Playing Changes: Jazz For The New Century

"Jazz music: It’s as interesting now as ever! Who knew? If you have any opinion about that assessment, you may have read writing by Nate Chinen, perhaps in The New York Times or through NPR Music and WBGO. Playing Changes is better: an ever-broader contemporary scene portrayed through its prime movers and movements (Brad Mehldau, Jason Moran, Esperanza Spalding, etc.). It’s music criticism with suggested listening but considers emergent forces – moneyed institutions, Big Jazz Education, hip-hop – which have sneakily shaped the sounds. So it’s not only a first stab at a playlist for our times; it’s also a first draft of our times’ history."