The results are in from the 2025 Grammy awards! The jazz winners reflect the genre’s ongoing evolution, from traditional jazz interpretations to groundbreaking fusions with other musical styles. Samara Joy’s continued success signals the bright future of jazz vocals, while Chick Corea’s posthumous recognition ensures his legacy endures for future generations. Meanwhile, artists like Dan …
Marshall Allen, the legendary saxophonist and long-time leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra, has reached an extraordinary milestone by releasing his debut solo album, New Dawn, at the age of 100. This project – which also features Nenah Cherry (video below) – highlights his enduring creativity and dedication to music over seven decades. A Lifetime …
From affectionate nicknames to expressions of emotion, Lester Young’s slang creations are almost as iconic as his music – here we take a peek at some of his best… Lester Young, affectionately known as ‘Prez,’ was more than a pioneering tenor saxophonist – he was a cultural icon whose influence extended far beyond music. Alongside …
Aside from being one of the most inventive musicians of all time, Charlie Parker was known for his quick sense of humour. In one of only two pieces of video footage known to exist of Bird, he’s seen laughing as Coleman Hawkins attempts to mime to a pre-recorded solo. As the clip comes to an …
Perhaps one of the most underrated alto saxophonists in jazz history, Frank Morgan was best known not for a specific album or project, but for the years spent in the notorious San Quentin prison, where he formed part of the warden’s jazz ensemble. The last two decades of his life, clean of heroin and out …
It’s often fascinating to discover how the greatest jazz musicians of all time grew from young, budding students to idols of the style. As if there was ever any doubt, the role their upbringing played can be seen in the sheer number of family connections sprinkled throughout the upper echelons of jazz history. Whether nature …
I was about to start by writing “I like jazz puns as much as the next person” but that’s not true; I like them a lot more! So for no other reason than personal entertainment (and I hope a smile for you, too) I thought I’d dig up some of the best – or worst …
There aren’t many opportunities to compare a 1930s jazz musician with Madonna, David Bowie or Kanye West but, decades before social media and the modern era of ‘celebrity’, jazz musicians were at the forefront of pop culture – as the story of Lester Young and his pork pie hat attests. It seems like a cliché …
Meher Baba story about the inspiration for the song Don’t Worry Be Happy
I don’t know about you, but I spent many-a-day as a kid flicking through the latest edition of the Guinness Book of Records. The much-publicised entry noting Ron Carter as the most prolific jazz bassist in history relatively recently made me wonder… What other Guinness World Records are there related to jazz? An enjoyable morning …