Mary Halvorson and Ambrose Akinmusire Connect to Jazz History
Mary Halvorson and Ambrose Akinmusire’s new LP feels more like an hour of tapas than a tasting menu, which makes it charming and crystalline and leaves room for something more.
Will Layman
Will Layman is a writer, teacher and musician living in the Washington, DC area. He has been a contributor to National Public Radio and WNYC's "Soundcheck" as a jazz critic. He plays rock, funk, and jazz in the bars and clubs in and near the nation's capital. His fiction and humor appear in print and online.
DOMi & JD Beck Create a Brilliant, Jazzy Genre Mash-up
Gen Z “jazz” duo DOMi & JD Beck conjure the breathtaking sophomore release Who Asked?, which straddles jazz, classical, electronica, and pop.
Jazz Pianist Nduduzo Makhathini Mixes Yearning with a Modern Sound
As a South African artist, Nduduzo Makhathini inherits a grand tradition of cross-pollination between American jazz and the music of his own culture.
Tyshawn Sorey Triumphantly Renews a 1968 Jazz Classic by Max Roach
Tyshawn Sorey convenes a searing band for his refraction and elevation of Max Roach’s original Members Don’t Git Weary, and the result is a fresh message for 2026.
Guitarist Miles Okazaki Expands His Sound with ‘Boomtown’
Jazz artist Miles Okazaki has had no trouble defining his own space and personality on the big American landscape. He sounds, finally, like no other guitarist.
Steven Bernstein Releases Brilliant Twin Albums
For all the amazing horn playing that we finally hear from Steven Bernstein these two records remind us that he remains daring and highly conceptual.
Brandon Seabrook Conjures a Vivid ‘Hellbent Daydream’
Brandon Seabrook’s Hellbent Daydream suggests the logic of dreams with a musical precision that is more caffeinated than gauzy. It sparkles with originality.
Jazz Clarinetist Virginia MacDonald’s Debut Is Stunning
Virginia MacDonald discovers the full range of sound in her instrument, making us wonder why there aren’t a dozen or more young jazz clarinetists these days.
Chris Potter Tells the Story of Abolitionist John Brown
Chris Potter always plays jazz with a combination of respect for its traditions and an urge to push the sound forward. It is an audible balance on this new recording.
Vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa Molds Moody Jazz Atmosphere
Gabrielle Cavassa’s voice balances on a knife-edge between jazzy nostalgia and indie originality. Blue Note knows she is something special.
Jazz Vibes Man Simon Moullier Creates His Best Album
Simon Moullier’s music on Ceiba is fluid and familiar, but the sound and give-and-take within the group is exceptionally strong and original.
Harriet Tubman and Georgia Anne Muldrow Cook a Powerful Brew
Harriet Tubman and Georgia Anne Muldrow’s music is a lava flow of the blues sensibility, a collage of funk, soul, and jazz. It’s some of the year’s most daring music.