Best of 2012

Another new year, another chance to reflect on all of the music, good or bad, that was released in the past 12 months. Though this ritual has become clockwork for Internet-savvy music fans like myself, I must admit that I still get excited when poring over the many best-of lists that clog up my RSS feed in December and January.

Of course, the excitement of reading about so much great music is quickly met by an urge to hear what all that vaunted music actually sounds like. That's where AccuJazz comes in. We've created an entire "Best Jazz of 2012" channel playing nothing but the most critically-acclaimed jazz from last year.

To make the BEST "Best of" channel, we had to find the best critics' list to help craft our playlist. The list to end all lists is Francis Davis' critics poll, originally printed in the Village Voice and now hosted by Rhapsody.com. This year, Davis asked 119 jazz critics from around the world to rank their top albums from 2012. He then aggregated the results into one huge list that reflects the closest thing to a critical consensus on 2012 jazz.

As he did in 2009, the unstoppable Vijay Iyer topped this year's list. The winning album, Accelerando, is his trio's follow-up to 2009's Historicity, and like its predecessor, Accelerando searches for the Platonic ideal of jazz that is simultaneously modern and traditional, mainstream and avant-garde. Along with typically knotty Iyer originals, the album includes covers of songs by avant-garde jazz titans Henry Threadgill and Herbie Nichols and also includes left-field song choices from Flying Lotus, Michael Jackson and '70s disco group Heatwave. Iyer's trio has developed a synergistic playing style that is completely their own (and which I was fortunate enough to have witnessed live in October -- it was amazing).

Filling out the rest of the top 3 are excellent albums by avant-garde veterans -- Sam Rivers and Wadada Leo Smith, respectively. Further on down the list things get much more diverse, with Robert Glasper’s zeitgeist-defining jazz/R&B hybrid, “Black Radio,” Chick Corea and Gary Burton's shimmering standards  and some decades-old, newly unearthed live recordings from Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans.

Head on over to AccuJazz.com to listen to these albums and many, many more, on our "Best Jazz of 2012" channel. As with all AccuJazz channels, it's free and available 24/7. Happy listening!

Let the Festival Season Begin! (In New Orleans)

The onset of warmer weather can mean only one thing: music festival season is nigh! There may be other joys that Summer brings, but for me it's all about savoring great music in the great outdoors. AccuJazz has a tradition of creating channels dedicated to the jazz festivals we're most excited about, from Montréal to Monterey, and we're getting ready to offer up updated playlists based on all of this year's big fests, too.

The first of the main jazz events to happen each year is the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, taking place this April 27 through May 6. Naturally, that's also the first festival channel we're launching on AccuJazz. (How about you launch the channel now before going on?)

If you visit the festival's official website, you'll see pictures of big-name headliners like the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and Cee Lo Green. But if you check out the full line-up, you'll notice there is indeed a wealth of exceptional jazz scheduled to take place at this year's event. Our channel (you just launched it, right?) leaves out the Eagles and the Boss in favor of a diverse mix of jazz artists, from Grammy-winning "It" girl Esperanza Spalding to the legendary Herbie Hancock. Of course, there's always a slew of exceptional local New Orleans talent including Ellis Marsalis, Trombone Shorty and the usual line-up of stellar brass bands (Dirty Dozen, Rebirth, and Soul Rebels, for starters).

Whether you're actually planning on attending Jazz Fest or just wish you were, AccuJazz's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2012 channel makes for a great listen. Be sure to look out for more channels as the festival season really gets under way in the next few months.

My Favorite Jazz of 2011

Coming in a mere 2.5 months later than your average jazz critic, I'm presenting my very own list of favorite 2011 jazz albums. The list has already been available in channel form for a few days, on my Staff Picks channel (listen now), but now I'm finally presenting it in numerated list form.

When looking for themes in my picks, I'm slightly (but only slightly) embarrassed to see that the top-10 is heavy on long-established personal favorites: Ben Allison [pictured], The Claudia Quintet, Dave King, Roy Haynes. This might suggest that I was biased to like these albums before I ever listened to them. What's more likely is that these bands and musicians are consistently excellent and didn't fail in 2011. Also, my 2nd favorite album of the year is by a little-known DC-based musician of whom I had no previous knowledge. So maybe I did give everyone a fair shake.

I just want to take one moment to highlight that album, Secret Handshake by Brian Settles. I was hooked from the first few seconds of the lead-off track, and it has remained in steady rotation on my iPod, computer and car stereo ever since. It's a seemingly low-budget, humble affair that nonetheless creates a very distinct and disciplined sound-world unlike anything I've heard in a long time. I didn't even receive a press release about the CD; it managed to make its way to the forefront of my listening habits with zero hype or back-story preceding it. That's unfortunately not as common as you'd think. But still, the much more hyped and more expensive-sounding Action-Refraction by Ben Allison did eke out a close 1st place finish in my list.

Below, I've listed all 30 albums that are playing on the Staff Picks channel: an ordered top 20 plus 10 honorable mentions. I hope you enjoy listening to the channel and discover a new favorite album or two for yourself.

Top 20

1. Ben Allison - Action Refraction
2. Brian Settles and Central Union - Secret Handshake
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - When the Heart Emerges Glistening
4. Miguel Zenón - Alma Adentro: the Puerto Rican Songbook
5. Claudia Quintet - What Is the Beautiful?
6. Dave King Trucking Company - Good Old Light
7. Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman and Eric Harland - James Farm
8. Mike Reed's My Silence - It Only Happens at Night
9. Roy Haynes - Roy-Alty
10. Rez Abassi - Suno Suno
11. Starlicker - Double Demon
12. Chris Speed's Endangered Blood - Endangered Blood
13. JD Allen Trio - Victory!
14. Gretchen Parlato - The Lost and Found
15. Gerald Cleaver, William Parker and Craig Taborn - Out of This World's Distortions
16. Amir ElSaffar - Inana
17. Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo - Songs of Mirth and Melancholy
18. Benny Green - Source
19. Darius Jones Trio - Big Gurl (Smell My Dream)
20. The Four Bags - Forth

Honorable Mentions:

Led Bib - Bring Your Own
Jason Adasiewicz - Spacer
Chris Dingman - Waking Dreams
Steve Coleman - The Mancy of Sound
Brad Mehldau, Kevin Hays and Patrick Zimmerli - Modern Music
Carlo De Rosa's Cross Fade - Brain Dance
Josh Nelson - Discoveries
Deep Blue Organ Trio - Wonderful!
Colorlist - The Fastest Way to Become the Ocean
Noah Preminger - Before the Rain

Listen to the Staff Picks channel now!

The Best Jazz of 2011, According to the Critics

Click here for our Best Jazz of 2011 Channel.

The best jazz album of 2011, according to the 122 people who participated in this year's Rhapsody Jazz Critics' Poll (formerly the Village Voice Jazz Critics' Poll), was made by an artist who first came to prominence in the 1950s. Road Shows, Vol. 2, by Sonny Rollins, won in a landslide. Rollins also received recognition from much higher powers than jazz critics, receiving the Kennedy Center honors from the president. Interestingly, the Rhapsody poll's No. 2 spot belongs to one of the youngest musicians on the list, 29-year-old trumpet phenom Ambrose Akinmusire. Akinmusire's exhilarating Blue Note Records debut, When the Heart Emerges Glistening, seemed to appeal to more traditional- and progressive-minded voters alike.

The rest of the list is typically diverse, ranging from quintessential New York free improvisation (David S. Ware's Planetary Unknown) to R&B-inflected modern jazz (Terri Lyne Carrington's Mosaic Project) and many well-conceived experiments in fusing jazz with ethnic musics from around the globe (Amir ElSaffar's Inana Suite, Vijay Iyer's Tirtha and Miguel Zenon's Alma Adentro). There are also an eye-opening six-and-a-half solo piano discs (the half being one disc of Matthew Shipp's double-disc Art of the Improviser).

To bring you, the listener, the best of what jazz had to offer in 2011, we're continuing in our annual tradition of creating a channel based on this definitive crtitics' list. Just click here to start listening. Our channel is playing 42 out of the 60 albums on the list, with programming weighed more heavily towards the highest-ranking albums. Therefore, you'll hear more Sonny and Ambrose than Starlicker (a great Chicago trio that came in 58th place).

As for my personal favorites, you can listen to my Staff Picks channel to hear my top 30 albums. I'll be posting a blog soon about the selections.

What were your favorite albums released in 2011? Do you agree with the critics? Do you think important albums got snubbed? Leave your opinions in the comments, or talk to me on Twitter.

Again, click here to start listening to the Best of 2011 Channel.

R.I.P. Sam Rivers

The great multi-instrumentalist, composer and bandleader Sam Rivers died Monday, December 26 at the age of 88. Rivers' death makes for the third important jazz figure to pass in the final months of 2011, along with drummer Paul Motian and trombonist/composer Bob Brookmeyer.

To celebrate Rivers' legacy, we are featuring him on the AccuJazz Saxophone channel. Along with the usual lineup of hundreds of jazz saxophonists of every style and era, you'll hear an extra large dose of Rivers' playing. We've included his well-loved 1960s Blue Note output as well as his adventurous big band work and albums where Rivers appears as a sideman with artists like Miles Davis, Bobby Hutcherson and Dave Holland.

Whether playing swinging post-bop with organist Larry Young or grand-scale avant-garde jazz with his own Studio Rivbea Orchestra, Rivers always played the saxophone (or flute, or piano, or whatever else was in his hands) with strikingly clear articulation and sonic focus. His music reflected a rigorous and uncompromisingly unique vision, whether creating stirring improvisations seemingly out of thin air or constructing intricate soundscapes for other musicians to interpret. His idiosyncratic composition style, which fused complex written material with free improvisation, influenced generations of adventurous jazz musicians including Steve Coleman and Jason Moran.

For a musician often affixed with the "avant-garde" label, Rivers was quite versatile: he played with bebop pianist/composer Tadd Dameron early in his career, played briefly in Miles Davis' renowned 1960s quintet, and even toured in Dizzy Gillespie's band. There is also a broad stylistic palette among music recorded under his own name. Consider the gorgeous melodicism of 1964's "Beatrice" (Rivers' most famous composition) and the frenetic energy of "Capricorn Rising," a 1975 album co-led by Rivers and pianist Don Pullen.

While many octogenarian jazz musicians find their skills steadily waning, Rivers was arguably still playing at his peak up until his death. He spent the last two decades of his life in Orlando, where he led a version of his famed Rivbea Orchestra. This video of a 2010 performance by that group displays not only Rivers' vital sax playing, but his continued compositional ingenuity and playful rapport with his band. Isn't it just great to see an old guy so happy doing what he does?



Enjoy our Sam Rivers feature on the Saxophone channel and look below for further reading:

-Nate Chinen's obituary in the New York Times
-Peter Hum's blog post, with some great videos
-Hank Shteamer's post, with recommended listening

Here's the list of albums featuring Sam Rivers to listen for on the Saxophone channel:

As a leader

-Fuchsia Swing Song
-Countours
-Dimensions and Extensions
-Crystals
-Culmination
-Celebration
-Violet Violets

As a sideman

-Miles Davis: Miles in Tokyo
-Larry Young: Into Somethin'
-Bobby Hutcherson: Dialogue
-Tony Williams: Spring
-Dave Holland: Conference of the Birds
-Don Pullen: Capricorn Rising

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

I'm definitely no stranger to last-minute Christmas shopping, and apparently that also goes for Christmas channel-creating. Just in time for Christmas Eve-Eve, we're introducing two new, and very different, Christmas jazz channels: Mellow Christmas Jazz and Non-Standard Christmas Jazz.

Our Mellow Jazz channel is one of AccuJazz's most popular, so I figured our listeners would be interested in sampling a holiday flavor of it. You'll hear plenty of versions of both "The Christmas Song" and "Christmas Time Is Here" as well as newer, original songs that also set a soothing and cheerful mood.

Speaking of new and original Christmas music, that's what the Non-Standard Christmas Jazz channel is all about. This channel is for listeners who love Christmas music but are tired of hearing the same 10 or 15 songs over and over again. Highlights include Jimmy Rushing singing "Good Morning Blues" with an early incarnation of the Count Basie Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald belting out the novelty tune "Christmas Island," and Geri Allen's brand new "Journey to Bethlehem."

Of course, you can also listen to one of our four other Christmas Jazz channels: Swingin' Christmas, Christmas Instrumentals, Christmas Vocals and New Christmas Jazz. Here's wishing you and yours a very happy and jazzy holiday!

R.I.P. Paul Motian

The great drummer/bandleader/composer Paul Motian passed away last Tuesday at the age of 80 (file this blog post in the better-late-than-never department). While Motian was most famous as the drummer in the revolutionary Bill Evans trio with bassist Scott LaFaro, he had a long career defined by his commitment to a personal and singular musical vision. He was an integral member of bands led by other legends like Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden, but he also led and co-led some of the most important jazz groups of the last 30 years.

Motian possessed one of the most distinct musical personalities of any drummer in jazz history. Like his sometime employer Thelonious Monk, Motian bypassed displays of polished technique in favor of an individual sound stripped of pretense. His approach was eloquently described by New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff as "spare and never facile, as natural as breathing."

Personally, I first became a fan of Motian in high school, when I first started getting serious about becoming a jazz drummer. A bassist friend gave me a compilation of the famous Bill Evans Trio's 1961 Village Vanguard recordings (with selections from both Waltz for Debby and Sunday at the Village Vanguard), and told me it was the most "interactive" piano trio ever. It took me a few listens to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked. I probably listened to Sunday at the Village Vanguard (and the track "Solar" in particular) more than anything else my senior year of high school.

To honor the musical legacy of Paul Motian, we are featuring his music on our Give the Drummers Some channel. The channel is playing an extra dose of Motian, as heard on albums by Evans, Jarrett, Haden and Paul Bley as well as on many under his own name.

Unsurprisingly, there has been an outpouring of love and appreciation for Motian in the days since his death. Here's a round-up of some of the highlights:

-The official New York Times obituary by Ben Ratliff
-A personal remembrance by Time Out New York jazz critic Hank Shteamer
-Ethan Iverson also has a personal take
-Peter Hum has been interviewing musicians who knew Motian
-Young pianist Dan Tepfer shares some stories
-As does photographer John Rogers

Now Playing on AccuJazz - 10/28/11

What's that? A new Now Playing post only a month after the last one? I'm trying to be a little more on top of new music additions, folks. Hopefully that means I'll finally get around to regularly updating the Staff Picks channel, too. Not yet, but soon.

This most recent crop of music has a couple of promising new releases by uber-creative drummer/composers: Oblique I by Tyshawn Sorey and What Is the Beautiful? by John Hollenbeck's long-running Claudia Quintet. There's also a big band album by everyone's first-call bass player, Christian McBride, and a disproportionately large batch of CDs coming from the under-30 crowd (what is it with all these CDs by youngsters lately?)

Most all of these titles are playing on the Main Channel and New Releases channel on AccuJazz.com; I've also listed the other AccuJazz channels on which you're most likely to hear each CD. Album titles are links to purchase on Amazon.

Poncho Sanchez and Terence Blanchard - Chano y Dizzy (Concord)
Latin, Modern Mainstream, Trumpet, Drummers, Composers: Bird and Diz

Trombone Shorty - For True (Verve Forecast)
New School, Emerging Voices, New Orleans, Trumpet, Trombone, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Christian McBride Big Band - The Good Feeling (Mack Avenue)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, New York, Big Band, Bassists

Claudia Quintet +1 Featuring Kurt Elling and Theo Bleckmann - What Is the Beautiful? (Cuneiform)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York

Tyshawn Sorey - Oblique I (Pi Recordings)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Avant-Garde, Drummers

Alan Pasqua - Twin Bill: The Two Piano Music of Bill Evans (BFM Jazz)
Piano, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast

Stanley Jordan - Friends (Mack Avenue)
Straight Ahead, Guitar, Modern Mainstream

Mike LeDonne - Keep the Faith (Savant)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, New York, Organ, Pop Composers

George Benson - Guitar Man (Concord)
Guitar, Pop Composers, Groove Jazz

Sophie Milman - In the Moonlight (Entertainment One)
Vocals, Emerging Voices, Women of Jazz

Freddy Cole - Talk to Me (HighNote)
Vocals, Pop Composers

Grace Kelly - Grace (Pazz)
Saxophone, Emerging Voices, Spiritual, Women of Jazz

Josh Nelson - Discoveries (Steel Bird Music)
New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Modern West Coast

Brent Canter - Urgency of Now (Posi-Tone)
Guitar, New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Organ

Cinque - Catch a Corner (Alma)
Modern Mainstream, Organ, Groove Jazz

Aaron Staebell - Bending and Breaking (Self-Released)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Drummers

Patrick Cornelius - Maybe Steps (Posi-Tone)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Kevin Crabb - Waltz for Dylan (CrabbClaw)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast, Drummers

Nick Hempton - The Business (Posi-Tone)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream

Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece - Duotone (Posi-Tone)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Vibes

Sean Nowell - Stockholm Swingin' (Posi-Tone)

Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz

The Headhunters - Platinum (Owl Studios)
Saxophone, New School, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Jason Kao Hwang Edge - Crossroads Unseen (Eunymus Records)
Avant-Garde

Jason Kao Hwang Spontaneous River - Symphony of Souls (Mulatta Records)
Cutting Edge, Avant-Garde, Third Stream

Jazz Links Ensemble - The Drive (JICSAR)
Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Chicago

Oscar Perez Nuevo Comienzo - Afropean Affair (Chandra Records)
Latin, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Rubinho Antunes - De Viterbo (Tratore)
Latin, Brazilian, Modern Mainstream

Now Playing on AccuJazz - 9/29/11

To celebrate (or mourn?) the beginning of Fall, I present you with the bounty of new music now playing on the many channels of AccuJazz. In case you want to catch up, here's the last Now Playing post, from July. This edition features some really great music, including Miguel Zenon's 2nd post-genius-grant album, a fascinating piano duo album by Brad Mehldau and Kevin Hays that straddles the worlds of jazz and classical, and my new favorite Brooklyn indie [jazz] band, The Four Bags. But those are just the beginning. Check 'em all out below!

Most all releases are playing on the main channel and new releases channel on AccuJazz.com; I've also listed the other AccuJazz channels on which you're most likely to hear each CD. Album titles are links to purchase on Amazon.

Roy Haynes - Roy-Alty (Dreyfus)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Drummers

Miguel Zenon - Alma Adentro (Marsalis Music)
Saxophone, Latin Jazz, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton - Play the Blues Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center (Warner Bros)
Guitar, Trumpet, Old School, Live Jazz, Nothin' But the Blues


Brad Mehldau and Kevin Hays - Modern Music (Nonesuch)
Piano, New School, Third Stream

Kyle Eastwood - Songs From the Chateau (Mack Avenue)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Bassists, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Deep Blue Organ Trio - Wonderful! (Origin)
Straight Ahead, Guitar, New School, Modern Mainstream, Chicago, Organ, Pop Composers

Steve Coleman - The Mancy of Sound (Pi Recordings)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York

Harris Eisenstadt - Canada Day II (Songlines)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Good Vibes, Drummers

Phil Woods and Bill Mays - Phil and Bill (Palmetto)
Saxophone, Modern Mainstream, Mellow

Giacomo Gates - The Revolution Will Be Jazz (Savant)
Vocal Jazz

Claudio Roditi - Bons Amigos (Resonance)
Latin, Brazilian Jazz, Modern Mainstream, Trumpet

Tierney Sutton - American Road (BFM Jazz)
Vocal Jazz, Modern West Coast, Women of Jazz

Terri Lynne Carrington - The Mosaic Project (Concord Jazz)
Vocal Jazz, New School, Modern Mainstream, Drummers, Women of Jazz

Dominick Farinacci - Dawn of Goodbye (E1)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Trumpet

Al Di Meola - Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody (Telarc)
Guitar, New School, World Fusion, Fusion

Warren Wolf - Warren Wolf (Mack Avenue)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Good Vibes

The Four Bags - Forth (NCM East)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York

Wadada Leo Smith - Heart's Reflections (Cuneiform)
New School, Cutting Edge, Modern West Coast, Avant-Garde, Trumpet, Fusion

Starlicker - Double Demon (Delmark)
New School, Cutting Edge, Chicago, Avant-Garde, Trumpet, Good Vibes

Tim Mayer - Resilience (Jazz Legacy Productions)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream

Brad Shepik - Across the Way (Songlines)
Guitar, New School, Cutting Edge, New York


Gerald Clayton - Bond: the Paris Sessions (Emarcy)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Orrin Evans - Freedom (Posi-Tone)
Straight Ahead, Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream

David Gibson - End of the Tunnel (Posi-Tone)
Straight Ahead, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Organ, Trombone, Groove Jazz

H2 Big Band - You're It! (Jazzed Media)
Big Band, Trumpet

Art Hirahara - Noble Path (Posi-Tone)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York

Jim Snidero - Interface (Savant)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York


Amina Alaoui - Arco Iris (ECM)
Vocal Jazz, European Jazz, World Fusion, Women of Jazz

Dave Valentin - Pure Imagination (HighNote)
Latin Jazz, Modern Mainstream, Fusion

Charlie Apicella - The Business (CArlo Music)
Guitar, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Groove Jazz

Travis Sullivan - New Directions (Posi-Tone)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York


Marc Pompe - Everyone But Me (Self-Released)
Vocal Jazz, Chicago

Shawn Maxwell - Urban Vigilante (Chicago Sessions)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, Chicago

David S. Ware, Cooper-Moore, William Parker and Muhammad Ali - Planetary Unknown (AUM Fidelity)
New School, Avant-Garde

Snehashish Mozumder - Jazz and North Indian Styles (Random Chance Records)
World Fusion, Fusion

Tim Collins - Castles and Hilltops (Self-Released)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Good Vibes

Chris Dingman - Waking Dreams (Self-Released)
New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Good Vibes

The Great Barrier Reefs - Finding Time (Self-Released)
Modern Mainstream, World Fusion, Fusion

Jeff McLaughlin - Blocks (Owl Studios)
Guitar, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices


Garage a Trois - Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil (Royal Potato Family)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Meretrio - Meretrio (Self-Released)
Brazilian Jazz, New School, Modern Mainstream, Fusion

Richard Underhill - Kensington Suite (Self-Released)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream

Skip Wilkins - After (Dreambox Media)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream

Katrina Wreede - Add Viola and Stir (Self-Released)
Modern West Coast, Third Stream, Women of Jazz

A Festival of Festival Channels

The summer may be inching ever closer to its inevitable and regrettable end, but some might say the best is yet to come. Three of North America's most celebrated jazz festivals are still ahead of us, and we're shining a spotlight on them at AccuJazz.com.

So far this year we've had channels dedicated to SF Jazz, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the Montreal and Newport jazz festivals. Still to come are the Chicago, Detroit and Monterey jazz festivals.

The Monterey Jazz Festival, happening September 16-18 this year, is in a class with Newport as a long-standing fest with a much-celebrated history. In fact, Concord Music Group even created a whole separate label, Monterey Jazz Festival Records, to share some of the fest's greatest recorded moments with jazz fans everywhere. Big-name headliners this year include Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard and, ahem, these guys. Some notable acts on smaller stages include Robert Glasper, Donny McCaslin and Steve Coleman. The AccuJazz channel is playing music by most all of the musicians playing, so whether you're planning for a trip to the fest or just wish you could be there, check it out.

For the past few decades, Labor Day weekend has traditionally seen two great Midwestern cities host free, open-to-the-public jazz fests in their downtowns, and this year is no different. The Chicago and Detroit Jazz Festivals are persisting in their populist ideal of bringing world-class jazz to the people at zero cost, and we've got all the artists playing on our channels.

The Chicago Jazz Festival channel features this year's artist-in-residence Orbert Davis (pictured) and his Chicago Jazz Philharmonic as well as a great lineup of local and international artists including Randy Weston, Cassandra Wilson, the Deep Blue Organ Trio, Roy Hargrove, and many more.

The Detroit Jazz Festival channel features their artist-in-residence, drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, as well as Dave Holland, Jason Moran, Regina Carter, Joe Lovano and many more.

Are you planning on attending any of these festivals? Who are you most excited to see? If you're not going, who do you wish you could go to see?

Check out all of our festival channels at AccuJazz.com.