Features

The life and tragic death of Lee Morgan: “He was a young man, already older than his years, thrilled with his talent and the wonders of the world around him”

In his short but eventful life, trumpeter Lee Morgan rocketed to the highest echelons of jazz in double-quick time – playing with and Art Blakey as a teenager and recording with John Coltrane. Stuart Nicholson dives deep into the difficult truths behind this most mercurial of jazz musicians and assesses his legacy today

How John Coltrane made Giant Steps

Less than a month after Kind of Blue was recorded in 1959, John Coltrane first entered the studio to make what in many ways was that mighty album’s equal: Giant Steps. Stuart Nicholson tells the full story of one of the greatest albums in jazz history

Chick Corea | 13 Essential Albums

Chick Corea authored some of the most influential jazz recordings of the last 50 years. Here's selection of a few of his finest albums...

10 life-changing jazz piano trio recordings

From Bud Powell to Michael Wollny via Ahmad Jamal, Duke Ellington, Brad Mehldau and The Bad Plus, these are all outstanding jazz piano trio recordings, a perfect selection for someone discovering jazz for the first time or for the collector looking for something fresh

10 Essential Sun Ra Albums

Here are 10 key recordings plucked by Edwin Pouncey from Ra’s enormous discography that continues to yield up new discoveries and lost musical treasures to this day

Modal Jazz: 10 Essential Albums

The urge to move away from the over-familiar chord progressions of bop led Charles Mingus and Miles Davis to develop new approaches to harmonic movement, and the recording of some of the greatest albums in the history of music

Chet Baker: Nine Essential Albums

A gathering of many of Chet Baker's finest moments on record, including 'Chet Baker in Paris', 'Stan Meets Chet' and 'Chet Is Back!'

Hard Bop: The 10 Essential Albums

Hard bop emerged in the 1950s, spearheaded by the likes of Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, Art Blakey, Jackie McLean and Sonny Rollins, who between them made some outstanding albums that still resonate loudly today

The Women Who Changed Jazz

There are many under-sung women who have played a pivotal, and hugely significant, role in shaping jazz history since its very beginnings. Stuart Nicholson reappraises the achievements of some of the lesser-known artists and power brokers behind the music, without whom jazz history would look very different indeed

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