Vocalist Claire Dickson Creates Beguiling Art Music
Claire Dickson makes art music that casts a spell. There is a power here that mixes popular, personal, and jazz elements into a daring, delicious whole.
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.
The Sylvie Courvoisier Trio Balance All the Elements
The Sylvie Courvoisier Trio are disciplined, but they also know how to groove and make their playfulness a delight that relates to the more romping side of jazz history.
Javier Nero Blends Modern Elements with Big Band Jazz
Javier Nero’s Alkebulan is state-of-the-art big band jazz, which he discusses with us. Nero uses the large ensemble for color, contrast, power, and momentum.
Jazz’s Mark Turner Conjures an Astonishing Conversation
Mark Turner uses the jazz quartet in a modern, up-to-the-minute way, harnessing complex time signatures and forms, while also pulling the past into the present.
Trumpeter Adam O’Farrill Dances with Brillance on ‘Elephant’
No Elephant has ever been this nimble and dancing. Adam O’Farrill’s new album pops and jabs, hops and slithers. It has all the moves. It’s engaging and impressive.
Jon Irabagon and Quartet Brilliantly Go in Every Direction
As a composer and bandleader, Jon Irabagon wants to open your ears to styles co-mingling. His heart as a musician is big enough to feel and do it all.
Ben Wendel’s ‘BaRcoDe’ Is Unique and Uniquely Excellent
Ben Wendel has played with groove-oriented rhythms, electronics, and unusual instrumentation, as if jazz tradition were secondary to creativity.
Saxophonist Walter Smith III Presents His Soulful Trio Voice
A trio like Walter Smith III’s is exceptional for its commitment to playing as a unit. Their jazz language as a whole can’t help but impress.
John Pizzarelli Discusses His Tribute to Tony Bennett
For all his success and longevity, John Pizzarelli seems youthful — funny and easygoing as a personality and, inevitably, always the son of his legendary dad, the guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli.
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis Create Ecstatic Post-Hardcore Jazz
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis make fearless and non-smooth fusion with the clarity and dynamism of “post-hardcore” that wasn’t around in the 1970s.
Violinist Meg Okura Creates a Lush Span of Styles
Meg Okura creates a unique musical blend, and her new album with the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble, Isaiah, is ambitious and lushly accessible.
Cellist Tomeka Reid Creates Dancing String Band Jazz
Tomeka Reid’s music is full of the elements that have always made it fun to hear: a groove, memorable melodies, collective spirit, and conversation.