One of the enduring joys of jazz is its ability to take familiar songs and reveal truths hidden beneath decades of habit and expectation. On her dazzling, wildly imaginative and buoyantly arranged debut album Just a Girl, I’m a Woman, veteran Tucson vocalist Liz Cracchiolo does exactly that, re-imagining everything from No Doubt, Guns N’ Roses, The Killers, Peggy Lee and Soft Cell to jazz standards and blues classics with equal parts imagination, sophistication and fearless,

For an artist whose musical identity has long been shaped by the intersection of jazz, bossa nova, folk-rock and Latin American traditions, Tom Ricci’s soulfully charming, emotionally intuitive Happening in Buenos Aires – Live at Borges 1975, recorded in Buenos Aires in June 2023, feels less like a concert album than a homecoming. Recorded with no previous band rehearsal in his native Argentina with pianist Pablo Sanguinetti, bassist Bruno Migotto and drummer Oscar Giunta, th

For listeners who have followed Ellen Johnson’s multifaceted career as a jazz vocalist, educator, author, journalist and advocate for the transformative power of music, Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey may initially seem like a dramatic left turn. Yet the deeper one immerses in this ambitious five-part exploration of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether, the more apparent it becomes that Ellen has not departed from her life’s work and musical/spiritual mission at all. Rat

On Stomp Your Stuff, the rousing, energetically arranged and performed debut album by the Oliver-Smith Incomparables, co-leaders Andrew Oliver (piano) and Hal Smith (drums) draw on the classic arranging concepts from Jelly Roll Morton’s timeless Red Hot Peppers recordings as a springboard for something fresh, fiery and intricately original. Mining colorful obscurities from the Melrose Brothers catalog, the ensemble creates a vibrant, imaginative and speedy swinging set that f

Few vocalists could convincingly unite Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner, Noel Coward, Rodgers & Hammerstein and the Great American Songbook on a single eight-track program. Yet on her eclectic fourth album All This Is Possible, Kay Kostopoulos moves through this remarkably diverse repertoire with such assurance that the stylistic leaps never feel forced. That versatility seems a natural extension of a life spent crossing artistic boundaries—as an internationally touring belly da

When Jun Iida released his debut album Evergreen in 2024, the Japanese-American trumpeter introduced himself as a gifted improviser, thoughtful composer and musical storyteller whose influences stretched across geography, culture and genres. Two years later, his sophomore collection, Bellflower builds naturally on that foundation while revealing a deeper and more expansive sense of artistic purpose. Rich in melody, reflection and emotional nuance, the album finds Iida explori

One of the most magnanimous gifts of veteran Americana troubadour Todd Adelman is his deeply lived authenticity. Throughout his two-decade plus discography, it’s always felt like his songwriting is rooted in stories he needs to tell, based on hard won wisdom and a deep well of intensely tapestried life experiences. It’s an ongoing vibe that courses through every track of Todd Adelson and The Woodsmen, a self-titled debut that marks the launch of the veteran singer/songwriter