How can beautiful, springtime May seem like the shortest month?
Is it because the pleasures of Jazz Appreciation Month and International Jazz Day(especially in this year’s host city, Chicago) add so much momentum to what we do? Check out all the activities of JJA members, below — and consider it’s only a fraction of the writing, broadcasting, editing, photographing, producing, performing, teaching and so on that keeps news and views of jazz in the air — sweetening it, of course, like the blooms opening from those April showers.
Oh, how I do go on!
We also welcome new members: Major Caldwell, documenting jazz performances from his base in Los Angeles; Juan-Manuel Cantos-Ruiz, a jazz critic and artistic director who coordinates live music in Madrid, Spain; Kelly Korzun, a jazz journalist while being a cultural supporter and advocate for jazz; Floyd Robichaux in Australia of JazzLessOrdinary, a weekly upload on Mixcloudfeaturing the very best Nu Jazz, Acid Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Nu Bossa and Brazilian Grooves, Neo Soul, Downtempo, and Afro Beats; Monk Rowe, working at Hamilton College with the Fillius Jazz Archive where 500+ video interviews of jazz artists have been conducted and are made viewable on their YouTube channel; Mike Shaw, a journalist, podcaster, singer-pianist, and author based in the great state of Georgia also home to our newest sponsor, South Arts; Mark Sheldon, freelance photographer and writer for major publications from his base in Indiana; and Emily Steinhilber, a Seattle writer with a unique approach to journalism and jazz as a social language. It’ll be exciting to follow them and all the colleagues in updates — come what May!
Jane Ira Bloom performs with drummer/percussionist Brian Shankar Adler and bassist Ken Filiano at The Space, 534 Congress St. in Portland Maine on Sun, June 28 @ 5 pm in celebration of their recent release once like a spark.
Steve Braunginn, Strictly Jazz Sounds podcast producer and host, published an interview he conducted with alto saxophone powerhouse Jaleel Shaw. While Shaw released Painter of the Invisible in 2025, his work remains current in today’s uncertain world, riddled with politics and war. Braunginn also re-issued the conversation he had with tenor player and Berklee College of Music administrator Walter Smith III in an updated episode on “All About Jazz.”
Katchie Cartwright in April and May edited umpteen articles for All About Jazz and wrote reviews of Caroline Davis’ Fallows, Carlos Malta & Cliff Korman’s Saudade do Paulo, Javon Jackson’s Jackson Plays Dylan, Al & Stacey Schulman’s Crazy World and Gafieira Rio Miami’s Beleza Pura, along with radio/podcasts “Jackson Plays Dylan & Dylan Plays Dylan” and “From This Very Moment On with Alan & Stacey Schulman” (Caminhos do Jazz on All About Jazz, 2026).
Noal Cohen published an article entitled “T.K. Blue Celebrates Randy Weston’s Centennial Birthday” in Jersey Jazz Magazine, April 2026, pp.9-13.
Sid Gribetz produced a five-hour radio program profiling Teddy Edwards on WKCR-FM New York.
Doug Hall has just interviewed renowned tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson for Jackson’s May release Jackson Plays Dylan for his podcast, The Jazz Journey with Doug Hall, to be posted this month. Following his acclaimed collaborations with poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, Javon turns his focus to the music of legendary songwriter Bob Dylan, reinterpreting his catalog through a jazz lens. Doug and Javon discuss 2 songs live.
Sanford Josephson interviewed trombonist Conrad Herwig, alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo, and bassist Lukas Wormack in the April issue of Jersey Jazz Magazine. Herwig, Head of Jazz Studies at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts, led the Rutgers Jazz Ensemble in a Miles Davis at 100 tribute on April 24. Terakubo led a sextet at Dizzy’s Club on April 29, and Wormack was part of the George Wein Scholars Ensemble at the April 26th Jazz Appreciation Month concert at NJPAC.
Yuki Kimura would like to introduce his book, Echoes of Swing: Translocal Journeys Across the Jazz Scenes of Aomori, Japan, and Taiwan (Yorikido Publishing), the English edition of which he recently completed and published, as well as share some related research he’s been conducting. The book explores how jazz took root in the lives of people in these two regions, each bearing the weight of post-WWII/Vietnam War memories and the shadow of the U.S. military, and resonated across the world.
Howard Mandel hosted a JJA party prior to International Jazz Day in Chicago, and moderated members’ readings at the Chicago Cultural Center on the day itself (which he wrote about for Chamber Music America’s quarterly, out in July). He chaired an episode of The Buzz about Miles Davis’s image now, turning it into a post on his Substack Mandel’s Media Diet, and he reviewed Kazemde George’s Ocean Passage for DownBeat.
Kenneth K. Martinez Burgmaier produced a sold-out 13th annual Big Island Jazz & Blues Festival on Hawaii Island with Eddie Henderson, John Patitucci Javon Jackson, Paul Wertico, Fareed Haque, Joanna Conner, Jourdan Thibodeaux & the Iguanas. He also produced International Jazz Day, April 30 at the jazz and blues festival weekly series held at the beautiful Ritz Carlton Maui.
Jason Miles was interviewed in a podcast on WBGO with Leo Sidran for the Centennial of Miles Davis, and his album 100 Miles for Miles Davis was reviewed by JazzWise, and Jazz Magazine France. Currently based in Portugal, he will travel to Paris and be on a concert circuit in the Fall. Check back for those dates!
Lawrence Peryer launched a new radio program, Rotations, on SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and streaming online at space101fm.org. Rotations surveys the world of creative music with each hour bringing listeners established artists and emerging voices, familiar works and deep cuts, contemporary releases and archival recordings. New episodes air every Tuesday at 11PM Pacific. A complete episode archive can be found on Mixcloud.
Natalia Rikker hosted the International Jazz Day concert at the Chelyabinsk State Philharmonic. She presented a program by the Uralskiy Dixieland Jazz Ensemble dedicated to Benny Goodman’s music. Famous Russian jazz musicians, such as clarinetist Ivan Volkov from Moscow and vibraphonist Alexey Chizhik from St. Petersburg, took part in the concert. The artistic director of Uralskiy Dixieland, Valery Sundarev, composed all the arrangements for the ensemble.
Syd Schwartz wrote liner notes for Kenny Dorham’s Complete ‘Round About Midnight At The Cafe Bohemia; The Miles Davis Quintet’s Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel; McCoy Tyner’s Asante; Lawrence Marable Quartet’s Tenorman; and John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things, Giant Steps, Ole, Coltrane Jazz, Coltrane’s Sound, and Coltrane Plays the Blues. He continued writing in the prog-rock realm with liner notes for Rhino’s Super Deluxe edition of Yes’s Tales From Topographic Oceans.
Hilary Seabrook has had a great few weeks: a fantastically productive time at jazzahead! in Bremen was followed by lots of great albums and live gigs to review. Although her website is growing, there are still hundreds of viewers every week on her Blogspot archive (which technically closed a year ago!). Harmonious World has had some brilliant guests. There’s more to come as the summer ramps up.
Mike Shaw‘s Q&A with saxophonist Will Scruggs, founder of the new Churchill Grounds jazz club and the surrounding Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center in Decatur, Georgia, was posted May 16 on regional online music publication, EarRelevant (earrelevant.net). The highly anticipated club fills the gap created by the closing of the original Churchill Grounds in 2016. The new Churchill Grounds and 9,000 sq. ft. Jazz Center are scheduled for a fall opening.
Wilbert Sostre recently published the 3rd edition of his book Boricua Jazz (Spanish), about the history of Jazz in Puerto Rico. A prior english edition is also available. The official book presentation took place on April 29th, and also included a live music performance by guitarist Lolivone de la Rosa. This summer Wilbert Is also celebrating eight years of his radio program Puerto Rico Jazz, and its first year at KCSM JAZZ 91 HD2.
Emily Steinhilber continues developing Seat Map, an embedded live-music correspondence project exploring audience behavior, spatial listening, jazz architecture, and the strange magic that occurs when a roomful of people collectively agrees to listen. Upcoming work with Earshot Jazz includes an interview with Ayesha Brooks and coverage of STAR n The Knight–TORCH arrive! featuring vocalist/bandleader STAR Lah Song. Emily is also preparing coverage and promotional materials surrounding the May 29 Jerry Steinhilber Trio record release performance at Seattle Jazz Fellowship.
