The Best Jazz of 2019
Our jazz critics create four quartets of great creative music, demonstrating four trends that keep "jazz" relevant in a new century.
emma frank
Emma Frank and Aaron Parks Create a Plainspoken Kind of Magic on ‘Come Back’
Come Back is another heartbreaking and beautiful collection of songs on the heels of Emma Frank's 2018 stunner, Ocean Av, again featuring the lighter-than-air yet potent contributions of pianist Aaron Parks.
Emma Frank’s Jazz Negotiates Dark and Light
Emma Frank's third recording, Ocean Av, is a brilliant collection of literary jazz that defies categories and features pianist Aaron Parks and drummer Jim Black. PopMatters talks with Frank about the challenges of finding a new voice in jazz.
Jazz Today: To Sing or Not to Sing?
"...It's ridiculous if the rule is that, to be a jazz musician, you can only play from this book of 500 standards and modern jazz tunes and if you play a pop tune you're a crossover sellout," says newcomer Ariel Pocock.