Sam Rivers clearly didn’t show up for work the day they decided avant-garde jazz was supposed to be harsh and un-listenable. Whereas much of what is known as “downtown,” “postmodern,” “free,” or ...

It’s been a good year for jazz, diverse in every way—styles, influences, tastes, and demographics too. I didn’t aim the list to turn out this way, but four of the albums’ leaders are women, and five ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio – For a lot of music fans, The Bad Plus came to public attention as a piano-based trio, covering the likes of Nirvana, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Rush and Blondie alongside their own ...

Since 2005 Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) has used the Secret History of Chicago Music to shine a light on worthy artists with Chicago ties who’ve been forgotten, underrated, or never noticed in ...

The Museum of Modern Art will present “Free Jazz on Film,” a program that explores the work of avant-garde jazz pioneers Sun Ra.

Avant-garde albums have historically been pretty inaccessible to mainstream audiences. If a collection of music is too weird, a lot of listeners will dismiss it. However, I think the following three ...

There’s some historically important and fabulous jazz available again this month on vinyl and CD, and it might be a surprise ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Avant-garde jazz act The Bad Plus is headed to Cleveland for a pair of concerts at the Bop Stop at the Music Settlement (2920 Detroit Ave.) on February 7. Performances that evening ...

The Reid Anderson and Dave King-led band will play several North American and European dates, plus a special tribute to Keith Jarrett.