TOP NEWS JAZZ

(Jazz in Britain)Laurence’s double bass is the unusual star of three works written with it in mind by his longtime collaborator, the late Ken Wheeler Ken Wheeler was a Canadian trumpet player who moved to Britain in 1952, became part of the London jazz world and gradually turned into ... read more

Exploring Fats Domino’s life and legacy in an electrifying documentary. Plus a look at Mae West, who was once Hollywood’s biggest star. Here’s what to watch this evening Continue reading... ... read more

Postwar Japan embraced the music of its former enemy – and, powered by anti-establishment feeling, remade it. As they find a new global audience, the country’s jazz innovators explain what drove them The story of Japanese jazz is about music and a movement, but also a nation’s state of ... read more

From his Afrocentric jazz with Miles Davis and Lonnie Liston Smith to his chart hits for Roberta Flack and Stephanie Mills, we celebrate the best of the late musician James Mtume, jazz and funk musician, dies aged 75 The biological son of saxophonist Jimmy Heath, brought up by Dizzy ... read more

Tony Williams, an old school friend of mine, who has died aged 80 after complications from Alzheimer’s disease, was a record producer, the founder of Spotlite Records and a pioneer of the appreciation of early modern jazz. Born in Enfield, north London, he was the younger son of Pip ... read more

In a good year for rummaging through back catalogues, our writers have been delighted by everything from a A1’s embrace of soft rock to the Marvelettes’ ageless glee Marcia Griffith’s debut solo album – released between her UK hits as one half of Bob and Marcia and her membership ... read more

The year’s best experiments ranged from Blank Gloss’s ambient Americana to Space Afrika’s manipulated Manchester field recordings and Floating Points’ extraordinary electronic masterpiece More on the best music of 2021 More on the best culture of 2021 So much new composition seems to make connections between contemporary ... read more

An enthralling live set from Pat Metheny, Ches Smith’s fascinating blend of avant garde and Vodou and octogenarian Charles Lloyd’s fresh takes on Leonard Cohen and the Beach Boys stood out in a strong year More on the best music of 2021 More on the best culture of ... read more

From ambient bliss and Swedish pop zingers to Americana’s best-kept secret, the Observer’s critics pick some of this year’s releases that deserve a wider audience (Longform Editions)A 39-minute immersive meditation, Nine Movements is the work of California-based Australian composer Matthew Liam Nicholson, based around the harmonic interplay of singing ... read more

And finally – a deserving winner, whose second solo album is a truly relatable, pin-sharp pop classic. We reveal our No 1 album of 2021 The best songs of 2021 More on the best culture of 2021 This list is drawn from votes by Guardian music ... read more

(Foundation Music/BMG)Marley Munroe finds her calling with an extraordinary collection of songs and performances that burn deep into you • More albums we missed in 2021 From the title, you might think you know what to expect from LA musician Marley Munroe’s debut album as Lady Blackbird. It conjures ... read more

(International Anthem)The style-surfing guitarist deploys self-quoting loops and minimal solo work to beguiling effect Best known as the jazz-facing guitarist in the influential Chicago post-rock outfit Tortoise, Parker, now based in LA, wears many berets: band leader, film composer, unstarry collaborator. Parker’s third solo album for the International Anthem ... read more

Drill artist Central Cee and Nigerian pop star Wizkid win two awards each, as ceremony returns as a live event for first time since 2017 Little Simz, Ghetts and Dave have won the top prizes at the 2021 Mobo awards, which recognise the best in Black music from the ... read more

(Blue Note)‘Beat scientist’ McCraven balances jazz’s tradition with its future, sympathetically updating the Blue Note hard-bop 60s catalogue Like Miles Davis, the Chicago drummer, remix producer and “beat scientist” Makaya McCraven senses that celebrating the jazz past means sympathetic reinvention by today’s improvisers, not turning long-gone performances into set-in-stone ... read more

In the HBO documentary Listening to Kenny G, the unusual appeal of the much-maligned ‘smooth jazz’ musician is put under the spotlight Penny Lane, who has directed a new music documentary centered on Kenny G, has no interest in music documentaries and would never voluntarily listen to a Kenny ... read more