Jazz Chronicles

So much has been written and said about Levon Helm in the days since his health took its final turn that there's not much to add. But ...

Michelle Mercer and me at AWP I'm just back from an extended trip to Chicago, which included a speaking engagement at the annual co...

If you're interested in speculative fiction in addition to music, check out my new piece on Canadian bassist Chris Tarry, who has been ...

My friend Peter Hum has a blog post  decrying the absence of jazz musicians on the televised portion of the Grammy Awards, but really, do we...

As it continues to revamp its music offerings on its traditional FM frequencies and on SiriusXM satellite radio, the Canadian Broadcasting C...

Fellow jazz critic Larry Appelbaum posted a Facebook link to John McLaughlin's album Extrapolations today, which caused me to post that...

Each year, veteran music critic Francis Davis polls dozens of jazz critics for their picks of the best music they heard during the previous ...

Francis Davis tells me that rhapsody.com will publish the full results of the extensive poll of jazz journalists he conducts this Wednesday...

I took some time over the holidays to enjoy Will Hermes' new book  Love Goes To Buildings On Fire , which chronicles the New York City ...

What a brutal few weeks for the shrinking cadre of elderly masters of improvised music: first Paul Motian, then Bob Brookmeyer, and this wee...

My full top 10-plus will appear this year as usual at New Year's as part of the annual compendium of critics' lists that Francis Dav...

It may be a month early for a review of the year in jazz 2011, but it's clear that the dominant topic—at least during the summer festiva...

I can't begin to count the number of recordings I have that feature drummer Paul Motian, who died today at age 80, and I can't thi...

After 10 years in the position, trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas is passing the leadership of  the Banff International Workshop in Jazz ...

I know there are people—jazz fans—out there who turn and run when they hear that a band is going to be paying tribute to a long-dead artist ...

I'm spending five days at one of my favourite jazz festivals , in Quebec City, and as usual it is opening my ears to artists I don't...

Mid-October brings the definitive change of season where I live (even though last weekend—Thanksgiving in Canada—felt like mid-summer) and a...

I always look forward to the opportunity to hear my friend, drummer Jerry Granelli, play live. Not only is he one of the most creative pe...

Looking back on them, the seven or eight years I spent hosting and producing programs at Canada's oldest campus radio station coincided ...

I wrote the other day that I'm reviewing some DVDs for DownBeat's holiday gift guide, and tonight I had the good fortune to watch F...