Julius Eastman’s Sound of Refusal
How the uncompromising Black composer challenged classical music's conventions and became one of the 20th century's most essential voices.
Active Listening
A journey through the archives of experimental sound, with a deep appreciation for landmark figures and music from years gone by.
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Hadley Caliman's Subtle Jazz-Funk Cosmos
How an overlooked saxophonist crafted one of jazz-funk's most enduring masterpieces.
Elaine Brown’s Revolution in Song
The activist, author and Black Panther chairwoman used music to galvanize community and give voice to a movement in search of liberation.
The Awakening's Journey Through Jazz and Beyond
Released on Black Jazz Records in the early 1970s, the Chicago band defined artistic freedom, community and Black cultural awareness.
The Conversational Genius of Phonte
From Greensboro to The Foreign Exchange, Phonte reshaped what vulnerability could sound like in hip-hop.
Minnie Riperton’s Secret Symphony
Before “Lovin’ You,” the singer crafted a lush, genre-defying meditation on intimacy and Black imagination.
Herbie Hancock's Quiet Revolution
Long misunderstood, "Sunlight" stands as a pivotal work in the conversation between human expression and machine sound.
Gravity and Grace: The Spiritual Sound of Buster Williams
The bassist turned the instrument into a vessel for clarity on 'Pinnacle' and beyond.
The Force of Nature Named Busta Rhymes
Fueled by early buzz and undeniable presence, Busta’s 1990s run helped define what it meant to show up — and show out — in hip-hop.
Roy Brooks and the Sound of Unpolished Truth
The Detroit drummer forged a gritty blend of swing and funk he called Creative Heritage Music.
Woody Shaw: A Life in Sound and Struggle
Tracing the trumpeter's journey from prodigy to post-bop architect, and the music that carried his spirit forward.
Austin Peralta Was Listening to the Future
His lone album, "Endless Planets," feels like a dispatch from a jazz world that hadn’t arrived yet.
The Dizzy Reece Album That Won’t Sit Still
Neither free nor fixed, 'From In To Out' documents a musician who learned to thrive beyond the traditional jazz narrative.
Masayuki Takayanagi and the Refusal of Jazz Comfort
The Japanese guitarist rejected tradition, turning jazz into a raw confrontation with sound itself.
Julia Holter’s Sonic Aviary: A Journey Through Noise and Light
The L.A. singer-songwriter helped me deal with some heavy grief.
‘Mama’s Gun’ at 25: Erykah Badu’s Revolution of Self
An honest chronicle of heartbreak and becoming, the singer's second LP was a masterwork of creative intent.
Demae Is Building a World of Her Own
As her music grows more intricate and assured, an artist shaping new terrain emerges.
Stevie Wonder's Vision of Black Life in Motion
More than 50 years later, the symphonic “Living for the City” endures.
Rashied Ali and the Infinite Pulse
Somewhere between the mainstream and the outer limits of free jazz, the drummer turned chaos into communion.
Jeanne Lee, A Voice That Contorted Time
The singer's groundbreaking 1975 album, "Conspiracy," is a visionary blend of jazz and poetry that redefined the possibilities of human sound.