We asked Samara Joy, Hanif Abdurraqib, Vijay Iyer and others to share their favorite tracks showcasing what might be the most nuanced instrument in jazz.
Category: Jazz
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U.S. Girls’ Luxuriously Absurd Disco, and 9 More New Songs
Hear tracks by Gracie Abrams, Ashley McBryde and Skrillex.
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Delbert Anderson’s Mission: Putting ‘Native Sound Back Into Jazz’
The trumpeter’s trio takes inspiration from traditional Navajo songs. Its work has stirred up global interest, as well as conversations about the responsibilities of Indigenous artists.
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Christian McBride, Revered in Jazz, Is Playing the Long Game
At 50, the bassist is always focused on the next gig and fresh collaborations. His 18th album as a band leader is due this month.
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Amiri Baraka’s ‘Blues People’ Comes Home to the Apollo
The trumpeter and composer Russell Gunn will premiere “The Blues and Its People,” a suite inspired by Baraka’s influential text, to mark its 60th anniversary.
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Jason Moran Pays Tribute to an Early Jazz Ancestor
The album “From the Dancehall to the Battlefield” puts the music of James Reese Europe through a contemporary prism.
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Carol Sloane, Jazz Singer Who Found Success Early and Late, Dies at 85
After seemingly being on the verge of stardom, she languished for decades, battered by changing tastes and bad luck, before enjoying a midlife comeback.
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The Ecstatic, Elusive Art of Ming Smith
The artist was the first Black woman photographer to have her work acquired by MoMA. Now, decades later, as she returns for a solo show, she reflects on her singular career.
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How the R&B Innovator Kelela Unlocked a New Level
In the six years since her debut, “Take Me Apart,” the 39-year-old musician has been researching, processing and preparing to make an even bolder statement.
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Five Minutes That Will Make You Love 21st-Century Jazz
We’ve done a lot of listening back. So where is jazz today? Writers and musicians including Sonny Rollins, Melanie Charles and Terri Lyne Carrington share their favorites from this millennium.
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Rosalía Issues an English Request, and 9 More New Songs
Hear tracks by Fever Ray, Chloë, Cécile McLorin Salvant and others.
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A Car Accident Couldn’t Halt the Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin’s Rise
In 2020, she released a lauded album exploring the Coltranes’ music. The next year, she broke her jaw in a crash and turned the harrowing experience into inspiration for a new LP, “Phoenix.”