Live Review
Reporting on live jazz from around the globe.
Cécile McLorin Salvant At Buffalo’s Art Of Jazz
by Frank Housh
Cecile McLorin Salvant with Sullivan Fortner Buffalo Akg Art Museum Art Of Jazz jny: Buffalo April 19, 2026 Thick, bright, layered pellets of snow, raised from Lake Erie's surface and chilled in a cold, early spring wind pelted the faces of Buffalo jazz lovers as we entered Buffalo Akg Art Museum's Lipsey Auditorium for the third of the four “Art Of Jazz" concerts on Sunday (April 19, 2026). That snow quickly melted on soil which, only a day earlier, ...
Continue ReadingSouth African Freedom Day! McCoy Mrubata And Siyabulela With Special Guest Steve Turre at Dizzy's Club
by Kofi Adjepong-Boateng
McCoy Mrubata And Siyabulela With Special Guest Steve Turre Dizzy's Club New York, NY April 25, 2026 Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York was the venue for McCoy Mrubata and his band for the recent South Africa 'Freedom Day' celebrations hosted by Dizzy's Club. Mrubata, the 66-year-old South African jazz grandmaster, was on stage with his impressive band, Siyabulela. For this concert Siyabulela featured Steve Turre, one of the world's ...
Continue ReadingJoe Alterman, Adam Dorn and Special Guests at Rizzoli Bookstore
by Paul Reynolds
Joe Alterman and Adam Dorn (aka Mocean Worker) and special guests Rizzoli Bookstore Les McCann Tribute / All About Jazz 30th Anniversary Party New York, NY May 3, 2026 A landmark birthday calls for a party, preferably with live music. And that's just what was thrown for All About Jazz on Sunday to celebrate the website's 30 years of history. In remarks to open the festivities, AAJ founder--and still the site's publisher--Michael ...
Continue ReadingEddie Henderson's Miles Legacy At Mermaid Arts Centre
by Ian Patterson
Eddie Henderson's Miles LegacyMermaid Arts Centre25th Bray Jazz FestivalBray, IrelandMay 3, 2026 It was a night of double celebration at Mermaid Arts Centre for the closing act of Bray Jazz Festival 2026. Firstly, BJF was celebrating its 25th edition, a milestone that speaks volumes for the dedication--and tenacity--of the festival's founding directors, Dorothy & George Jacob. Secondly, Eddie Henderson was celebrating the music of Miles Davis in his centenary year. And as if that were not enough to ...
Continue ReadingThe Billy Hart Quartet featuring Ethan Iverson at Blues Alley
by Robert Bellafiore
The Billy Hart Quartet featuring Ethan Iverson Blues Alley Washington, DC May 3, 2026 Elder statesman of the drums, contributor to Miles Davis's On the Corner (Columbia, 1972), and jny:Washington, DC, native: Billy Hart was the perfect figure to feature in a centennial celebration of Miles Davis at DC's Blues Alley. Hart has been leading a quartet with saxophonist Mark Turner, pianist Ethan Iverson, and bassist Ben Street for some 20 years, but in a twist ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker's Pocketwatch at Loove Annex
by Fran Kursztejn
William Parker's Pocketwatch Loove Annex AFA ResidencyNew York City April 8, 15, 22, 29, 2026 Before beginning his final set of the night, William Parker took a moment to explain the name of his 'Pocketwatch ensemble, a rotating group of polyphonic masters that have met every Wednesday of April at Greenpoint's Loove Annex. The watch was handed down from Parker's father. It was made of real gold (Mr. Parker points to a facsimile that hangs from his ...
Continue ReadingDavid Murray, Amina Claudine Myers and Matthew Shipp At The Long Play Festival
by Paul Reynolds
David Murray, Amina Claudine Myers, and Matthew Shipp Theater for a New Audience Long Play Festival New York NY May 2, 2026 As the first full day of the Long Play Festival, Saturday offered the event's usual diversity of offerings, with 25-plus performances ranging from New-Music ensemble Bang on a Can All-Stars through avant-garde classical harp to music rooted in ancient Moroccan spirituals. And Long Play's wide artistic palette also brought jazz, ...
Continue ReadingHarold 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 ...
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