DJ Love celebrated car horns, Kenyan metalhead Lord Spikeheart traversed trap and doom, while 82-year-old Milton Nascimento joined forces with Esperanza Spalding.

The 50 best albums of 2024 according to Crack Magazine, featuring Fontaines D.C., Cindy Lee, Tyler, the Creator, Charli xcx and more.

Nubya Garcia is feeling more free than ever before. Spending much of 2023 and 2024 taking a break from her previous schedule of playing up to 100 shows per year, the 32-year-old London-based saxophonist has instead been travelling the world, moving from France to Brazil, taking time to explore, experience and hone her craft

It has been just over a year since this writer last spoke to saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis for the cover feature in DownBeat's June 2023 issue.

For Johnathan Blake, every record is an act of remembrance. Over the past two decades, the Philadelphia-born and New York-based drummer and composer has imbued his work with the imprint of his mentors, channelling everything from the fierce rhythmic urge of Charles Mingus’ music to Pharoah Sanders’ spiritual freedom, the deep groove of Roy Hargrove to the swing of Ralph Peterson Jr.

Warren Wolf is determined to do it all. More than 20 years into his career as a vibraphonist, drummer and composer, the Baltimore-based musician shares the true breadth of his musical talent.

After 30 years in music, the man who sang "Crazy," "Killer" and "Kiss from a Rose" still hasn’t come to terms with fame. He talks about life in a shelter, the celebrity ‘circus’ -- and almost becoming a fashion designer.

Indo-Caribbean culture is an undersung story of Windrush migration with a rich cultural history - including the East-meets-West influences in hybrid dance music.

“I’m constantly searching and pushing,” New York-based saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis says. “I don’t live my life by the moniker that there’s nothing new under the sun — I’m not interested in that kind of sun. There’s always more to be discovered.”

He has worked with Miles Davis, been sampled by Jay-Z, and has now made his first album in 25 years. He explains how going on TikTok helped him rediscover his cosmic keyboard sound.

In an epic feat of improvisation, 12 players over three days reimagined the jazz great’s magnum opus. Nubya Garcia, Dave Okumu and producer Martin Terefe talk us through the recording of London Brew.

Marley Munroe spent decades toiling away in hotel bars and on a Christian label. But now, as Lady Blackbird, her powerful soul vocals have caught the mood of the times -- and the attention of Taylor Swift.

The British jazz renaissance continues with the rise of six astonishing young talents, creating a musical storm despite the cost of living crisis.

The man who turned bebop upside down with Ornette Coleman went on to work with artists from Sonny Rollins to Ian Dury -- and the London jazz festival is set to show he’s still inspiring.

The Sons of Kemet drummer explains how he’s keeping his cool while launching his debut record, working with Jonny and Thom from Radiohead - and preparing for the birth of his second child.

Film-maker Eliane Henri set out to chronicle the day-to-day life of revered jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove -- but didn’t know she would also be documenting his untimely death.

As the Beeb celebrates its centenary, we take a look at its most memorable music moments, from the birth of grime to the first sightings of Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, plus TOTP goes Madchester and countless classic Peel sessions.

After almost a decade of working alongside El-P, the rapper is releasing a solo single. He talks about the chaos and loss that inspired it, his friendship with Bernie Sanders and the ‘racist’ twisting of lyrics.

His 00s megahits took the sound of Kingston clubs global. He talks about the genre’s influence, its new female stars, and the debate over the monarchy in his native Jamaica.

She hung out with Earth, Wind & Fire, helped coach Michael Jackson and was the last person to sing with Duke Ellington. Now Jean Carne is enjoying an unexpected second spell in the limelight.

What does a man want when he’s already got 12 Grammys, two Emmys, an Oscar and a Tony? An America where fewer people go to jail and abortion rights are not under attack.

"My work is the intersection between spiritual practice and Black aesthetics," Immanuel Wilkins says. "The two symbols I draw from are John Coltrane and the Black Church." At age 24, saxophonist and composer Wilkins has established himself as a uniquely thoughtful and empathetic voice in jazz.

Informed by Urdu verse, mythological vultures and her brother’s death, the US-Pakistani musician’s latest album is unexpectedly up for one of the ‘big four’ prizes - and she’s only just left her day job. She explains how it became ‘a letting go.’

The drummer and saxophonist have been at the forefront of a new vanguard of London-based jazz musicians. Now, as they gear up for the release of their latest joint project, they’re focused on sustaining the scene for future generations.

Introspective cello in Mexico, rich South African jazz and a Malian master’s marriage of kora with symphonic orchestration were among the year’s highlights.

Looking back on the year in collaborations.

From field recordings to the divorce album, via club experiments and self-care rituals. Music that soundtracked another unpredictable year in the pandemic. Here are the best albums of 2021.

Fusing bebop with hip-hop sampling, the Chicago-based drummer is finding new ways on his Blue Note debut to expand the boundaries of jazz.

Made against the odds while she was in dire need of self-care, the London-based harpist’s album is an ambient jazz classic. She explains the healing, spiritual qualities of her work.

In her 50-year career, Baca has been a singer, ethnomusicologist and Peru’s minister of culture. As she releases her 16th album, she reveals why her work is as vital as it has ever been.

A figure in his country’s jazz scene since his early teens, Jiyane’s skill comes to the fore in his anticipated debut as a bandleader, a set full of hope and momentum.

From scoring Pixar’s Soul to bandleading on The Late Show, Batiste is a fixture of American pop-culture. Now he wants his ‘social music’ to spark genuine political change.

A fascinating new podcast delves into the life of Harry Pace, forgotten founder of the first Black-owned record label in the US -- and unlocks a shocking and prescient story about race.

The world-class British jazz scene was hit hard by the pandemic. As live shows and in-person collaboration resume, Steam Down, Soweto Kinch and more discuss the future.

Serpentwithfeet’s latest track uses the classic jazz technique. But from Bobby McFerrin to Scatman John and Baby Shark, maybe it never went away.

Away from the English-language mainstream was a world of mindblowing sound from Indian raga to Malian mayhem, and Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela’s final work.

The Mancunian has had the jazz breakthrough of 2020 with an album inspired by work in mental health support -- and his gentle, open music can ease all our minds mid-pandemic.

Ronnie Scott’s plays host to musical luminaries for a one-off programme highlighting the continued power of music by Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and more.

Revellers on Essex’s Mersea Island were transfixed by the sheer spiritual power of Khan’s first performance outside south Asia.