Articles By Andrew Schinder
Trumpeter Brandon Lee is Drawn to the 'Lasting Community Feel' of Big Bands
The big band format is, of course, one that is jazz's most timeless, enduring, and malleable. A big band could take a classic standard and update it for a modern audience, or transport that audience back to a Jazz Age ballroom. It's no wonder, then, that so many modern jazz practitioners view the big band format not as an anachronism to be scoffed at, but rather a sanctuary to be revered.
published on 05/01/2026
Jazz at the Morris Museum: Bassist/Vocalist Thaddeus Exposé Celebrates the Music and History of New Orleans
The City of New Orleans, obviously, holds a mythical status in the world of jazz. The genre (or at least the form with which listeners are familiar) was invented and developed there, and every jazz musician – from the swingiest to the most avant-garde – holds at least some debt to the bygone inhabitants of the Big Easy. However, while the city is rightfully revered for its place in jazz history, its musicians tell a more complicated story.
published on 01/01/2026
Jazz at Berrie Center: NY Voices Spend One More Year Together
Vocal groups hold an underappreciated place in the jazz idiom. 'Jazz-heads' (read: snobs) often dismiss them as trite or pop-oriented, perhaps likening them to a college a cappella troupe or disdaining them as antiquated. The New York Voices are far from that. They are serious musicians, advancing jazz music while honoring its past. The group is part of a lineage of jazz vocal groups that have celebrated the music as far back as its creation. For the past several decades, they have been the gold standard for the sub-genre.
published on 12/01/2025
