Jazz
This section brings together album stories, birthdays, and anniversaries from jazz musicians and bandleaders, along with news of vinyl reissues as they appear. Jazz has one of the deepest collector cultures of any genre on vinyl: original pressings from labels like Blue Note, Prestige, and Verve are prized not only for the music but for the cover photography and design that came with them, and audiophile labels have built entire reissue series around getting those recordings back into print. Expect stories about specific sessions and musicians, plus notes on why a given pressing or reissue matters to jazz collectors.
76 STORIES
Buddy Rich: Why His Hands Were Faster Than Thought
Born in Brooklyn in 1917, Buddy Rich went from a vaudeville child act to the drummer whose technique functioned at the speed of thought.
· 6 min read
Buddy Rich: The Drum Prodigy Who Never Learned to Read Music
Buddy Rich, born Bernard Rich in 1917, became one of jazz's most influential drummers despite never learning to read music. He relied instead on memory and natural talent.
· 3 min read
Johnny Mathis: How a 25-Dollar Piano Led to a 490-Week Album
A 25-dollar family piano and a father's advice steered Johnny Mathis away from athletics. That decision produced the first greatest-hits album, which spent 490 weeks on the chart.
· 5 min read
Gaitana: The Girl Who Spoke Lingala and Learned Ukrainian Pop
Gaitana, born in Kyiv in 1979 to a Ukrainian mother and Congolese father, turned 47 in 2026. Her biography spans two continents and multiple languages.
· 4 min read
How Stevie Wonder Nearly Left Music Before Key of Life
In 1975, Stevie Wonder nearly left music for Ghana. Instead, he signed a landmark Motown contract and released Songs in the Key of Life, his most successful album.
· 4 min read
Why did Miles Davis leave Juilliard for 52nd Street?
Miles Davis left Juilliard in 1945 for the jam sessions on 52nd Street, where he played alongside Charlie Parker and found his real education in bebop.
· 3 min read
Greg Ham: The Flute That Made Men At Work Famous
Greg Ham, born September 27, 1953, gave Men At Work their signature sound. A flute phrase from a children's campfire song became one of pop's most recognizable melodies.
· 3 min read
Why did Lady Gaga call Harlequin vintage pop?
Lady Gaga's 2024 album Harlequin blends jazz standards with rock, soul, gospel, and doo-wop. It uses vintage pop to explore Harley Quinn's fractured psychology.
· 3 min read
How Bud Powell turned bebop piano into a right-hand riot
Born September 29, 1924, Bud Powell turned bebop piano into a right-hand-driven style, reshaping jazz piano after a rent party in Harlem.
· 4 min read
Julie London: Why Her 1955 Debut Still Sounds Intimate
Julie London's 1955 debut 'Julie Is Her Name' introduced a whisper-quiet vocal style that defined intimate jazz. Her signature hit 'Cry Me a River' anchored the record.
· 4 min read
Gal Costa: The Nickname That Remade Brazilian Music
Gal Costa, born Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos in 1945, carried a childhood nickname from Salvador into a career that defined Tropicália. Her voice shaped Brazilian popular music for decades.
· 4 min read
Why did Nadia Boulanger refuse to teach George Gershwin?
In 1928, Nadia Boulanger refused to teach George Gershwin, fearing formal study would flatten the jazz impulse that made his music breathe.
· 3 min read
Baden Powell Made Samba a Six-String Argument
In 1978, Baden Powell's Paris concert with Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim turned samba into a six-string argument. The scene still resonates twenty-six years after his death.
· 4 min read
How Andy Williams turned 43 albums into a television empire
Howard Andrew Williams built a television empire from 43 albums and 45 million record sales. The voice began in an Iowa church choir.
· 4 min read
A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory at 35
The control room at Battery Studios in New York smelled like takeout containers and tape hiss. Q-Tip sat hunched over the mixing desk, stripping away layers unt…
· 4 min read
Why Did Pharoah Sanders Sound Like No Other Saxophonist?
Pharoah Sanders, born Ferrell Lee Sanders in 1940, died in 2022. His catalog splits between ferocious free jazz and meditative spiritual jazz.
· 4 min read
John Coltrane: Why the Saxophone Became Spiritual Speed
John Coltrane, born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 23, 1926, turned practice into a physical obsession that would reshape jazz.
· 4 min read
Jaco Pastorius Died at 35 After a Life That Rewired Bass
Jaco Pastorius, who rewired the electric bass and joined Weather Report, died on September 21, 1987, at 35. His legacy still defines the instrument.
· 3 min read
Ben Webster's 53-Year Silence Since That Amsterdam Night
Ben Webster, the American jazz tenor saxophonist, died in Amsterdam on September 20, 1973. Fifty-three years later, his subtonic sound still shapes how players approach the instrument.
· 4 min read
Why did Lady Gaga record a jazz album with Tony Bennett?
In 2014, pop superstar Lady Gaga and crooner Tony Bennett released Cheek to Cheek, a Grammy-winning vocal jazz album that redefined both of their careers.
· 4 min read
Candy Dulfer: How a Teenage Sax Prodigy Defined Funk Jazz
Candy Dulfer, born in 1969, turned a childhood saxophone start into Grammy nominations and Prince collaborations. Her career defined funk jazz across nearly six decades.
· 4 min read
Candy Dulfer: The Sax Player Who Turned a Supermarket Into a Hit
Candy Dulfer, born in Amsterdam in 1969, turned a supermarket film's instrumental into a global hit with 'Lily Was Here' in 1989, bridging jazz and pop.
· 4 min read
Marcos Valle: The Boy Who Made Summer Samba
Marcos Valle, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1943, turned classical training and Copacabana's rhythms into bossa nova's global spread. His 'Summer Samba' reached the American top 40.
· 4 min read
Amy Winehouse: How a North London Jazz Kid Redefined Soul
Amy Winehouse, born in London on 14 September 1983, learned phrasing from her father's Sinatra records. She redefined soul with Back to Black, winning five Grammys in one night.
· 4 min read