My just-published story Trucks and Tanks, runner-up in JerryJazzMusician.com’s 69th short fiction contest and written three months ago, is all too timely in Chicago, DC, Boston today. Trucks …

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

08.09.2025

Jazz, activism, organizing: Podcast & transcript

Terri Lyne Carrington (drummer, Inst. of Jazz & Gender Justice), Orbert Davis (trumpeter, “Immigrant Stories”) and Marc Ribot (guitarist, Music Workers Alliance) talked with me on T…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

03.04.2025

Across North America, 29 “Jazz Heroes”

Twenty-five years ago the Jazz Journalists Association began to identify and celebrate activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz as members of an “A Team,” soon renamed “Jazz Her…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

17.10.2024

Introducing The Jazz Omnibus

I’m proud of my two published books (Miles Ornette Cecil – Jazz Beyond Jazz and Future Jazz) and my unpublished ones, too; the two iterations of the encyclopedia of jazz and blues; I edited, …

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

17.04.2024

It’s Jazz Appreciation Month: Hail Jazz Heroes!

Since 2001, the Jazz Journalists Association (over which I preside) has celebrated some 350 “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz,” as Jazz Heroes. The class of 2024 Jazz He…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

07.04.2023

36 Jazz Heroes in 32 US cities – and there are many more

The Jazz Journalists Association announces the 2023 Jazz Heroes — “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz,” formerly the A Team — emphasizing as it has…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

24.03.2023

Jazz journalism online, virtual reality book party

I’m inordinately proud of the new JJANews website because it makes easily accessible the videos, podcasts, articles with photos and online-realtime activities of the Jazz Journalists Associat…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

26.01.2023

“Supermusician” Roscoe Mitchell’s paintings revealed!

Roscoe Mitchell — internationally renown composer, improviser, ensemble leader, winds and reeds virtuoso who has pioneered the use of “little instruments” and dramatic shifts of s…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

05.01.2023

Electroacoustic improv, coming or going? (Herb Deutsch, RIP; synths forever?)

As the year ends/begins, I’m thinking electroacoustic music is a wave of the future. But maybe it’s been superseded by other synth-based genres — synth-pop, EDM, soundtracks a lá …

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

30.12.2022

Armstrong in Chicago 100 years ago sparked jazz

Lest we forget: In 1922 Louis Armstrong arrived in Chicago from New Orleans, with his wife Lil Hardin, Louis Armstrong, Lil Hardin Armstrong/Frank Driggs Collection mentor King Joe Oliver and colle…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

Holidays with music, in person or not

Despite my avowed abhorrence of Christmas music, I enjoyed maestro Kurt Elling leading his hometown quintet in a holiday-themed performance at Chicago’s City Winery last Sunday. Kurt Elling ©…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

Happy 90th to electronic music pioneer Herb Deutsch

Pioneering synthesizer designer and improviser Herb Deutsch speaks of his historic role in electronic music development

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

Who plays the saxophone? And why?

I love the sound of a saxophone, or rather the broad range of sounds available from this family of reeds The author, who has never been very serious about his alto playing, with apologies to Neil T…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

City of Chicago, music promoter

Lollapalooza 2021 had some 385,000 attendees (without significant Covid-19 outbreak, fortunately) but featured little of host Chicago’s indigenous talent or styles. And that’s just wron…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

I saw Jimi Hendrix three times

On the 80th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s birth (11/27/42), memory and legacy of America’s unsurpassed guitar-artist (written 2011): Portrait of Jimi Hendrix by Swedish artist Tomm…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

Listening to Coltrane’s “Ascension,” and what I’ve done. . .

Yesterday’s Concert dropped a podcast in which I offer guidance in listening even to challenging jazz recordings such as John Coltrane’s ambitious, gnarly Ascension. And semi-shameless …

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

JazzBash! Immersive virtual Awards event plus!

I daresay the JazzBash! on Sunday, 9/11 is the first ever virtual hybrid Awards party/live Jazz Cruise auction/online concert from six U.S. cities/conference of activist panelists/bar with storytel…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

Appreciating Charnett Moffett, through his solo album

Saddened that bassist Charnett Moffett has died of a heart attack at age 54, I post this appreciation — also serving as a profile — Charnette Moffett, from video of The Bridge written i…

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

Jazz Autumn: Returns, galas and even awards

If all “jazz” shares a single trait, it’s that nothing will stifle it. Adjusting to covid-19 Ari Brown greets fan at Hyde Park Jazz Festival; photo by Michael Jackson for Chicago …

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz

29.11.2022

In praise of Donald Newlove

I was knocked out on first reading of Sweet Adversity (1978), by Donald Newlove, who died Aug. 17 at age 93. It’s about co-joined twins who love Louis Armstrong, play jazz in the 1930s and ar…

home›Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz›Music

Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz - Music

“Trucks and Tanks” short story, too timely

Jazz, activism, organizing: Podcast & transcript

Across North America, 29 “Jazz Heroes”

Introducing The Jazz Omnibus

It’s Jazz Appreciation Month: Hail Jazz Heroes!

36 Jazz Heroes in 32 US cities – and there are many more

Jazz journalism online, virtual reality book party

“Supermusician” Roscoe Mitchell’s paintings revealed!

Electroacoustic improv, coming or going? (Herb Deutsch, RIP; synths forever?)

Armstrong in Chicago 100 years ago sparked jazz

Holidays with music, in person or not

Happy 90th to electronic music pioneer Herb Deutsch

Who plays the saxophone? And why?

City of Chicago, music promoter

I saw Jimi Hendrix three times

Listening to Coltrane’s “Ascension,” and what I’ve done. . .

JazzBash! Immersive virtual Awards event plus!

Appreciating Charnett Moffett, through his solo album

Jazz Autumn: Returns, galas and even awards

In praise of Donald Newlove

home
›
Arts Journal Jazz Beyond Jazz
›
Music