The Gloaming – “The Sailor’s Bonnet”
Fiddle master Martin Hayes, guitarist Dennis Cahill, sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, hardanger innovator Caoimhin Ó Raghallaigh and New York pianist Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman) joined forces in 2011 to …
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Kris Davis & Craig Taborn – ‘Octopus’
Solo piano albums are tough listens. They’re exercises in spacing, balance, dynamism, and are generally more intellectual exercises than most jazz albums. Duo piano albums are even tougher. One — …
Nils Frahm Featured in Crack Magazine Mini-Documentaries
For the past two years, German musician and composer Nils Frahm has been building a brand new studio in Berlin to record his 7th album, All Melody, released just last …
Onyx Collective – ‘Lower East Suite Part One’ and ‘Lower East Suite Part Two’
I’m a sucker for albums that inhabit a very specific geographical location. Albums that, upon listening to, make you “feel” as if you are physically and emotionally there. Albums where …
Immortal Onion – ‘Ocelot of Salvation’
Polish piano-bass-drum trio Immortal Onion are a young group, early twenties. They’ve got mastery of their instruments and they have a sound that’s of their time. That’s how youth invents– …
Ben Wendel – “Stars Fell on Alabama” (Video)
Ah, the overdubbed Brady Bunch video. They’re the internet’s way of saying I’m-a-one-person-musical-badass. One can do these sorts of overdubs live or in audio recording, but this way has that …
Herbie Hancock on ‘Austin City Limits’
It’s hard to believe but legendary pianist Herbie Hancock had, before quite recently, never performed on the equally legendary American public television show Austin City Limits. This changed last week …
Ivo Neame – “Vegetarians” (Video)
Pianist Ivo Neame always brings incredibly dope music, particularly with the piano-bass-drum trio Phronesis. However, his solo work is certainly worthy of talk and some space on your hard drives. …
Esperanza Spalding – ‘Exposure’
Lately Esperanza Spalding seems to be in the business of doing things her fans don’t expect. Considering the music of the more R&B-influenced Radio Music Society, her last album, Emily’s …
Butcher Brown Live at Paste Studio NYC
Our favorite band out of Richmond, VA, Butcher Brown, are back at it again with a new studio session from Paste‘s studio in Manhattan. With a short set of songs, …
Maria Neckam – ‘Because I Sang So’ (EP Premiere)
Maria Neckam has always been one of my favorite vocalists ever since I fell in love with her album Deeper in 2010. She’s been, as of late, marching to the …
Cat Toren’s Human Kind – ‘s/t’
In the liner notes of Cat Toren’s Human Kind, the pianist looks to the past to address the present. Even without the notes, it does not take much analysis to …
Braxton Cook – “Lately” (Stream)
Saxophonist/vocalist Braxton Cook is dropping a new single today. “Lately”, the track made in collaboration with rapper/producer Karnival Kid a.k.a BLVK Samurai is more R&B/hip hop than jazz, even by …
THIEFS – “I Live in Fear” (Single)
THIEFS, the trio of saxophonist Christophe Panzani, bassist Keith Witty, and drummer David Frazier, Jr., are getting ready to release their sophomore album later this month, GRAFT. This is a …
Jaimie Branch – ‘Fly or Die’
Although Jaimie Branch has been playing music for a while now, having been part of the Chicago jazz scene before her recent move to Brooklyn, Fly or Die is her …
John Raymond & Real Feels – “Joy Ride”
Trumpeter John Raymond has been leading Real Feels, his band comprised of guitarist Gilad Hekselman and drummer Colin Stranahan, for over four year now. The trio is set to drop …
Nextbop Interviews Rudresh Mahanthappa
Last October, alto saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa reunited his trio, the Indo-Pak Coalition which features guitarist Rez Abbasi and tabla player Dan Weiss, for a new LP entitled Agrima, …
Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2017
We have a small, volunteer staff here at Nextbop. Folks who read us here contribute work, adding to the collective of voices that we so cherish here and giving additional …
Nextbop’s Favorite Non-Jazz Albums of 2017
The Nextbop favorite non-jazz list is always a fascinating beast because it exemplifies the widest interests of the staff. It frequently doesn’t coalesce around many of the same ideas. There …
Woolly Mammals – “Voicemail”
Brooklyn collective Woolly Mammals is a daring exploration of the intersection between alternative indie rock and jazz fusion blending the expressive vocabulary of Robert Glasper and Snarky Puppy with a …
Psychic Temple – “Dream Dictionary” (Video)
One of the bands in which we delight around here, Psychic Temple, that most chill, ecclectic, hard to define group led by guitarist Chris Schlarb, has been celebrating their latest …
Delfeayo Marsalis – “Sesame Street Theme”
A second single has emerged from Delfeayo Marsalis’ new live album Kalamazoo, which we wrote about last week. For a little nostalgia, check out Marsalis’ swinging rendition of childhood favorite …
Walter Smith III – “Ask Me Now”
Saxophonist Walter Smith III has a new album on the horizon. TWIO to be released February 9 on Whirlwind Recordings, features Smith’s trio comprised of bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer …
Ryan Keberle & Frank Woeste (feat. Jeff Ballard & Vincent Courtois) – ‘Reverso: Suite Ravel’
In 1928 French classical composer Maurice Ravel said: “You Americans take jazz too lightly. You seem to see it as a music of little value, vulgar and ephemeral. In my …
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah (Featuring Vic Mensa) – “Freedom is a Word”
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah is constantly treading the line between innovative and revolutionary. Whether you like him or not, aTunde Adjuah is one of the only neojazzmen going where no …
Chase Jackson – “Vocabularies”
Vibraphonist Chase Jackson studied jazz composition and performance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music under Robin Eubanks, Jay Ashby, Paul Samuels, Dan Wall, Billy Hart, Jamey Haddad, Wendell Logan and …
Delfeayo Marsalis – “If I Were A Bell”
We’ve had our well-documented feuds with the Marsalis clan and we would like to, at last, bury the hatchet. Although our visions differ on some points, we, at Nextbop, believe …
Nextbop Interviews Brian Blade
Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band are celebrating their 20th anniversary as a unit with the release of their fifth studio album on Blue Note Records entitled Body and Shadow. …
Marquis Hill – ‘Meditation Tape EP’
Marquis Hill, who we recently interviewed, has finally dropped his Meditation Tape EP. You can check out the first track from the album, “Good Morning”, below. The EP’s also presently …
Seven Music Documentaries You Should Watch ASAP
There are some great music documentaries floating around the intarwebs, a lot of them on Netflix (in Canada at least). Here’s our short-list of stuff you should’ve seen by now, …
My Favorite Standards: “All the Things You Are”
Sometimes, life’s beauty lies in a memory encapsulated in a song. I have fallen in love with more songs than women, yet my favorite of them all remains “All the …
Makaya McCraven – ‘Highly Rare’
Something about drummer/producer Makaya McCraven’s aesthetic always seems to come off as gritty. Sure, his latest album, Highly Rare, was recorded live to 4-track tape in a Chicago dive bar, …
Nate Wood as fOUR – “Frozen Head” (Video)
It’s always fun hearing drummer/multi-instrumentalist Nate Wood, best known for his work in Kneebody. However, his series of one-take videos under the name fOUR has been a highlight of 2017 …
Gianluca Gibbons – “Shades of Me” (Video)
Saxophonist Gianluca Gibbons is set to release a somber, ethereal new single, “Shades of Me” on Friday, December 1st. The Bermudan composer has crafted a song that’s more of a …
Combsy – ‘s/t’
Chris Combs for some time had been a crucial element of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, adding not just angles to the group’s sound but real curves. Playing the …
Nextbop Interviews Marquis Hill
Trumpeter and sensei Marquis Hill is set to drop a brand new EP, aka bomb, on us December 1st. Meditation Tape EP is a seven-track succinct endeavor rooted in jazz …
Kat & Ben – “The Life that Surrounds” (Single Release)
Kat & Ben are something special. While unassuming in name, the sound world generated by these two musicians is really pretty magical. Kathryn Shuman and Ben Finley of Kat & …
Danny Janklow’s Elevation Band – “Creep” (Radiohead Cover)
Sometimes less is more as demonstrated by LA saxophonist Danny Janklow’s superb rendering of Radiohead’s cult hit “Creep.” Read Other Articles in Our ‘Best Song Covers’ Series! Without the zig-zagging and …
Tomas Fujiwara – ‘Triple Double’ (Album Review)
Tomas Fujiwara has been active for well over a decade now, with his first recorded date as a sideman being on Matana Robert’s The Calling back in 2006. Just a …
NOW VS NOW live at the office (Video)
Jason Lindner, Panagiotis Andreou and Justin Tyson collectively known as NOW VS NOW were in Rotterdam and stopped by the Good Music Company headquarters for an impromptu jam session. In …
Alex Stuart – ‘Aftermath’ (Album Review)
Australian guitarist Alex Stuart moved to Paris in 2005. He’s since then recorded three albums, won the jury prize at the Jazz à Juan International Jazz Festival, and was nominated …
Sam Newsome & Jean-Michel Pilc – ‘Magic Circle’ (Album Review)
Jean-Michel Pilc plays the piano as if there were drums present, particularly in times when there isn’t. His left-handed beat is infectious, almost as much as his loquacious right hand. …
Brandon Seabrook’s ‘Needle Driver’
Guitarist Brandon Seabrook’s new album, Needle Driver, is quick and dirty. It could hardly be classified as a jazz album, but we’re going out on a limb and saying it …
Mammal Hands – ‘Shadow Work’ (Album Review)
For some reason, there is a special place in my heart for European jazz music, a breed of its own often misrepresented in North American circles. Even here at Nextbop, …
Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop – REV (EPK)
Toronto drummer Ernesto Cervini released REV on Anzic Records last week with his band Turboprop namely Tara Davidson and Joel Frahm on saxophones, William Carn on trombone, Adrean Farrugia on …
(U)nity – ‘(U)nity is Power’ (Album Review)
The band (U)nity, co-lead by pianist Axel Laugart and percussionist Amaury Acosta, are legit and have been for a minute now, but with the release of their first proper album, …
The Kris Johnson Group with Lulu Falls – “Painfully Sober” (Video)
Earlier this summer, Kris Johnson, Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Utah, released his first album with vocalist Lulu Fall, The Unpaved Road. Check out the brand new …
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band’s Brand New Single “Broken Leg Days”
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band are set to drop their fifth album, Body and Shadow, November 10th marking their 20th anniversary as a unit. Formed in 1997, the Fellowship …
Gregory Sallet Quintet – ‘Le Mouvement Cree la Matiere’
Of his new album, Gregory Sallet has said that Le Mouvement Crée la Matière is “an act of transformation”. Music can create a truly transformative experience, with the potential of …
Nextbop Interviews Sarah Elizabeth Charles
Vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles just released her newest album Free of Form at the beginning of the month. Co-produced by Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and featuring her long-time band SCOPE …
‘Jazz Loves Disney 2’ (Preview Video)
Proprietary cash grab projects are kinda the pits, and this project almost seems to fit in that ideal, but this compilation, produced by Jay Newland, and arranged and directed by …
Vijay Iyer – ‘Far From Over’
There has always been an air of adventure about his music, but since Vijay Iyer has started releasing records on ECM, the acclaimed pianist has really been exploring. Iyer’s ECM …
Matt Mitchell – ‘A Pouting Grimace’
On A Pouting Grimace (Pi Recordings), Matt Mitchell’s fifth outing as a leader, the pianist has created, along with producer David Torn, an otherworldly musical ecosystem through a uniquely orchestrated …
Thundercat – “Show You The Way” (Video)
Bassist Thundercat’s Drunk, released earlier this year on Brainfeeder, is still very much a dope album. To remind you of its dopeness, that wacko has released yet another music video, …
Gerald Clayton – ‘Tributary Tales’ (Album Review)
After a four year wait, fans will be pleased to hear that Tributary Tales, while surely taking a page out of the same book as its preceding album, A Life …
Eddie Moore And The Outer Circle – “007”
Keyboardist Eddie Moore has a new single out now entitled “007”. Could this mean there’s a new album on the way? Regardless, hit play and shake three measures of Gordon’s, …
Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet’s ‘Jersey’ Album Review
People fawn over Mark Guiliana. They should– he’s a spectacular drummer. He has a tremendous energy about him when he plays and he’s been a modern living legend to the …
Cecile McLorin Salvant – ‘Dreams and Daggers: Live at The Village Vanguard’ (Album Review)
With the release of her last album For One To Love, Cecile McLorin Salvant put the focus on her pen, with almost half of the tracks being original compositions. Light, …
Nextbop Interviews Kendrick Scott
Last Friday, Blue Note Records dropped Our Point of View featuring its All-Stars, namely trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, keyboardist Robert Glasper, bassist Derrick Hodge, guitarist Lionel Loueke, drummer Kendrick Scott, and …
Sarah Elizabeth Charles – “Zombie” (Stream)
As we gear up for the release of Sarah Elizabeth Charles’ upcoming album, Free of Form, there are still more delights to discover. For example, as wide ranging the album …
Nicole Mitchell and Haki R. Madhubuti – ‘Liberation Narratives’
While jazz and poetry are two artistic media that frequently gravitate around one another (hell, they even share an appreciation month in the United States), there aren’t so many instances …
Gregory Porter – “L-O-V-E” feat. Terence Blanchard
Gregory Porter has released the second single off his upcoming Nat King Cole tribute Nat King Cole & Me due out October 27 on Blue Note Records. Check out “L-O-V-E” …
Teri Parker Quartet – “Chromo” (Video)
Pianist Teri Parker hails from Toronto, Canada, yet has spent some time in the Big Apple honing her chops under the tutelage of Aaron Goldberg, Guillermo Klein, Fred Hersch and …
Braxton Cook – “Somewhere in Between” (Swarvy Remix) (Stream)
Braxton Cook has always maintained a silky smoothness on the saxophone that in his debut solo album, Somewhere In Between, lays it all out in spades and never ceases to …
Sarah Jerrom – ‘The Yeats Project’
Vocalist/composer/arranger Sarah Jerrom has a strong voice to go with her cerebral approach to jazz. Her embracing of chamber jazz melds her firm, but airy voice with compositions that bandy …
Matthew Stevens – “Reservoir”
Guitarist Matthew Stevens, which you should know by now following his work with Christian Scott and Esperanza Spalding, released his latest album as a leader, Preverbal, last March. Our very …
Sarah Elizabeth Charles feat. Christian Scott – “Change to Come”
More and more artists are fed up with the senseless violence happening daily in the United States and are letting their frustration be heard through their music. The latest example …
Gregory Porter Drops New Single “Smile”
The details of Gregory Porter’s latest album have just been announced. The GRAMMY-winning vocalist will be tackling the Nat King Cole songbook on Nat King Cole & Me, set to …
BADBADNOTGOOD – “Confessions, Pt. III” feat. Colin Stetson (Stream)
One of the best qualities of our friends from up north, BADBADNOTGOOD, is their can’t stop, won’t stop nature. They seem to always have something cooking. This new song, fresh …
Mike Lebrun – “Going Through the Emotions” feat. Amber Navran (Stream)
You may remember saxophonist Mike Lebrun from his work with pianist Josh Moshier. The two made a great pair, but when Moshier left Chicago to head to Los Angeles, Lebrun …
Nextbop Interviews Fabian Almazan Founder of Biophilia Records
You all know pianist Fabian Almazan as an accomplished musician, but what you may not know is that he also runs a environmentally-conscious music label named Biophilia. I caught up …
Christian Scott Featured in Gap Commercial “Skate Meet Horn”
It’s always nice to see one of ours break through the mainstream barrier. Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington and BADBADNOTGOOD come to mind as recent examples. Over here at Nextbop, it …
Black Diamond – ‘Mandala’
Compellingly making a swinging post-bop sound is a bit of an accomplishment these days. A music that can get a bit cerebral always needs an anchor but knows when to …
Saxophonist Uri Gurvich Set to Release ‘Kinship’
Israeli-born, New York-based saxophonist Uri Gurvich is set to release is third album as a leader, Kinship, September 8th on the French label Jazz Family. Kinship brings together a stellar …
Portico Quartet – ‘Art in the Age of Automation’
It’s always been hard to peg down the precise sound of the Portico Quartet. The group with the baddest hang (the steel drum, not the conceptual loitering full of camaraderie) …
Rez Abbasi drops new single “Propensity”
Guitarist Rez Abbasi is back at it with a new album coming October 6th on Whirlwind Recordings. Unfiltered Universe brings back Abbasi’s South Asian-inspired supergroup, Invocation, featuring saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, …
Nextbop Interviews Chet Doxas
Chet Doxas, arguably one of Montreal’s most illustrious saxophonists, left my endearing hometown three years ago, off to pursue his dream in the bigger and better pastures of the Big …
Sarah Elizabeth Charles – “Free of Form” feat. Christian Scott
Vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles has continuously dazzled us here, standing out as a singer with a voice as airy as a breeze or as gusty as a thunderstorm. Whether on …
Butcher Brown – Jam in the Van
It’s no secret that Butcher Brown gets some love around here, and some newly released videos aren’t going to change that. The band gets down on “Fiat”, “Lysol”, and “AfroKuti …
Rotem Sivan Kicks Off Texas Tour at Aptly Named Jazz, TX
As a guy who mostly covers jazz music in the recorded form, much of my attention doesn’t tend toward the local scene. When introducing myself to other San Antonians and …
Aaron Parks – ‘Find the Way’
Aaron Parks has never left us. It’s been a while since he has released a major album as a leader, but he’s been around. Upon his return to the for …
Ambrose Akinmusire – ‘A Rift in Decorum: Live at the Village Vanguard’ (Album Review)
I’m writing this review 39,000 feet in the air, flying back home to Texas after spending the last week meandering through the streets of New York City. The more I …
Dave King Rolls Out New Web Series, ‘Lights, Cameron, Jackson’
Last year, comedian Louis CK produced a single-camera dramedy on his website with episodes of various lengths and, thusly, with each episode available for purchase at varying prices. Horace and …
Psychic Temple – ‘IV’
Over the years, I’ve found myself eagerly devouring each album guitarist/vocalist/bandleader/cult leader Chris Schlarb releases with his group, Psychic Temple. His progressive melding of jazz, folk, and hazy rock has …
Rotem Sivan – ‘Antidote’
It’s hard to find new words to describe the brilliance of guitarist Rotem Sivan. His previous albums, 2015’s A New Dance and 2014’s For Emotional Use Only, highlighted his shining …
Ben Allison & Think Free – ‘Layers of the City’
Bassist Ben Allison knows how to build. Over the course of 12 albums, Allison has made really fun, flowing music while maintaining more and more control over his artistry. His …
Portico Quartet – “Endless” (Video)
They’re back. The difficult to pin down London band with the baddest hang in the game have seemingly returned to a jazzier inclination once more with their upcoming new album, …
Dan Tepfer – ‘Eleven Cages’
There’s a certain kind of irony in making music so undeniably playful while insisting that the thematic element behind the music itself is cages. It’s hard to be playful in …
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – ‘Centennial Trilogy: Diaspora’
Diaspora, the second album of trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s Centennial Trilogy of albums he’s releasing this year, is softer than its predecessor, Ruler Rebel. It’s warmer, more somber, more …
Nate Wood’s fOUR – “sides” (video)
The multi-talented drummer for Kneebody, Nate Wood, (whose work on Dan Tepfer’s new album, Eleven Cages, I have been gushing about and will do so here at the site soon) …
Brandon Seabrook’s ‘Die Trommel Fatale’
If you ever want to get thrown for a loop, make something large and then take something away, some ingredient that adds a little bit of flash and go without …
Diego Barber – ‘One Minute Later’
In the credits of his new album, One Minute Later, out now on Sunnyside, Diego Barber as listed as playing the classical guitar. Based on this album, this seems true …
Digbii – ‘Lonely Star’
Nothing wrong with coming across some new grooves on a Friday. Milwaukee-based Digbii’s new release, Lonely Star, should fit the bill. Digbii is a quartet of drums (Jay Arpin), bass …
Dave Chisholm – ‘Instrumental’
Dave Chisholm is multi-talented. He’s a deft trumpeter and composer– expressive, expansive, illustrative with an idea of direction and arch. He is also a graphic artist with a good sense …
Kurt Rosenwinkel – ‘Caipi’
Few things can put a smile on your face this year quite like Kurt Rosenwinkel’s latest Brazilian-influenced album, Caipi, out now on Sunnyside. The man has been an inspiration to …
Maria Grand – ‘TetraWind’
Tenor saxophonist/vocalist María Grand is on Steve Coleman’s next album (Morphogenesis with Coleman’s group, Natal Eclipse, is out June 23rd on Pi Recordings). Based on her four-song EP, TetraWind, based …
Orlando LeFleming – “Pretentious Brooklyn” (Stream)
Bassist Orlando LeFleming’s new project, Romantic Funk, is described as falling “somewhere between the serene, legato passages of early-Jaco-era Weather Report, and the spaced out electronica of late-70’s Herbie Hancock“. …
Arthur Hnatek – ‘Lualuna Tai – With DKSJ’
An album like Lualuna Tai, the four song EP composed by drummer Arthur Hnatek (who has backed the likes of Tigran Hamasyan, Erik Truffaz, and Dhafer Youssef) and performed with …
Jazzahead! 2017
The recent Jazzahead! event in Bremen, Germany, featured performances from a who’s who of current jazz players. Thankfully, many of those performances have been recorded and made available to those …
Anne Mette-Iversen – ‘Round Trip’
Bassist Anne Mette-Iversen’s new quintet album, Round Trip, is described as a set of tunes designed “to return to the starting point via a different road”, and the tunes on …
Phronesis, Julian Arguelles, & the Frankfurt Radio Big Band – ‘The Behemoth’ (Album Review)
The secret of any great piano-bass-drums trio is creating a massive sound from the three elements. These three instruments hold great potential, for soft elegies or bonkers jaunts. Get the …