Jews and Blacks mingled easily in the American music scene of the 1940s and ’50s because they had much in common, and because it was fun
The brilliant jazz pianist and conservator ventures into Steely Dan territory—and that’s a compliment
A young musician fought back against COVID lockdowns by taking music into the streets of Manhattan and saved us all
An American immigrant jazz buff expresses his gratitude to a supremely gifted critic who loved the music and loathed bullshit
Fifty years after his landmark book of essays on race, culture, and the ‘social science paradigm,’ the late, great critic and career Air Force officer Albert Murray speaks loudly to today’s divided United States
A new documentary explores the Jewish origins of Blue Note Records, but evades some tough questions
Fifty years ago this month, a Jewish youth group issued a remarkable ‘concert service in jazz’ album featuring Herbie Hancock and other greats titled ‘Hear, O Israel’—but the composer hated it
What the great jazz musician, and the sages of the Talmud, told me about idolatry, destruction, and making a marriage work
‘Strange Fruit’ brings the story behind a song about racism and lynching to a new audience: kids
A nine-piece band belts out traditional Jewish music for one jazzy night
The influential ‘Voice’ critic died Saturday at age 91. His bohemian fearlessness became a popular culture.
Remembering the legendary singer on the 100th anniversary of her birth
Starting a two-week stand at the Village Vanguard, the lyrical master interprets song for his own purposes
Outsider jazz great Allen Lowe scorns his neighbors, argues endlessly with himself
Talking to the musician about jazz, Lenny Bruce, and being an outsider
The genre-bending musician channels the notion of ‘Zion’ through reggae-dub
The top 10 Christmas songs written by Jews, from ‘Silver Bells’ to ‘Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow’
With A Dreamers Christmas, subversive jazz musician John Zorn makes a straightforward holiday album that’s radical in its own way
