By Stephanie Jones
“I really respect songs and I really want to honor them in the best way,” says vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa. With her riveting Blue Note debut Diavola, Cavassa makes her artistic arrival with an album that unveils her range as a band leader, a songwriter, and a fearless song... read more
From November 14 to 16 in 1985, the Joe Henderson trio held court at the Village Vanguard for a legendary 10-set engagement, some of which was recorded for Blue Note and released in 1986 as two volumes under the declarative banner The State of the Tenor. The saxophone titan was 48 at the time, and... read more
By Tina M. Campt
When Immanuel Wilkins asked me to pen liner notes for his new live album, my immediate answer was: “You had me at liner.” I had seen a glorious set he played with Kenny Barron at the Village Vanguard a year before, where one of his solos has left me feeling like I’d heard... read more
By Evan Haga
Walter Smith III ranks among the most impressive tenor saxophonists of our time, equally powerful and articulate, with a room-filling depth of sound that’s unforgettable. As an improviser, he suggests how jazz can continue to evolve in the most organic, authentic way possible;... read more
By Evan Haga
The guitarist and composer Bill Frisell — a “mild-mannered maverick [who] has made a colossal impact,” per the New Yorker — likes to remember a dream he had that transformed the way he thinks about music and his instrument. It occurred more than three decades ago, but... read more
By Evan Haga
For as long as she’s been a recording artist, the Chilean-born tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana has wanted to make a ballads record. With archetypes like John Coltrane’s classic 1963 LP Ballads as her North Star, Aldana saw a slow-tempo project as a way to advance her lifelong... read more
By Joshua Myers
In describing the Black music tradition, Pharoah Sanders once remarked to Bernice Johnson Reagon “to me, it’s all spiritual music.” The musical journey from blues to gospel and “jazz” and back is more natural than these categorical separations can ever be. Like the... read more
By Grayson Haver Currin
In the waning days of 2024, Julian Lage began what he calls a writing sprint. Lage has long been prolific: In the three decades since the documentary Jules at Eight identified him as a prodigy, Lage has made a dozen records with his own bands and duos, and three times... read more