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Celebrating Miles at 100; Remembering Sonny Rollins; Interviews with Johnathan Blake, Yazz Ahmed, Marina Alba, Matt Pierson and Jamile & Vinicius Gomes; Songs of the Week and more
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We officially kicked off our Miles Davis centenary celebration with a global tribute project coordinated by senior editor Ian Patterson, who spent the past year gathering reflections from musicians and industry figures spanning 100 countries. It's an absolute must-read.
We also remember legendary tenor saxophonist, NEA Jazz Master and Kennedy Center Honoree Sonny Rollins with two recovered 1999 interviews. Sonny's conversation with Chris M. Slawecki was a particular favorite, and we provide links to all seven Rollins interviews here.
And finally, we wrap up our New Orleans coverage with two more feature pieces accompanied by extensive photo galleries.
We're actively looking for stories to feature in either our The Jazz Life or Journey into Jazz columns—personal reflections, memorable encounters, career lessons, discoveries, friendships, and experiences that helped shape your relationship with jazz. If you have a story worth telling, we'd love to hear from you. Just submit it here.
Miles Davis' centenary has arrived. The second century begins. What changes jazz has undergone in the 100 years since Miles Dewey Davis was born in Alton, Illinois on May 26, 1926! Davis was all about change, evolution, growth, and reinvention. A driving force behind many of the changes in direction jazz took during his 65 years on Earth, Davis was also a leader who inspired—one way or another—a host of young musicians who took wing in his various ensembles from the 1950s to the 1990s. Many of them will be paying tribute to Miles Davis on the great jazz stages of the USA and Europe. Beyond these concert tributes, the jazz ecosystem has gone into overdrive to mark Miles Davis' centenary, with countless festivals and venues celebrating the trumpeter with exhibitions and panel discussions. Tribute albums, articles, and books are no less numerous—testimony to Davis' enduring appeal and commercial clout. Continue reading...
Considering his five decades as a fixture among the tenor greats, it's pretty safe to say that in 1999 most jazz fans under the age of sixty have never known a time when saxophonist Theodore "Sonny" Rollins was NOT on the scene. From the time he emerged on tenor late in the 1940s to his release of Global Warming in early 1999, Rollins has more often than not carried the mantle of jazz greatness (and sometimes seemed to try to shrug it off). Formative years with Bud Powell, Fats Navarro and others led to sessions in the 1950s with Miles Davis, The Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet, and Thelonious Monk (including Brilliant Corners). A good example of Rollins' company (and work) from this period is Sonny Rollins With The Modern Jazz Quartet, which also features Davis, Roy Haynes, Art Blakey and Kenny Drew. In sessions with Davis, Sonny introduced his own entries in the jazz canon, including "Oleo" and "Airegin." Continue reading...
Yazz Ahmed is one of the most compelling and innovative voices in contemporary jazz, an Anglo-Bahraini trumpeter and composer acclaimed for her fusion of jazz, avant-garde electronics and Middle Eastern musical traditions. Her music creates soundscapes that feel at once ancient and futuristic, deeply rooted yet constantly searching for new directions. Rather than using music simply as a vehicle for performance, Ahmed approaches it as a means of building bridges between cultures and reshaping perceptions—through a musical language that privileges collective interplay, atmosphere and emotional depth over virtuosity for its own sake. Continue reading...
Johnathan Blake is among the most authoritative drummers on today's international jazz scene. His playing embodies the energy, sophistication and restless curiosity of contemporary New York jazz, shaped through collaborations with artists such as Kenny Barron, Bill Frisell, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Tom Harrell. At the helm of a quintet of remarkable depth and sensitivity, Blake combines technical command, compositional vision and collective interplay with striking naturalness. We met him during the European tour presenting My Life Matters (Blue Note Records), one of the most compelling large-scale jazz statements of recent years. More than a concept album, the record unfolds as a deeply human suite in which rhythm, texture and improvisation become vehicles for an urgent meditation on grief, dignity, resilience and community. Continue reading...
Locals will tell you there are four seasons in New Orleans: football season celebrating the New Orleans Saints (affectionately dubbed the "Ain'ts" in reference to their perennial losing ways), Mardi Gras season when the town turns upside down and business grinds to a halt no matter how urgent, the dreaded hurricane season and, finally, festival season beginning with free concerts of local music for three days every spring at French Quarter Fest, culminating with the heralded Jazz & Heritage Festival, or "Jazz Fest." Tourists throng through the French Quarter, the sidewalks filled with the sound of music and money. Pop-up flea markets crowd those sidewalks too, with tap dancers working hard in the heat and humidity for spare change while street vendors seek the disposable income that comes with the crowds. And on sale are perfectly functional musical instruments that have apparently been cast aside. Continue reading...
"Covert Ops" by Stephen Philip Harvey
Record Label: Hidden Cinema Records
Released: 2025
"Chain of Hopes" by Ilija Nikolic
Record Label: Self Produced
Released: 2021
Gunhild Carling and her Jazz Band at Joe Henderson Lab (read); From Madrid to New York: Marina Alba's Voice Across Many Worlds (read); My Conversation With Sonny Rollins (read); The A&R Producer: Matt Pierson (read); Olivia Trummer Songbook featuring Makar Novikov with Strings, Cremona jazz 2026 (view photos); Brad Mehldau at the Cleveland Museum of Art (read); Keith Jarrett—My Mother's Favorite Jazz Pianist (read); Jamile and Vinicius Gomes: Acoustic Thrills With Brazilian Twist (read); Lars Danielsson Liberetto at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa (view photos); Moers Festival Interviews: Lakecia Benjamin (read); Dave Douglas: Energy Fields (listen).
The Outer View: Isabella Isherwood, Phil Haynes, William Parker and Others (listen); Allston Boylston: Clarinetist Virginia MacDonald's Debut + Steve Bernstein and Carlin Lee (listen); The Stereo Image: Neil Tesser: Music That Made Him and All That Jazz (listen); Exploration: Jazz Classics from the '80s and '90s including Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, and others; new music from Gregory Hutchinson, Eliane Elias, and more (listen); JazzNow: A set of tracks from 10 new big band albums released so far in 2026, including Kurt Elling, John Beasley and 8 others (listen); Mondo Jazz: Selma Savolainen, Marquis Hill, Sonia Spinello, John Hollenbeck, Stargazers (listen); One Man's Jazz: DoYeon Kim, Josilemi, Dave Douglas & Alm (listen); The Stereo Image: Howard Reich: Writing About Music and History (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Dawn Clement, Chris McNulty, Stella Heath, Elina Duni, John Clayton With Rene Marie & More (listen); Bitches Brew: Anthony Garone, Claudio Scolari, Jason Kruk, Mohini Dey, Tom Kennedy, Miles Davis and Chick Corea (listen); Neon Jazz: Arturo Sandoval, Hadley Caliman, Yelena Eckemoff, Rebecca Rafla & Sam Baum (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: Charlie Ballantine Trio (listen); Caminhos Do Jazz: Beleza Pura, Wayne's World, Mosaico, Ladeiras de Santa Teresa (listen); Mondo Jazz: Angelika Niescier, Vuyo Sotashe, Chris Pattishall, čnaq̓ǐy̓m̓i & More (listen); The Tonearm: Nick Fraser: Still Screaming Into The Snare Drum (listen); Jazz On The Tyne: Alexia Gardner, Chris Coull, Courtney Pine, And More (listen); Strictly Jazz Sounds: Jenny Scheinman: Rural Roots Join Eclectic Creativity (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: Carlo De Rosa Trio (listen); Allston Boylston: Reflections on the state of the State and other things (listen); Jazz Connections: Miles on Miles: the first great quintet (listen); Ben Boddie On Jazz: Ben Wolfe, Chris Hazelton, David Janeway, Will Lyle and more (listen); World of Jazz: New Music From Helen Sung, Nolatet, Yoram Rosilio And More (listen); The Jazz Disturbance: Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, Jake Baxendale, Fie Schouten, Samuel Torres (listen); Rotations: Mal Wadron, Sam Rivers, Nick Fraser, Meredith Bates, and much more (listen).
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.
Paramax Films Announces Global Premiere Of Concert Film: John Beasley's 'Unlimited Miles: Live From Blue Note Tokyo,' May 26 Miles Davis's Centennial Birthday (read); JazzWeek Radio Chart: May 25, 2026 (read); Soccer Watch Night Jazzes Up World Cup Fans With Exclusive Recording (read); Storied West Coast Group Marley's Ghost Celebrate 40th Anniversary With Vibrant New Album Produced By Larry Campbell (read); Chris Van Voorst Van Beest Announces New Album Bye Design (read); Guitarist / Composer Rahul Mukerji Announces New Global Fusion Album 'Mridhangit' (read); British Vocalist Maggie Nicols Presents Long-awaited Standards Album (read).
Got news? Share it in our newsletter and on our website. Learn how, here.
Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
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We also remember legendary tenor saxophonist, NEA Jazz Master and Kennedy Center Honoree Sonny Rollins with two recovered 1999 interviews. Sonny's conversation with Chris M. Slawecki was a particular favorite, and we provide links to all seven Rollins interviews here.
And finally, we wrap up our New Orleans coverage with two more feature pieces accompanied by extensive photo galleries.
Tell Your Jazz Story
Everyone has a story to share, and over the last few months we've published several deeply personal and memorable pieces, including Les McCann and Me: Laughter, love, and the friendship that changed my life by Joe Alterman; Bob Graf: A St. Louis Tenor Voice the World Almost Missed by Melodi Graf McCraine; Keith Jarrett—My Mother's Favorite Jazz Pianist by Lee Whiteman; Teach A Man To Phish by Leo Sidran; Grit. Discipline. Guts: A 25-Year Blueprint for the Modern Music Career by Lindsey Boullt; and Andy Wasserman, George Russell, and the Living Lineage of the Lydian Chromatic Concept by Patrick Doyle.We're actively looking for stories to feature in either our The Jazz Life or Journey into Jazz columns—personal reflections, memorable encounters, career lessons, discoveries, friendships, and experiences that helped shape your relationship with jazz. If you have a story worth telling, we'd love to hear from you. Just submit it here.
Album Reviews
The album reviews below represent our most popular from the past week. View more recent reviews. Members... Don't! Tyshawn Sorey |  Joyful Noise—Live In Hamburg 1984 Carla Bley |  I Can Dream, Can't I?: Illusions & Conversations from the Great American Songbook Melissa Errico |  Thank You Notes—The Music of Gregg Hill The Paul Keller Orchestra |
 Sounds Have Dreams Asteroid Ekosystem |  Hangin' In Joan Fort |  At The Jazz Showcase: Live In Chicago Ahmad Jamal |  Universal Truth Emmet Cohen |
Looking for an album review?
If you're a musician, publicist, or record label seeking album review coverage on All About Jazz, please read our review submission guide, then complete the coverage request form here. When submitting your request, include up to five AAJ album reviewers who best align with your music.Miles Davis At 100: A Global Perspective
Miles Davis' centenary has arrived. The second century begins. What changes jazz has undergone in the 100 years since Miles Dewey Davis was born in Alton, Illinois on May 26, 1926! Davis was all about change, evolution, growth, and reinvention. A driving force behind many of the changes in direction jazz took during his 65 years on Earth, Davis was also a leader who inspired—one way or another—a host of young musicians who took wing in his various ensembles from the 1950s to the 1990s. Many of them will be paying tribute to Miles Davis on the great jazz stages of the USA and Europe. Beyond these concert tributes, the jazz ecosystem has gone into overdrive to mark Miles Davis' centenary, with countless festivals and venues celebrating the trumpeter with exhibitions and panel discussions. Tribute albums, articles, and books are no less numerous—testimony to Davis' enduring appeal and commercial clout. Continue reading...
Sonny Rollins: Still a Student
Considering his five decades as a fixture among the tenor greats, it's pretty safe to say that in 1999 most jazz fans under the age of sixty have never known a time when saxophonist Theodore "Sonny" Rollins was NOT on the scene. From the time he emerged on tenor late in the 1940s to his release of Global Warming in early 1999, Rollins has more often than not carried the mantle of jazz greatness (and sometimes seemed to try to shrug it off). Formative years with Bud Powell, Fats Navarro and others led to sessions in the 1950s with Miles Davis, The Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet, and Thelonious Monk (including Brilliant Corners). A good example of Rollins' company (and work) from this period is Sonny Rollins With The Modern Jazz Quartet, which also features Davis, Roy Haynes, Art Blakey and Kenny Drew. In sessions with Davis, Sonny introduced his own entries in the jazz canon, including "Oleo" and "Airegin." Continue reading...
Yazz Ahmed: Bridging Worlds Through Sound
Yazz Ahmed is one of the most compelling and innovative voices in contemporary jazz, an Anglo-Bahraini trumpeter and composer acclaimed for her fusion of jazz, avant-garde electronics and Middle Eastern musical traditions. Her music creates soundscapes that feel at once ancient and futuristic, deeply rooted yet constantly searching for new directions. Rather than using music simply as a vehicle for performance, Ahmed approaches it as a means of building bridges between cultures and reshaping perceptions—through a musical language that privileges collective interplay, atmosphere and emotional depth over virtuosity for its own sake. Continue reading...
Johnathan Blake: 'My Life Matters'—Genesis of a Small Masterpiece
Johnathan Blake is among the most authoritative drummers on today's international jazz scene. His playing embodies the energy, sophistication and restless curiosity of contemporary New York jazz, shaped through collaborations with artists such as Kenny Barron, Bill Frisell, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Tom Harrell. At the helm of a quintet of remarkable depth and sensitivity, Blake combines technical command, compositional vision and collective interplay with striking naturalness. We met him during the European tour presenting My Life Matters (Blue Note Records), one of the most compelling large-scale jazz statements of recent years. More than a concept album, the record unfolds as a deeply human suite in which rhythm, texture and improvisation become vehicles for an urgent meditation on grief, dignity, resilience and community. Continue reading...
A Musical Odyssey—Wandering The Streets of New Orleans
Locals will tell you there are four seasons in New Orleans: football season celebrating the New Orleans Saints (affectionately dubbed the "Ain'ts" in reference to their perennial losing ways), Mardi Gras season when the town turns upside down and business grinds to a halt no matter how urgent, the dreaded hurricane season and, finally, festival season beginning with free concerts of local music for three days every spring at French Quarter Fest, culminating with the heralded Jazz & Heritage Festival, or "Jazz Fest." Tourists throng through the French Quarter, the sidewalks filled with the sound of music and money. Pop-up flea markets crowd those sidewalks too, with tap dancers working hard in the heat and humidity for spare change while street vendors seek the disposable income that comes with the crowds. And on sale are perfectly functional musical instruments that have apparently been cast aside. Continue reading...
Songs of the Week
A modern big band live from The Bop Stop and a discovery from 2021 featuring David Binney and Jeremy Pelt. Enjoy them. "Covert Ops" by Stephen Philip Harvey
L I S T E N
Album Information
Title: Multiversal: Live at Bop StopRecord Label: Hidden Cinema Records
Released: 2025
"Chain of Hopes" by Ilija Nikolic
L I S T E N
Album Information
Title: ProjectionsRecord Label: Self Produced
Released: 2021
Top Songs
The songs below represent the most heard in the past four weeks. View the Song of the Day archive. Rachmaninoff en Ritmo From the album Rachmaninoff en Ritmo By Terry Heimat |  No Entiendo From the album Consenso By Sal La Rocca |  When A Cardinal Sings From the album Migration By Masa Ishikawa |  The Hawk's Hills From the album Fearless By Diana Torti |
 Tribute To Rudy Van Gelder From the album Things Are Looking Up By Jon Gold |  The Lucky Hustle & The Side Show Shuffle From the album The Lucky Hustle & The Side Show Shuffle By Billy Brandt |  Fire And Rain From the album Invisible Piano By John Beasley |  Nap On The Sofa From the album Nap on the Sofa By Rowan Flack |
Choice Content
Gunhild Carling and her Jazz Band at Joe Henderson Lab (read); From Madrid to New York: Marina Alba's Voice Across Many Worlds (read); My Conversation With Sonny Rollins (read); The A&R Producer: Matt Pierson (read); Olivia Trummer Songbook featuring Makar Novikov with Strings, Cremona jazz 2026 (view photos); Brad Mehldau at the Cleveland Museum of Art (read); Keith Jarrett—My Mother's Favorite Jazz Pianist (read); Jamile and Vinicius Gomes: Acoustic Thrills With Brazilian Twist (read); Lars Danielsson Liberetto at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa (view photos); Moers Festival Interviews: Lakecia Benjamin (read); Dave Douglas: Energy Fields (listen).
Radio & Podcasts
Tune into our extensive collection of quality programs every week.The Outer View: Isabella Isherwood, Phil Haynes, William Parker and Others (listen); Allston Boylston: Clarinetist Virginia MacDonald's Debut + Steve Bernstein and Carlin Lee (listen); The Stereo Image: Neil Tesser: Music That Made Him and All That Jazz (listen); Exploration: Jazz Classics from the '80s and '90s including Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, and others; new music from Gregory Hutchinson, Eliane Elias, and more (listen); JazzNow: A set of tracks from 10 new big band albums released so far in 2026, including Kurt Elling, John Beasley and 8 others (listen); Mondo Jazz: Selma Savolainen, Marquis Hill, Sonia Spinello, John Hollenbeck, Stargazers (listen); One Man's Jazz: DoYeon Kim, Josilemi, Dave Douglas & Alm (listen); The Stereo Image: Howard Reich: Writing About Music and History (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Dawn Clement, Chris McNulty, Stella Heath, Elina Duni, John Clayton With Rene Marie & More (listen); Bitches Brew: Anthony Garone, Claudio Scolari, Jason Kruk, Mohini Dey, Tom Kennedy, Miles Davis and Chick Corea (listen); Neon Jazz: Arturo Sandoval, Hadley Caliman, Yelena Eckemoff, Rebecca Rafla & Sam Baum (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: Charlie Ballantine Trio (listen); Caminhos Do Jazz: Beleza Pura, Wayne's World, Mosaico, Ladeiras de Santa Teresa (listen); Mondo Jazz: Angelika Niescier, Vuyo Sotashe, Chris Pattishall, čnaq̓ǐy̓m̓i & More (listen); The Tonearm: Nick Fraser: Still Screaming Into The Snare Drum (listen); Jazz On The Tyne: Alexia Gardner, Chris Coull, Courtney Pine, And More (listen); Strictly Jazz Sounds: Jenny Scheinman: Rural Roots Join Eclectic Creativity (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: Carlo De Rosa Trio (listen); Allston Boylston: Reflections on the state of the State and other things (listen); Jazz Connections: Miles on Miles: the first great quintet (listen); Ben Boddie On Jazz: Ben Wolfe, Chris Hazelton, David Janeway, Will Lyle and more (listen); World of Jazz: New Music From Helen Sung, Nolatet, Yoram Rosilio And More (listen); The Jazz Disturbance: Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, Jake Baxendale, Fie Schouten, Samuel Torres (listen); Rotations: Mal Wadron, Sam Rivers, Nick Fraser, Meredith Bates, and much more (listen).
News Announcements
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.
Paramax Films Announces Global Premiere Of Concert Film: John Beasley's 'Unlimited Miles: Live From Blue Note Tokyo,' May 26 Miles Davis's Centennial Birthday (read); JazzWeek Radio Chart: May 25, 2026 (read); Soccer Watch Night Jazzes Up World Cup Fans With Exclusive Recording (read); Storied West Coast Group Marley's Ghost Celebrate 40th Anniversary With Vibrant New Album Produced By Larry Campbell (read); Chris Van Voorst Van Beest Announces New Album Bye Design (read); Guitarist / Composer Rahul Mukerji Announces New Global Fusion Album 'Mridhangit' (read); British Vocalist Maggie Nicols Presents Long-awaited Standards Album (read).
Got news? Share it in our newsletter and on our website. Learn how, here.
Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci
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