The big band theory: is the jazz orchestra seeing a renaissance?
Before bebop ushered in the age of trios and quartets, large outfits dominated the scene. Now a new generation of players are bringing back the tradition – and its sense of community
Pop, drill and inhuman metalcore: new music to get excited about in 2024
Eight fresh acts to check out, from the astonishing flows of Brixton rapper Cristale to the southern rock of MJ Lenderman
Carlos Lyra obituary
A charismatic performer and fine composer who played a key role in the development of bossa nova
Tony Oxley obituary
Drummer and percussionist who developed his own musical language as a composer
From Britney to Germán Bringas: the best old music our writers discovered in 2023
Our belated discoveries included some giant hits of the 80s and 90s as well as little noticed Moroccan genius and Polish post-punk
The 10 best jazz albums of 2023
Nikki Iles affirmed her flawless ear, Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke finished each other’s sentences and Tyshawn Sorey rewrote standard-song interpretation
The 10 best contemporary albums of 2023
There was soothing minimalism and bowel-quaking low end as Neil Gaiman got some wonderfully quizzical accompaniments and Manchester’s answer to Sun Ra freaked out
The 10 best global albums of 2023
Dragonchild delivered a genre-hopping debut, Thandi Ntuli collaborated with Carlos Niño on a stripped back, joyous record and Titanic conjured visionary free-improv chamber pop
Music: Kitty Empire’s 10 best albums of 2023
It was a year of avant-rap, sex-positive R&B, polyrhythmic jazz and hyper-punk pop – plus Lana Del Rey’s glossy meditations on death and loss
On my radar: Samantha Morton’s cultural highlights
From a gorgeous puppet show venue to a minimal 20th-century church via some Brooklyn jazz, the actor and musician picks her current favourites
Kate Ceberano: ‘I’ve been misrepresented by ignorance – I work really hard and I love what I do’
The Australian singer talks about quitting school at 14, growing up in Scientology and why she’s finally coming into her own as an artist, aged 57
Shabaka Hutchings review – soaring to unfettered heights
In his last performance on the saxophone ahead of a break, Hutchings powers through an interpretation of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme
Thomas Bartlett: Standards Vol 1 review – an intimate, spare solo piano set of American classics
The US producer and piano man to the stars reduces standards by Irving Berlin and more to single takes of soothing simplicity
Erskine & Kavuma: Ultrasound review – hard bop with soft notes
Trumpeter Mark Kavuma and tenor sax player Theo Erskine join forces on an intimate, retro set that reflects on the pandemic era with sensitivity and soul
Jowee Omicil: Spiritual Healing: Bwa Kayiman Freedom Suite review – on the brink of revolution
Saxophonist Omicil builds atmospheres then upends expectations in this free-jazz homage to Haiti’s successful 18th-century slave insurrection