Live Review
Reporting on live jazz from around the globe.
Harold López-Nussa at Whale Theatre
by Ian Patterson
Harold López-Nussa Whale Theatre 25th Bray Jazz Festival Greystones, Ireland May 01, 2026 Whilst many of the ancient Irish traditions associated with May Day have waned, the time-honored custom of gathering with friends to make merry on first day of summer never loses its appeal. And so, the pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes of Greystones were bustling on this sunny Friday afternoon. Most, however, will have been blissfully unaware that a Cuban jazz pianist was in town.
Continue ReadingBilly Hart Quartet and BlankFor.ms with Jason Moran and Marcus Gilmore at the Long Play Festival
by Paul Reynolds
Billy Hart Quartet and BkankFor.ms with Jason Moran/Marcus Gilmore Roulette Long Play Festival New York, NY May 1, 2026 It's the “most important classical music festival in New York City," according to the New York Times. Yet the programmers for the Long Play Festival in Brooklyn also have big ears. Woven between Long Play's 40-plus classical performances this year--mostly of the contemporary classical bent of Bang on a Can, the festival organizer--were a smattering of ...
Continue ReadingBrick Lane Jazz Festival 2026
by Andy Crowther
Various Venues Brick Lane Jazz Festival London April 24-26, 2026 2026 was the 5th edition of The Brick Lane Jazz Festival, and once again featured a variety of jazz-leaning acts from across the musical spectrum. There was a strong focus on young, mainly UK-based and often unsung artists, plus a smattering of fully qualified legends of the scene. Weekend passes had sold out, astonishing value at £150 to see over 100 acts. As always, choosing ...
Continue ReadingSound-ing Paint
by John Eyles
Sound-ing Paint St. Paul's United Reform Church, Newton Road London, United Kingdom April 11, 2026 Readers who are familiar with the Dutch-born, jny: London-resident artist Gwendolyn Kassenaar will not be surprised by her latest venture which combines art and improvised music. Many will have made first contact with her when she painted or sketched their image during a skronk performance at which they were a performer or an audience member. Others will have encountered her ...
Continue ReadingNicole Zuraitis Quartet in Vilnius: Precision Without Excess
by Ieva Pakalniškytė
Nicole Zuraitis Quartet LVSO Concert Hall Vilnius, Lithuania April 18, 2026 Vilnius has a unique way of welcoming artists who are connected to its culture. When Nicole Zuraitis, a two-time Grammy Award-winning singer, pianist, composer, and producer with Lithuanian roots, took the stage at the sold-out LVSO Concert Hall, that connection remained understated and functioned more as context than as a narrative. A symphonic setting, designed for classical music, does not always lend itself to ...
Continue ReadingColtrane 100 at Freight and Salvage
by Roy Strassman
Coltrane 100 Freight and Salvage Berkeley, CA April 15, 2026 Chatting with Joe Lovano after the evening's proceedings, I remarked, “How amazing it must be to have a group of all top notch New York bandleaders," to which he replied, “Combining bandleader personnel does not always produce what you might expect!" On this night in the heart of Berkeley, however, the performance of this group of stellar cats far exceeded one's wildest expectations; it was ...
Continue ReadingColtrane 100 at The Freight
by Harry S. Pariser
Coltrane 100: Both Directions at Once The Freight Berkeley, CA April 15, 2026 On September 23, 1926, in Hamlet, North Carolina, a child was born. He would have--by the time of his untimely demise at the age of 40--an immense influence on the structure, performance of, and future of the music known as jazz. John William Coltrane was a force of nature. And his influence still reigns strong today. At 73, Joe Lovano ...
Continue ReadingDiana Krall at The Music Center at Strathmore
by Mark Edelman
Diana Krall The Music Center at Strathmore North Bethesda, MD March 26, 2026 Downsizing gets a bad name these days, but when Diana Krall reduced the big stage at the Strathmore Music Center in North Bethesda, MD., to the intimate scale of a smoky piano bar, nobody in the sold-out crowd was complaining. Handsomely attired in a simple black suit and silver slippers, the golden-maned singer made it clear why she's been one of the ...
Continue ReadingMarilyn Crispell at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem
by Paul Reynolds
Marilyn Crispell The National Jazz Museum in Harlem New York, NY April 16, 2026 What a time this is for Marilyn Crispell. Now 79, the stalwart of avant-garde piano was honored as a 2025 National Endowment of Arts Jazz Master and received a Jazz Legacies Fellowship from the Jazz Foundation of America this February. And her artistry is more than intact--it's evolving and diversifying, as her solo concert in New York last week ...
Continue ReadingDenver Jazz Fest 2026
by Geoff Anderson
Denver Jazz Fest 2026 Denver and Boulder, CO April 7-12, 2026 It's easy to get used to the lifestyle: a concert every night, and three on Saturday: eight concerts in six days. Shouldn't life be like this all the time? Well, it was for almost a week in early April around jny: Denver because of the second annual Denver Jazz Fest. I thought I was a diligent concertgoer as the aforementioned schedule attests. And yet, I ...
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