JazzMatters: The Best New Jazz of April and May 2023
Our jazz columnist chooses the best new jazz albums of the past two months while reflecting on the passing of Ahmad Jamal and highlighting Walter Smith III.
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Esperanza Spalding’s ‘Radio Music Society’ Looks Like a Brilliant Pivot a Decade Later
Ten years ago, Esperanza Spalding reached for greater creative accomplishment while still holding an audience on Radio Music Society. It was a jazz record that got popular without pandering.
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.
The 2015 Grammys Get Jazz Mostly Wrong, a Little Right
Grammy nominations in jazz are rarely adventurous and usually confusing. Yet this year's slate is intriguing.