JazzMatters: The Best New Jazz of Summer 2023
Our jazz columnist chooses the best new jazz albums of the summer while reflecting on the passing of Astrud Gilberto and Tony Bennett.
linda may han oh
Pianist Vijay Iyer Looks Back and Ahead with His New Trio on ‘Uneasy’
Vijay Iyer Trio’s Uneasy is a set of modern piano jazz covering a remarkable range, featuring three brilliant musical imaginations playing well together.
Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens Make New Jazz So Easy to Love on ‘In Common 2’
Two of the top players in modern jazz make the second in a sequence of quintet recordings that presents jazz as unusually easy to love even as it maintains modern complexity.
Pat Metheny Adds Strings to His Quartet on ‘From This Place’
On From This Place, Pat Metheny's recent and superb quartet is supplemented by orchestral arrangements on ten new Metheny originals.
Linda May Han Oh Highlight Her Many Musical Talents on ‘Aventurine’
Jazz bassist Linda May Han Oh adds a string quartet to her group to produce something wholly integrated on Aventurine.
Dave Douglas Quintet’s ‘Brazen Heart: Live at Jazz Standard’ Sits Cozily Next to Miles Davis’ ‘Plugged Nickel’ Recordings
This is trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas' second quintet, playing its repertoire from memory in eight sets in four nights. Dazzling.
The Best Jazz of 2017
The best and most exciting jazz of 2017 is increasingly happening at the intersection of different streams of music. Reveling in a diversity of influences and therefore a kind of complexity makes it "art music", inevitably.