Discover the albums, musicians, and stories that shaped jazz.

★ This Week’s Feature

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the five musicians behind the first jazz record, in a Strand studio portrait

The First Jazz Record Was Made in 1917. The Musicians Who Built the Style Weren’t on It.

The Original Dixieland Jass Band cut “Livery Stable Blues” for Victor on 26 February 1917. Why Bolden, Keppard, Oliver and Ory weren’t on the first jazz record, and what a court said about who wrote it.

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Jerome Kern Songs | 10 Jazz Standards From the Composer of Show Boat

Jerome Kern Songs | 10 Jazz Standards From the Composer of Show Boat

In 1924 Jerome Kern banned the songs from his show Sitting Pretty from being broadcast or…

Richard Rodgers Songs | 10 Jazz Standards From Rodgers & Hart to Coltrane

Richard Rodgers Songs | 10 Jazz Standards From Rodgers & Hart to Coltrane

Richard Rodgers wrote 43 Broadway musicals and more than 900 songs with two very different lyricists.…

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This Week’s Editor’s Picks

Charlie Parker playing alto saxophone in 1947, side by side with a portrait of Igor Stravinsky

The Night Charlie Parker Quoted Stravinsky to Stravinsky’s Face

As the story goes, one Saturday night in the winter of 1951, Igor Stravinsky took a table at Birdland, the New…

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Wes Montgomery with his Gibson L-5 guitar in a 1960s publicity photo

Wes Montgomery’s Double Life in Indianapolis

By the late 1950s, Wes Montgomery’s day started at 7am on the factory floor in Indianapolis. He worked until 3pm, went…

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Thelonious Monk at the piano at Minton's Playhouse, New York, in 1947, ten years before he wrote Crepuscule with Nellie

Thelonious Monk, Nellie and “Crepuscule with Nellie”

The story of “Crepuscule with Nellie” starts in August 1951, when police searched a parked car on West 63rd Street in…

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Curated paths through jazz’s greatest music and stories...

Jazz music may have existed for only a little over a century, but its history is rich and varied. Jazzfuel is built for people who care about the music — and the stories behind it.

From forgotten pioneers to modern classics, we explore the albums, artists, and moments that shaped jazz.

Whether you’re a total newcomer or have been listening for decades, you’ll find something here which catches your ear.

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Jazzfuel was launched in 2016 by European booking agent Matt Fripp as a way to share tips and resources with independent jazz musicians.

It's evolved into a team of writers and music industry specialists who aim to produce the best content for fans around the world, as well as continuing to support pro jazz musicians with publicity, education and career coaching.

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