15 Jazz Albums for People Not Sure They Like Jazz
These 15 jazz albums for people not sure they like jazz provide a gateway to a style or artist – an invitation to enter and hopefully emerge wanting more.
louis armstrong
JazzMatters: The Best New Jazz of January 2023
Will Layman rounds up the best new jazz albums and cocoons with jazz documentaries, Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues and Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes.
The 20 Best Jazz Albums for Beginners
If you’ve always wanted to get interested in jazz, jump in. Don’t approach it with fear or a sense that you don’t know enough about it. It’s just a smorgasbord of stuff to enjoy.
Kenny G and the Problem With Art That Asks Very Little of Us
A culture that digs the surface level in art is understandable. But a culture that prizes schtick and stunt and a pretty face over substance is problematic.
The Two Louis: “Pops” and “The Wildest”
New Orleans' two great Louis, Armstrong and Prima, were formed by their hometown and its culture; though both left the city, it never left them or their music. They were both artists and entertainers, gifted musicians, and unabashed crowd-pleasers.
‘The Jazz Ambassadors’: When Dizzy and Satchmo Diplomacy Swung the Cold War
Filmmaker Hugo Berkeley, historian Penny M. Von Eschen, and musician Darius Brubeck talk with Will Layman about the State Department's decision to send Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and others around the world to help win the Cold War.
Finding the Sublime in Jazz, an Argument for Abstraction
Jazz columnist Will Layman presents seven pieces of music as evidence of the beauty and urgency of pure sound in instrumental jazz.
Dr. John: Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch
Not all the guest artists fit, and sometimes the connection to Satchmo seems tenuous indeed. But when it works, as it mostly does, the album delivers much pleasure and pleasant surprises.