Hanighan/Cootie Williams ~

Imagine listening to your favorite jazz track in a small dimly-lit club. You know the melody well enough to probably anticipate the next part. Suddenly, though, the pianist makes an unexpected move, the bassist responds with a light-hearted beat, and the vocalist...

Jazz may have been born in the United States, but it was never destined to remain within one set of borders. From its beginnings in African American communities in New Orleans, jazz developed through a remarkable meeting of musical traditions—blues, ragtime,...

There is a particular moment that happens in a small jazz room just before the music begins. Conversations soften. Glasses settle onto tables. The lights seem a little warmer. A pianist touches the first chord, the bass enters almost underneath it, and suddenly the...