Steve Coleman and the Council of Balance – ‘Synovial Joints’
Steve Coleman has always been a musician who could find the rhythm in anything. His compositions would seem to indicate his soul is a metronome. Steve Coleman’s work has always …
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Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet Presents ‘Familly First’ (EPK)
🍞 Home / Jazz Music Artists / Jazz Drummers / Mark Guiliana / Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet Presents ‘Familly First’ (EPK) I already lauded the greatness of drummer Mark Guiliana …
Jarryd Torff – Feel Alright (Video)
Jarryd Torff is turning out to be quite the conundrum, and we couldn’t be happier about it. We first discovered the young musician as part of the now defunct Montreal-based …
Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet to Release ‘Family First’ June 4
🍞 Home / Jazz Music Artists / Jazz Drummers / Mark Guiliana / Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet to Release ‘Family First’ June 4 Last year, drummer Mark Guiliana made some …
Grand Pianoramax – Big Easy (Video)
Grand Pianoramax, the unconventional trio of Leo Tardin on keys, Dom Burkhalter on drums and Black Cracker on rhymes, is set to drop their newest EP, Big Easy, on us …
Yaron Herman – “Vista” (Video)
In case you haven’t already heard, Israeli pianist Yaron Herman, who now resides in France, has signed to Blue Note France. His debut for the label, entitled Everyday, is set …
Terence Blanchard Set to Release ‘Breathless’ (EPK + Stream)
Terence Blanchard has a new band and a new album coming out May 26th on Blue Note. His new quintet, dubbed the E-Collective, features Charles Altura on guitar, Fabian Almazan …
Kyle Nasser – ‘Restive Soul’
Saxophonist Kyle Nasser recently released a more than serviceable album alongside Jeff Miles on guitar, Dov Manski on piano, Chris Van Voorst on bass, and Devin Drobka on drums that …
Robert Glasper Covers Radiohead’s “Reckoner” (Stream)
The time we have all been waiting for has come. The illustrious Robert Glasper is set to drop a new album June 16 on the famed Blue Note label, this …
Ben Williams – “Black Villain Music” & “Half Steppin” (Stream)
We’ve already shared the EPK as well as the first single, a cover of Lianne La Havas’ “Lost & Found” featuring Christian Scott, from Ben Williams Coming of Age set …
Charles Evans – “Ending Beauty” (Stream)
Baritone saxophonist Charles Evans in his upcoming duo album with soprano saxophonist Dave Liebman has made tempestuous music. The new album, On Beauty, through its various movements has all the …
Ben Williams Covers Lianne La Havas’ “Lost & Found” Featuring Christian Scott
A little over a week ago we wrote about Ben Williams’ sophomore album Coming of Age and featured its EPK. We’ve since listened to the album in its entirety and …
iiii – “Looking Glass” (Video & Download)
There’s a pleasantness to iiii that floats around them. The jazz/R&B quartet are set to release a new EP later this spring and have released the video and download of …
Mark Guiliana’s Vic Firth Performance Spotlight (Video)
🍞 Home / Jazz Music Artists / Jazz Drummers / Mark Guiliana / Mark Guiliana’s Vic Firth Performance Spotlight (Video) Over the years, Mark Guiliana has acquired a formidable pedigree …
Braxton Cook meets Butcher Brown – “FJYD” (Stream)
Braxton Cook and Corey Fonville have played together before in Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s band but the pair is now joining forces under a new format for an EP entitled …
‘The Bad Plus Joshua Redman’ Out May 26 on Nonesuch
The Bad Plus, the highly-lauded modern-day legendary trio of pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King, continually push forward as artists, making music that always distinctly sounds …
Gilad Hekselman Trio – Live in Cardiff, UK – April 1, 2015 (video)
Gilad Hekselman is finishing up a trio tour in Europe where he was joined by Joe Martin on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums. A bit of video from the …
Javi Santiago’s ‘The Year of the Horse’ EP
Pianist Javi Santiago is a graduate of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and a product of the prestigious Brubeck Institute Fellowship Program. The young musician recently released …
Spenser Liszt & His Disciples – “Tick, Tick… / On A Limb” (MF DOOM / Samiyam Mashup Cover) (Video)
It’s hard for me to explain why I’m so drawn to this performance. Spenser Liszt is a leader in the Denton, Texas, band Sky Window, who headed up the most …
Meditations on SXSW 2015
A collection of disparate thoughts from 2015’s South By SouthWest Music Festival in Austin, Texas ContentsPreludeOn the Day Of…On Bicycle InfrastructureEnding the BoycottBADBADNOTGOOD’s PocketThe Resources You Never Think OfArt and …
Kamasi Washington – “Re Run Home” (Stream)
This May 5th, LA saxophonist Kamasi Washington hopes to redefine the boundaries of jazz and music in general with his debut on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label, entitled The Epic. The …
Steve Wilson: Notes to a Young Player
In a quiet room in a quiet hall, facing a framed print of a ’57 Blue Note record, Steve Wilson folds his hands into his chin, and stares across the …
Romain Collin Set to Release ‘Press Enter’ (EPK)
Nextbop has been a very exciting adventure indeed. We set out a little over five years ago to create a website for people to discover, or in some cases rediscover, …
SFJAZZ Collective’s Tribute to Joe Henderson (Full Concert Video)
We premiered “Fire” off the SFJAZZ Collective’s new album Live: SFJAZZ Center 2014, The Music of Joe Henderson and New Compositions a month ago. Now here’s your chance to watch …
Natalia Mateo Covers “Strange Fruit” (Video)
Thirty-one year old vocalist Natalia Mateo is set to make her ACT debut on March 27th with Heart of Darkness an album comprised of originals but also several covers including …
Portico Set to Release ‘Living Fields’ (Stream)
Sadly the Portico Quartet is no more. The band has dropped a member yet Duncan Bellamy, Milo Fitzpatrick and Jack Wyllie are continuing their musical adventures under the moniker Portico. …
Phronesis to Reissue ‘Life to Everything’ as Double Vinyl
Phronesis is celebrating its tenth anniversary in grand fashion by reissuing its critically acclaimed 2014 album Life to Everything as a double vinyl with three previously unreleased tracks. The album, …
Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet – ‘Intents and Purposes’
Music is wide and music is expansive. It has pockets and nooks and crannies where some of us may never trod. We face it with open ears but there’s just …
Thomas Enhco – “Looking For The Moose” (Video Clip)
French pianist Thomas Enhco dropped a solo album on us two days ago entitled Feathers, out on the Verve label. We’ve yet to check it out in its entirety, but …
Jarryd Torff Releases ‘Islands’ EP (Stream)
Multi-instrumentalist Jarryd Torff is at it again. We first covered Torff under his former moniker Cyrus back in 2013. He’s since joined Nikky Yanosky’s band as a saxophonist on top …
Becca Stevens Band Covers Frank Ocean’s “Thinking About You” (Video)
The Becca Stevens Band’s newest album Perfect Animal is now slated for an April 7th release on Universal Music Classics. We did cover the album back when we thought it …
Kenosha Kid Set To Self-Release ‘Inside Voices’
In Thomas Pynchon’s novel Gravity’s Rainbow, the Kenosha Kid is a maddeningly ambiguous figure: it might be a cowboy, or a dance, or a Sodium Amytal-induced hallucination (or all of …
Stream SFJAZZ Collective’s “Fire” Off ‘Live: SFJAZZ Center 2014, The Music of Joe Henderson and New Compositions’
The SFJAZZ Collective features some of the most gifted soloists, composers and bandleaders on the contemporary scene: alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, bassist Matt Penman, tenor saxophonist David Sánchez, trumpeter Avishai …
Gilad Hekselman – “March of the Sad Ones” Live at the 2014 Django Reinhardt Festival (Video)
Gilad Hekselman’s 2013 album, This Just In, still kills. It’s one of those kinds of albums with sharp compositions and even sharper playing. Though we at Nextbop are constantly in …
Fallin’ Floyd – A Jazzy Animated Short
Here’s a cute animated short coming out of the Netherlands featuring a beautiful original jazzy soundtrack by Martin Fondse with Eric Vloeimans on trumpet. After a painful heartbreak, the lead …
BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah – Ray Gun ft. DOOM (Official Video)
BADBADNOTGOOD is going places. When we first heard of them three years ago, they were a relatively unknown band from Toronto doing Odd Future covers. I remember discussing with Anthony …
Jason Moran And Vijay Iyer Masterclass At NEC (Video)
It’s not often that two MacArthur geniuses get together, let alone to give a masterclass. Nonetheless, this is what happened last September at the New England Conservatory. Pianists extraordinaire Jason …
Lebanese Pianist Jad Salameh Releases Debut ‘Lucky Are The Ones With Voices’
“Sadness for a bird killed. No sadness for a fish killed. Lucky are the ones with voices.” -Saitō Ryokuu This saying by Ryokuu served as inspiration for Lebanese pianist Jad …
Blue Note Supergroup Our Point Of View At Le Poisson Rouge (Full Concert Video)
Ever dreamed of assembling the All-Madden team of contemporary jazz musicians? Well Blue Note Records beat you to the punch. Our Point Of View, comprised of Robert Glasper on keys, …
Tigran – ‘Mockroot’ Behind the Scenes Video
We’ve been waiting for pianist Tigran Hamasyan’s upcoming album, Mockroot, for a while now ever since he hinted about it last November when we saw him play in Austin with …
Sound Prints – ‘Live at Monterey Jazz Festival’
Sound Prints, the quintet co-led by trumpeter Dave Douglas and saxophonist Joe Lovano, will be releasing its debut album, Live at Monterey Jazz Festival, on April 7. Douglas and Lovano …
Felix Pastorius’ The Social Experiment’s 2015 APAP Set
I didn’t get the chance to go to the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference or the Winter Jazz Fest that ran concurrently in New York. I’ve never even been …
Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Releases of 2014
We don’t like to say “best” around here. We’re limited people with limited knowledge, fans with a platform. There’s no way we have heard everything released this year or are …
Nextbop’s Favorite Everything Else Releases of 2014
Like any good lover of music, our tastes at Nextbop are wide. Some overlap, some shape others in regard to genre, but there’s a lot of music released this year …
“Paranoid Android”, “Granada”, and “Convalescent”: A Look at Brad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau is certainly one of the most influential pianists, and probably one of the most influential musicians on any instrument, of his generation. His solo piano and piano trio …
Once, Twice, Eight Times a (Golden) Lady – Eight Versions of Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady”
Among pop music writers, Stevie Wonder’s tunes are definitely some of the most often-covered by jazz musicians, and it’s not for nothing – they’re great tunes. I’ve looked at a …
Mark Guiliana – ‘Beat Music: The Los Angeles Improvisations’ (Streams)
🍞 Home / Jazz Music Artists / Jazz Drummers / Mark Guiliana / Mark Guiliana – ‘Beat Music: The Los Angeles Improvisations’ (Streams) Looking on the other side of the …
Our Favorites of 2014 So Far
As we have reached a little bit past the halfway point of the year, it’s about that time to look back on some of the releases of 2014 and highlight …
Montara: A Critical Analysis of Covers
Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s 1975 album Montara is named for the town in California where Hutcherson lives just south of San Francisco. That helps to explain the sunny, vibe-y feel of …
Juan Pastor – ‘Chinchano’ (Album Review)
I heard a lot about Juan Pastor before I got a chance to finally hear his music. After listening to Chinchano, I can totally understand why he’s a favorite to …
Daniel Freedman’s “All Brothers” and Robert Glasper’s “G&B”
This time around I’ll look at a few different versions of some contemporary tunes, rather than older tunes. The first tune I’ll look at is Daniel Freedman’s “All Brothers,” off …
Meditations on Art of Cool Fest 2014
Recently, a fellow bar patron and photographer friend of mine said on Facebook that photographers should follow the Prime Directive– the guiding principle of Starfleet wherein one should not interfere …
Art of Cool Fest 2014 – The Rundown
Last weekend, the first ever Art of Cool Festival took Durham, North Carolina, by storm (in addition to an actual storm), marking a first ever event of this kind in …
JJA Talking Jazz Webinar: New Online Jazz Publications
Some time ago, Howard Mandel of the Jazz Journalists Association asked me to speak on a panel online as part of their ongoing Talking Jazz webinar series to speak about …
Meditations on SXSW 2014
I spent months planning–organizing and promoting the Nextbop/Art of Cool day party, my own schedule of what I’d see, connecting with friends with whom I’d stay & my travel companion, …
Isotope: A Critical Analysis of Covers
Like Stanley Cowell, Joe Henderson is a fantastic musician who is somewhat overshadowed by his peers. The giants of saxophone – Coltrane, Rollins, Shorter – are rightly considered masters of …
Franklin Kiermyer – ‘Further’
There are times when I receive some odd, angular, challenging album and find it so off-putting it’s downright unlikeable. I find it to be some sort of problem with jazz– …
Gingerbread Boy: A Critical Analysis of Covers
“Gingerbread Boy” is a tune written by saxophone player Jimmy Heath that was played fairly heavily following its first appearance, then underwent some big changes up to the present day. …
Mehliana – “Just Call Me Nige (Live)” (Video)
🍞 Home / Jazz Music Artists / Jazz Drummers / Mark Guiliana / Mehliana – “Just Call Me Nige (Live)” (Video) The superduo of Brad Mehldau, likely one of the …
Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2013, #9-1
As we reach the end of another season of year-end lists, I still find it just as difficult to find some thread to move through this year as when I …
Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2013, #20-12
One major reason why I so enjoy this time at the end of the year is not only to reassess what this past year has looked like musically, not only …
Nextbop’s Favorite Everything Else Albums of 2013, #10-1
I spent quite a while looking through our staff list to find some sort of theme for the music we liked this year, but try as I might, there was …
Nextbop’s Favorite Everything Else Albums of 2013, #18-12
The Everything Else lists don’t get nearly as much web traffic as our jazz lists do. Of course, this makes sense– this is a jazz and fringe jazz website. People …
Linus and Lucy: A Critical Analysis of Covers
‘Tis the season. You’ve heard it a million times, and damn if it isn’t one of the catchiest jazz melodies out there. Maybe this isn’t the most “sophisticated” or “advanced” …
Jitterbug Waltz: A Critical Analysis of Covers
“Jitterbug Waltz” is a tune from Fats Waller written (I am told by wikipedia) in 1942 and released as a 78 rpm single. On that single, Waller opens the tune …
Speak Like a Child: A Critical Analysis of Covers
Like ”I Have a Dream,” Herbie Hancock brought “Speak Like a Child” to the Miles Davis Quintet, unfortunately without ever recording a finished take. The rehearsals of this tune have …
Hey Joe: A Critical Analysis of Covers
This one probably doesn’t need much of an introduction. “Hey Joe” showed up on Hendrix’s 1966 The Jimi Hendrix Experience, though Wikipedia tells us that the song was registered for …
Flying Lotus: Electronic Jazz
Jazz artists covering non-jazz tunes is nothing new – John Coltrane doing “My Favorite Things,” Wes Montgomery, Soulive, Brad Mehldau, and countless others covering the Beatles’ catalog, The Bad Plus …
Blue Pepper: A Critical Analysis of Covers
The Far East Suite, recorded in 1966, is a highlight of the latter part of Duke Ellington’s career, written using the… mid-east… as an inspiration (with the exception of “Ad …
Green Chimneys: A Critical Analysis of Covers
After looking at an early Monk composition, ”Shuffle Boil,” and more recently at Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay,” I’ll look at another color-themed song from Monk this time around, Thelonious Monk’s …
Moontrane: A Critical Analysis of Covers
Woody Shaw’s “Moontrane” is a great tune by a great composer and musician. Why isn’t this song and this musician more heralded? I suppose because Shaw is a trumpet player …
“Wig Wise”: A Critical Analysis of Covers
“Wig Wise” first showed up on the amazing 1963 piano trio album Money Jungle, featuring Duke Ellington on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums. To repeat: …
Who is @JazzIsTheWorst?
@JazzIsTheWorst might be the killingest jazz-related thing on the internet since jazz robots. It’s so killing, in fact, it has garnered followers such as Christian McBride, Nate Smith, and NPR’s …
The Rare “Shuffle Boil”: A Critical Analysis of Covers
Thelonious Monk is one of the most original pianists to have ever touched the keys. He was capable of making a song his own through his unique approach to the …
Countdown: A Critical Analysis of Covers
The next song I’ll write about is “Countdown,” the shortest song on John Coltrane’s Giant Steps album at just over 2 minutes long. “Countdown” is derived from Miles Davis’ “Tune-Up,” …
“Giant Steps” for Jazz Kind: A Critical Analysis of Covers
For my next essay, I’ll look at John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” Certainly not an obscure piece from an unknown performer’s catalog, but interesting in that (so far as I know) …
We Have a Dream: A Critical Analysis of Covers
A recent New York Times article by Andrew Bird described the way that a fragment of a melody that came into his head at an airport developed to become a …
For Your Consideration: Thundercat’s ‘Apocalypse’
It’s been two years since bassist Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner released his debut album on Steve “Flying Lotus” Ellison’s indie label Brainfeeder, The Golden Age of Apocalypse. In that time, Thundercat’s …
Meditations on SXSW 2013
As is customary for me when attending anything really, there are a lot of thoughts going through my head. This year’s South by SouthWest music festival in Austin, Texas, was …
Telegram to Jazz
Dear Jazz, STOP Ease up some. STOP. Your tendency to wear your heart on your sleeve at every shirk and insult has gotten off-putting. STOP. Every negative comment about you …
Don’t Be Afraid, The Clown’s Afraid Too
When was the last time you heard a record that could barely hold it together? A record made by musicians who hated each other, or hadn’t showed for the rehearsals, …
Introducing the Remi Panossian Trio (EPK)
Somehow stumbled on this Remi Panossian EPK. The young (everything’s relative, lol, he’s about 30) pianist hailing from Montpellier, France, is about to drop his sophomore album with acolytes Maxime …
The Best Jazz Albums of 2012: #10-1
By the circumstances of our calendar, we culturally use the transition into the new year as a time to reflect. We reflect on how we have grown as people, about …
The Best Jazz Albums of 2012: #25*-11
This has been a particularly strong year for music. I feel like I’ve been saying it more and more but do you remember how you felt at the beginning of …
The Best Non-Jazz Albums of 2012: #10*-1
To be honest, these are the top ten non-jazz albums as voted by our staff, but since ties are a habit with this year’s lists, we’re going to start things …
The Best Non-Jazz Albums of 2012: #25*-11
I’ve always loved the collective of voices we have here at Nextbop. This international group of talents has always been a sort of inspiration to me, shining a light on …
An Interview with John Raymond
I’ve been a fan of up-and-coming trumpet player John Raymond for a while now, pretty much ever since he became a Nextbop artist. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview …
For Your Consideration: Kurt Rosenwinkel’s ‘Star of Jupiter’
Kurt Rosenwinkel doesn’t raise much of a ruckus. In fact, the last ruckus I remember him raising was a Facebook plea with musicians to stop raising ruckuses and get on …
Yaron Herman Gives a TED Talk
Take a moment and get a piano lesson from Yaron Herman in the format where everyone seems to be learning stuff lately, TED Talks. Herman addressed the TEDxHelvetia Conference recently, …
Jazz Gallery Director Rio Sakairi Produces Benefit Album For Disaster Close to ‘Home’
It is with great honor that I wrote the biography for this project. Please take a moment to read about it and support. We can make a difference. — Angelika …
For Your Consideration: ERIMAJ’s ‘Conflict of a Man’
Houston-native drummer Jamire Williams gets around a lot. He’s part of Christian Scott’s quintet. He’s part of legendary organist Dr. Lonnie Smith’s current trio. He’s head of his own group, …
Marcus Miller: Suspending the Rules (Interview)
As Marcus Miller catches me up on a major project he’d been working on over the last couple years, he stops mid-sentence to give me some background, humbly explaining, “I …
Kassa Overall: Jazz, Hip Hop, Whatever Works, Just Let It Be
Kassa Overall stays busy. When the both of us could finally find the time to interview over the phone (mostly my fault over the past few months 1, but the …
Orrin Evans Releases ‘Flip the Script’
At an impressive nineteen albums in, pianist Orrin Evans sets out to do exactly as the title of his latest suggests. Flip The Script (Posi-Tone), out this month, refers not …
The Stanley Clarke Band Does Jazz Right at the Carver
Stanley Clarke is able to bring out an interesting cross section of folks. I personally attended the Stanley Clarke Band’s June 2 performance at the Jo Long Theater of San …
The Modern Standard: What Is It?
Inspired by spring’s indecisiveness a couple weeks ago, I decided not to brave the wind and rain this particular day, but to do some season-inspired cleaning instead. Thumbing through my …
For Your Consideration: Esperanza Spalding’s ‘Radio Music Society’
A couple of weeks back I wrote up a capsule review for the San Antonio Current–the prototypical alternative weekly in town –on Esperanza Spalding’s latest record Radio Music Society. You …
Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Last Holiday’
“One of the things that was evident to me way back when I’d gotten into John Coltrane’s music was that you had to keep reaching. I think when you stop …
How Do We Solve a Problem Like BBNG?
Most times when you see me, I will be wearing a hat. I don’t have nearly as many as I’d like, but I certainly have quite a few. Lately, I’ve …
Nicholas Payton Is Chillin’ On Our Nutz: How One Musician Misrepresented the Facts And Bullied the Jazz Narrative Off Course
Author’s Note: This is my last feature-length piece as a staff writer for Nextbop before taking an extended break from jazz. Payton’s Black American Music, or BAM, has been a …
For Your Consideration: BADBADNOTGOOD’s ‘BBNG2’
I’ve always had a tendency to try to tether myself to crazy, inspired people. I always have a eye for these sorts of things. That’s the draw of the artisans …