Jazz

It had the hottest musicians, the coolest singers – and Louis Armstrong playing Bottom. But Swingin’ the Dream was a $2m flop. Can the RSC breathe new life into this big band take on the bard?When Swingin’ the Dream opened on Broadway on 29 November 1939, the creators of this ... read more

Dazzling and innovative jazz pianist with a penchant for adventurous compositions, some of them classicalA piano technique that could embrace ragtime, boogie, Art Tatum’s dazzling virtuosity, Thelonious Monk’s terseness, post-1960s free-jazz and experimental electronics ought to have been enough to make the American pianist Stanley Cowell a major jazz star ... read more

Discover all our four- and five-star album reviews from the last month, from pop to folk, classical and more Continue reading... ... read more

British jazz artist Courtney Pine axed amid Covid-related course changes, says Pearson EdexcelCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe only black composer has been dropped from the syllabus of a popular A-level music exam from next year, along with the study of jazz, because of course changes demanded by ... read more

Last surviving member of group who cut Take Five and Blue Rondo à la Turk was described as an ‘honorary uncle to the Brubeck family’Jazz bassist Eugene Wright, who was the last surviving member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s classic lineup, has died aged 97.The Brubeck estate announced the news ... read more

From the ferocious hardcore punk of Nicolas Cage Fighter to the ultra-meditative ambient of KMRU, discover new music from right across the pop spectrumWhich new artists are you excited for in 2021? Leave your recommendations in the comments below. Continue reading... ... read more

Leading figure in French jazz, as a pianist, composer and bandleader, who also wrote more than 100 film scoresClaude Bolling, the pianist, composer and bandleader, who has died aged 90, was a leading figure in French jazz from the early 1950s, who worked with many international stars, and celebrated the ... read more

My friend and former colleague Geoffrey Battison, who has died aged 98, was a magazine journalist and editor who worked in Fleet Street in its heyday. He was also a jazz buff and drummer.Born in Harrow, north-west London, he was the son of William Battison and his wife, Gertrude (nee ... read more

We survey the best albums from the experimental edges of classical, jazz and more, from ambient sludge to blissful electronicaMore on the best culture of 2020Continue reading... ... read more

Away from the English-language mainstream was a world of mindblowing sound from Indian raga to Malian mayhem, and Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela’s final workMore on the best culture of 2020Continue reading... ... read more

Alongside archive recordings from Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, and inventive new releases by Maria Schneider and Carla Bley, 2020 had plenty of spectacular fusions Continue reading... ... read more

Our countdown is complete, topped by a mercurial work of sprawling invention by a woman who has dug deep to survive. Taken as a whole, these choices contain drama, solace, poetry and fire, a fitting selection for a turbulent year More on the best culture of 2020This list is drawn ... read more

We’ve announced our favourite releases of the year – now the Guardian’s music critics reveal their individual top picks of 2020The 50 best albums of 2020The 20 best songs of 2020Here’s how our writers voted: favourite choice first. Continue reading... ... read more

Jamie Foxx stars as a music teacher transported to the afterlife in Pixar’s spirit-world fable, which is a joy from beginning to endFollow our countdown of the 50 best films of 2020Over the years, animation studio Pixar have patented and perfected a particular type of film: bittersweet life lessons of ... read more

The work of the composer, who has died from Covid-19 aged 84, can’t be contained with the term ‘ambient’ – it is a guide to dreamworlds and a haven in tough timesIt’s no coincidence that so many people discovered Harold Budd’s music this year. Restrained and sedate – even sedative ... read more