) At writer Whitney Balliett once said, “Jazz is the sound of surprise.” Our Weekly Discover playlist will take your ears to new places with the latest sounds from your favorite ... read more
- JAZZIZ Weekly Discover Playlist: June 17, 2019Ryan Porter’s new album Force For Good is featured on our Weekly Discover Playlist for June 14. (Photo: Courtesy the artist) At writer Whitney Balliett once said, “Jazz is the sound of surprise.” Our Weekly Discover playlist will take your ears to new places with the latest sounds from your favorite ... read more
- New Music Monday: Mindi Abair, Stan Getz, Aaron WhitbyYour weekly roundup of Monday Motivation. From a “bone-shaking” exclusive premiere to a jazz legend’s recently unearthed music, here are five new songs that you can listen to right now to start your week the right way. Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers, “Bad News” JAZZIZ presents the exclusive premiere ... read more
- Herbie Hancock – “Cantaloupe Island”On this day (June 17) in 1964, pianist Herbie Hancock recorded what would become perhaps his most famous composition ever: “Cantaloupe Island.” The perfect convergence of hard-bop, soul and modal jazz, the song originally appeared on Herbie’s fourth Blue Note album, Empyrean Isles, which featured Hancock in the company of ... read more
- Chick Corea, Terence Blanchard, Al Di Meola: The Week in Jazz
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 the top. Jazz School: Education News Terence Blanchard Named First Kenny Burrell Chair in Jazz Studies: Grammy-winning trumpeter/composer ... read more - JAZZIZ Backstage Pass: 10 Albums You Need to Know for June 2019In this episode, JAZZIZ Backstage Pass host Brian Zimmerman is joined by JAZZIZ online editor Matt Micucci to present the 10 Albums You Need To Know for June 2019, featuring new records by best-selling U.K. jazz artist Jamie Cullum, former Earth Wind & Fire frontman Philip Bailey and not one ... read more
- Ernest Melton – “P.B.S.”
One of the brightest young stars to rise from the Kansas City, Missouri, scene in the past few years is Ernest Melton, a saxophonist with loads of talent, a probing mind and a compulsion to push the music forward. A product of the American Jazz Museum music program, he’s in ... read more - Dig In: Guitar Shredders and SkronkersShredding. Verb. A style of guitar playing characterized by extremely fast flurries of notes and extremely distorted tones. Skronk. Verb. To produce a raw and discordant sound with electric guitars. Jazz thrill-seekers and adrenaline junkies, this playlist is for you. Introducing Guitar Shredders and Skronkers, the soundtrack that starts at warp ... read more
- Doc Cheatham – “Blues In My Heart”Trumpeter, singer and bandleader Adolphus “Doc” Cheatham was born on this day (June 13) in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1905. After abandoning a career as a pharmacist — hence the nickname “Doc” — Cheatham dedicated his life to music and in doing so became an instrumental figure in the development of ... read more
- Year By Year: Five Essential Albums of 1967
Jazz may not have an official yearbook, but it does have a vast and well-documented discography. ‘Year by Year’ is our attempt to bring you the most noteworthy albums of each year, complete with audio samples and fascinating backstories. We hope you join us as we travel through the music’s ... read more - Chick Corea & Return To Forever – “Spain”Chick Corea, a pianist and keyboardist who for the past five decades has been a leader in almost every modern jazz genre, was born on this day (June 12) in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1941. Corea began studying music at age 4 and landed his first professional gig with showman Cab ... read more
- Q&A, Vivian Sessoms: Songs in the Key of Life
Singer/songwriter Vivian Sessoms’ new album, Life II, is out now via Ropeadope Records. This 12-track collection of originals and interpretations of songs by such artists as The Fixx and Stevie Wonder is a companion piece to Life I, released last November, through which she tells her story and offers a ... read more