Latest posts
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Hugh Masekela: The South African Jazz Legend Who Changed Music and History
When a Trumpet Became a Voice for Freedom Throughout the history of jazz, certain musicians have transcended the boundaries of music itself. Louis Armstrong reshaped the language of improvisation while becoming one of the twentieth century’s most recognizable cultural ambassadors. Charles Mingus transformed composition into social commentary. Nina Simone turned the concert stage into a…
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Bubi Chen: The Pianist Who Helped Define Indonesian Jazz
From Surabaya to the Birth of Modern Indonesian Jazz To understand Bubi Chen’s place in jazz history, it is necessary to begin far from the cities that usually dominate the story of the music. He was born in Surabaya, East Java, in 1938, when Indonesia was still part of the Dutch East Indies, and came…
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Jazz Co/op: The Australian Quartet That Helped Transform Sydney Jazz
A New Jazz Language Emerges in Sydney In the history of Australian jazz, some of the most consequential groups were not built to last. They appeared at moments when the surrounding culture was changing, brought together musicians whose ideas could only briefly coexist in the same place, and disappeared before their importance could be measured…
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Elis & Tom: The Album That Gave Brazilian Music to the World Again
Los Angeles, 1974: When Two Different Ideas of Brazilian Music Entered the Same Room Few albums in Brazilian music have acquired the aura that surrounds Elis & Tom. Released by Philips in 1974, the record now feels so natural that it is easy to imagine its creation as inevitable: Antônio Carlos Jobim, the architect of…
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Duke Ellington at Newport 1956: The 27-Chorus Solo That Made Jazz History
Before the 27 Choruses: Duke Ellington, Newport, and a Career at a Crossroads On the night of July 7, 1956, Duke Ellington arrived at the Newport Jazz Festival carrying something far more complicated than the reputation of a legendary bandleader. He was already one of the foundational figures of American music, a composer whose career…
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Thelonious Monk and the Geometry of Silence: The Genius Who Reimagined Jazz
Before the World Understood Monk Few musicians in jazz history have been misunderstood as completely as Thelonious Monk. To listeners encountering him for the first time, his piano playing could appear almost deliberately awkward. Notes arrived where conventional phrasing suggested they should not. Chords could be sharp, dissonant and strangely voiced. He allowed silences to…
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Ornette Coleman: The Story of The Shape of Jazz to Come and the Birth of Free Jazz
Before the Shape Changed: Ornette Coleman’s Long Road to 1959 When The Shape of Jazz to Come appeared in 1959, its title sounded almost confrontational. Jazz already possessed a powerful modern language. Bebop had transformed harmony and improvisation. Hard bop had reconnected that vocabulary to blues, gospel and rhythmic intensity. Miles Davis was exploring modal…
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Stan Getz & João Gilberto: The Story of Getz/Gilberto and the Global Rise of Bossa Nova
Before Getz/Gilberto: A Revolution Had Already Begun in Brazil When Stan Getz entered a New York studio with João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim in March 1963, bossa nova did not need to be invented, discovered or rescued by American jazz. One of the most persistent simplifications surrounding Getz/Gilberto is the idea that the album…
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Charles Mingus: The Story of Mingus Ah Um and the Genius Who Reinvented Jazz Composition
Before Mingus Ah Um: Building a Language Large Enough for Mingus When Mingus Ah Um appeared in 1959, Charles Mingus was thirty-seven years old and had already spent years developing one of the most individual musical languages in modern jazz. The album would eventually become the most accessible entrance into his work, but treating it…