Paul Medrano - Author at BestofJazz.org

All posts by “Paul”

Keith Jarrett – Piano Solos (1998-2017)

Keith Jarrett was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in the ‘90s. In 1997, he had to stop touring, recording, and even playing the piano. 1998 marked the point at which Keith managed to heal, recover, and come back to playing.

Nearly 20 years later, at the beginning of 2018, Keith suffered two major strokes that were serious enough that he is still partly paralyzed and unable to play the piano with two hands. “I don’t know what my future is supposed to be,” he told the New York Times in October 2020. “I don’t feel, right now, like I’m a pianist.”

2017 marked his last solo piano live performance.

Aakash Mittal’s Awaz Trio – Nocturne

Nocturne is the new album by Aakash Mittal’s Awaz Trio, with Aakash Mittal on alto saxophone, Miles Okazaki on guitar, and Rajna Swaminathan on mridangam and kanjira. Nocturne was recorded on October 18th, 2018 at Samurai Hotel Studios by David Stoller, and produced by Aakash Mittal.

Best Jazz Albums of 1997

Discover the Best of Jazz selection for 1997 with our ten best jazz albums released that year. Once again, the albums are listed in no particular order: all are amazing in their own ways. At the end of the article, you will also find a playlist with a track to represent each of those ten albums, plus ten extra, for nearly 150 minutes of breath-taking music.

Rachel Eckroth – The Garden

The Garden is the new album by vocal and piano artist, Rachel Eckroth. It was produced by musician and partner Tim Lefebvre. Released on the 3rd of September 2021, The Garden is Rachel’s fourth album and her first via Rainy Days Records.

Naoko Sakata – Dancing Spirits

Dancing Spirits is a solo piano album by the Japanese-born Sweden-based artist Naoko Sakata. After Inner Planets, released in 2020, Dancing Spirits was her second album, and was entirely improvised. It was recorded on the 18th and 19th of August 2020 at Annedalskyrkan, a church in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. The album was released on March 26th, 2021.

Jazz September 2021

What to expect in Jazz this month? This is our September 2021 Selection of albums already released or to be released this month (What to Wait For?). Albums – or EPs, or Singles – that got our full attention and should be worth your time.

A playlist with one track per selected album is available at the end of the post.

Best Jazz Albums of 1998

Discover the Best of Jazz selection for 1998 with our ten best jazz albums released that year. Once again, the albums are listed in no particular order: all are amazing in their own ways. At the end of the article, you will also find a playlist with a track to represent each of those ten albums, plus ten extra, for more than two hours of breath-taking music.

Best Jazz Albums of 1999

Discover the BestofJazz selection for 1999, with the 10 best jazz albums released that year. Once again, the albums are listed in no particular order; they are all amazing in their own ways. At the end of the article, you will also find a playlist with a track from each of those 10 albums, plus 10 extra, for more than two hours of breathtaking music.

Five Essential Akosh Szelevényi Albums

During the ‘90s, in France, one jazz musician was making free jazz so beautiful and accessible, he got to sign a contract with the biggest publisher of the time (Universal Music) only three years after self-releasing his second album.

Martin Archer, Charlotte Keeffe, Martin Pyne – Hi Res Heart

Hi Res Heart is the first album that Martin Archer, Charlotte Keeffe, and Martin Pyne have released together. Hi Res Heart was recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown, from August 2020 until March 2021, and it was released on May 14, 2021.