“Bohemian Spirit” – A Remembrance of 1970’s Venice Beach, by Daniel Miltz
The writer recalls 1970’s Venice Beach, where creatives chased a kind of freedom that didn’t fit inside four walls…
...March 4th, 2026
Essays
Albert Ayler’s Spiritual Unity – A Classic of Our Time, and for All Time – an essay by Peter Valente
On the essence of Albert Ayler’s now classic 1964 album…
...February 25th, 2026
“The Bowie Summer” – a personal memory, and how art can fundamentally reshape identity, by G.D. Newton-Wade
A piece of narrative non-fiction that captures a pivotal moment in the summer of 1972, where music, youth, and a touch of psychedelia collided to forever alter the lives of two friends. It is a personal account of seeing David Bowie at the Croydon Greyhound at the dawn of the Ziggy Stardust era, exploring the potent idea that art can fundamentally reshape identity.
...January 22nd, 2026
“Lester Young Cools a Village” – an essay by Henry Blanke
On the origins of cool, and the influence (and greatness) of Lester Young.
...September 25th, 2025
“Tell a Story: Mitchell and Ruff’s Army Service” – an essay by Dale Davis
The author writes about how Dwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff’s U.S. Army service helped them learn to understand the fusion of different musical influences that tell the story of jazz.
...September 16th, 2025
“Blind Willie Johnson Leaves the Solar System,” an essay by Henry Blanke
An appreciation for Blind Willie Johnson, whose landmark 1927 – 1930 recordings influenced generations of musicians.
...August 7th, 2025
“Escalator Over the Hill – Then and Now” – by Joel Lewis
Remembering the essential 1971 album by Carla Bley/Paul Haines, inspired by the writer’s experience attending the New School’s recent performance of it
...August 4th, 2025
War. Remembrance. Walls.
The High Price of Authoritarianism – by editor/publisher Joe Maita
An essay inspired by my recent experiences witnessing the ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation of several World War II concentration camps in Germany.
...July 17th, 2025
“Is Jazz God?” – an essay by Allison Songbird
A personal journey leading to the discovery of the importance of jazz music, and finding love for it later in life.
...July 8th, 2025
“J.A. Rogers’ ‘Jazz at Home’: A Centennial Reflection on Jazz Representation Through the Lens of Stormy Weather and Everyday Life – an essay by Jasmine M. Taylor
The writer opines that jazz continues to survive – 100 years after J.A. Rogers’ own essay that highlighted the artistic freedom of jazz – and has “become a fundamental core in American culture and modern Americanism; not solely because of its artistic craftsmanship, but because of the spirit that jazz music embodies.”
...July 2nd, 2025
“Monologue of a Broken Cassette,” an essay by Fendy Tulodo
This essay explores memory, music, and the way sound holds emotions that words often fail to capture, blending personal history with a musician’s perspective on unfinished echoes—both in life and in art.
...April 9th, 2025
“Thoughts on Matthew Shipp’s Improvisational Style” – an essay by Jim Feast
Short of all the musicians being mind readers, what accounts for free jazz musicians’ – in this instance those playing with the pianist Matthew Shipp – incredible ability for mutual attunement as they play?
...March 26th, 2025
“Are Jazz-Hop Instrumentals Jazz?” – an observation (and playlist) by Anthony David Vernon
Google “what is jazz-hop?” and the AI overview describes it is “a subgenre of hip-hop that combines jazz and hip-hop music. It developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s.” In Mr. Vernon’s observation, he makes the case that it is also a subgenre of jazz.
...February 24th, 2025
“Blow away Divisiveness with Cool Sounds” – by Kenneth M. Kapp
The writer suggests taking to music during these divisive times – specifically the composer Guillermo Lago’s piece “Sarajevo”
...November 30th, 2024
Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two – Vol. 6: “Mystery, Mayhem, Music”
In this edition, Rife writes about jazz novels and short stories that feature a theme of “mystery.”
...October 10th, 2024
“Gone Guy: Jazz’s Unsung Dodo Marmarosa,” by Michael Zimecki
An essay remembering the late jazz musician Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa, awarded Esquire Magazine’s New Star Award in 1947, and who critics predicted would dominate the jazz scene for the next 30 years.
...September 25th, 2024
“Like a Girl Saying Yes: The Sound of Bix” – an essay by Malcolm McCollum
The first time Benny Goodman heard Bix Beiderbecke play cornet, he recalled, he wondered, “My God, what planet, what galaxy, did this guy come from?” (Skretvedt)
...August 30th, 2024
“Adrian Rollini Lives” – an appreciation, by Malcolm McCollum
Remembering the genius of the multi-instrumentalist who played with the likes of Bix Beiderbecke, Benny Goodman, Red Nichols, Miff Mole, and Joe Venuti
...July 25th, 2024
“Jazz and American Poetry” – an essay by Tad Richards
Tad Richards is a prolific visual artist, poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer who has been active for over four decades. ..He frequently writes about poetry, and the following piece about the history of the connection of jazz and American poetry first appeared in the Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Poetry (2005). It is published with the permission of the author.
...February 6th, 2024
“A record shop, and a tale of two Michael Cohens,” by editor/publisher Joe Maita
A tale of two Michael Cohens — one is Trump’s former “fixer,” the other is an important voice in LGBTQ history
...March 29th, 2023
“Hub City Hip” — Clay Coppedge on the historic Lubbock, Texas music scene
The author writes about his hometown of Lubbock, Texas, and some of the musicians and events that made up that city’s thriving music scene during the mid-20th century
...March 8th, 2023
“A Note on Nina Simone’s ‘Just In Time’” – by Carlo Rey Lacsamana
The author describes the emotional experience of listening to the music of Nina Simone
...February 24th, 2023
“A Love Supreme (On John Coltrane)” — an essay by Carlo Rey Lacsamana
The author considers John Coltrane’s intensity and tenderness, and how these two qualities intertwine in his improvisations.
...January 6th, 2023
“The Sweatshop” — a memoir, by Jim Donnelly
Mr. Donnelly’s “The Sweatshop” is a memoir about about his time working in a music accessory sweatshop by day, and slogging it out on the club circuit by night…
...September 29th, 2022
“Ensemble Man” — an essay by Scott D. Vander Ploeg
“Ensemble”—I had heard the director use the term on many occasions, and thought it just meant some undefined collection of musicians. My Jr-high classmates were asked “to meet for ensemble,” or were told that “the ensemble session will be at 10:10 today.” In school, if you joined the band you just started playing; there was no course in Orientation to Band 101 to explain these concepts to us.
...May 13th, 2021
“On Hearing Aaron Copland’s Music” — an essay by Martha Patterson
My mother’s ghost comes to me whenever I smoke one of my innumerable cigarettes, when I am re-reading one of her favorite books – like Jane Austen’s Emma – or even when I’m walking, careless and carefree, down the street. And her ghost always arrives when I hear certain music.
...May 5th, 2021
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In this Issue
Poetry
Community
The Sunday Poem
"A Light Downstream" by Francis Fernandes
The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work...
Francis Fernandes reads his poem at its conclusion
Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem
Short Fiction
Interview
Community
Feature
Poetry
Interview
Poetry
Feature
Poetry
Jazz History Quiz
Feature
Poetry
Feature
Poetry
Short Fiction
Poetry
Short Fiction
Poetry
A Letter from the Publisher
The High Price of Authoritarianism– by editor/publisher Joe Maita...An essay inspired by my recent experiences witnessing the ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation of several World War II concentration camps in Germany.
Playlist
Poetry
Community
Interview
Feature
Contributing Writers
Coming Soon
Interview Archive
