Radical cosmopolitan Jewish Klezmatics
A band melding internationalism, social consciousness and frenzied Yiddish drive
Mandel's media diet
Hearing, viewing, reading -- music, movies, books
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Latest episodes
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James "Blood" Ulmer on blues, guitar, harmolodics, money: long candid audio
The unique electric guitarist, who died June 3, 2026 at age 86, speaks for half an hour. Here, too: An article re his big band with David Murray & Macy Gray, and specifics of detuning
Sonny: "Everybody wants love. Are you deserving of love?"
The most expressive improvising soloist on Earth, Sonny Rollins was also a mensch
Miles at 100 in our media, ears and minds
Electric bassist-author Melvin Gibbs, author-composer-electronic keyboardist-prof emeritus Bob Gluck, writer Martin Johnson and I jam on The Buzz about the trumpeter who still commands our attentions.
Who makes jazz happen? Hail JJA Jazz Heroes!
Activists, advocates, altruists in behind-the-scenes support who've earn their kudos
War for laughs
Armed conflict on an international scale, always hilarious . . .
Phil Upchurch (1941 - 2025), a candid interview, 1979
From my series "Jazz Chicago")
Jazz experience of my year
Denardo Coleman's improvisatory concerto grosso is my #1 musical takeaway of 2025; photos by Joachim Bertrand / Philharmonie de Paris
A rare international jazz publishers' panel
For the online Jazz-Con, I moderated a discussion by Japanese, UK, French, Turkish, Spanish and US jazz periodical directors
Me in the media
Reporting on Chicago music during resistance for The Wire, exit-interviews in JazzTimes and on The Buzz