TONY BURKE speaks to JOEL McIVER, co-author of the biography of bluesman John Mayall

GEORGE FOGARTY is thrilled by the political clarity on show at the most independent, sustainable and worker-owned festival in the UK

STEVE JOHNSON savours a singing legend who stayed true to her working-class origins

Chris Searle speaks to US pianist RAN BLAKE

New releases by Interpol, Phoebe Bridgers, Lambchop

Re-releases of the classics Gypsy Rhumba and Buena Vista Social Club, and a stunning album by Palestinian artist Faris Ishaq

EWAN CAMERON picks out two fascinating music shows, fusing the Korean, and the Celtic, with the modern

The bard confirms that the right has a humour bypass, and replays the English Revolution on period instruments

CHRIS SEARLE speaks to Argentinian saxophonist CAMILA NEBBIA

New releases from The Jayhawks, Primal Scream, and Max Subar

Tony Burke speaks to GARTH CARTWRIGHT about the new edition of his book exploring the vinyl meccas of London

CHRIS SEARLE relishes the genius of pianist Alexander Hawkins, his many ensembles, and his new album

New releases from The Mountains Goats, Ed O’Brien, and YHWH Nailgun

Chris Searle speaks to British pianist ZOE RAHMAN

New releases from Old Spot, Chris Marksberry, and Clementine Lovell

CHRIS SEARLE urges you to listen to two new albums by the US Indian pianist VIJAY IYER

New releases from Laura Veirs, The Waterboys, and Yard Act

New releases from Shearwater, Florry, and Navy Blue

STEVE JOHNSON speaks to London singer/songwriter MADDY CARTY

Full of mysterious religious references and radical sound design, the Scottish duo’s new offering is candidate for album of the year, suggests SIMON DUFF

Three great releases of lost concerts by Duke Ellington Orchestra, John Taylor & Stan Sulzman, and Joe Henderson

CHRIS SEARLE revels in the one-off collaboration between an American polymath and a British Muslim, and detects the presence of their revolutionary forebear

DAVID YEARSLEY is fascinated by the account of four composers who transformed their experiences of the second world war and the Holocaust into deeply moving works of art

Re-releases from Iain Matthews, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and The Charlie Daniels Band

GEORGE FOGARTY is unsettled by a brilliant concert that stands on the shoulders of immigrant Jamaican heritage without reaching out a hand to the Jamaican people

New releases from Steve Swallow, Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts, and Ady Johnson

New releases from Simone White, Brass Funkeys, and Souad Massi 

STEVE JOHNSON relishes the inspirational nature of an event which combined great songs with historical narrative

ANGUS REID recommends that you discover a uniquely intimate community venue in central Edinburgh for an evening of beer and ambitious jazz

New releases from Kneecap, Sam Blasucci, and Juni Habel

New releases from Peruvian Ranil y Su Conjunto Tropical, Leve Leve: Sao Tome & Principe, and South African BCUC

JORDAN PHIZACKLEA-CULLEN reminds us of a sometimes overlooked political singer-songwriter, on the 50th anniversary of his untimely death

Ben Cowles speaks with Manchester Punk Festival 2026 organiser IAN ‘TREE’ ROBINSON about this weekend’s upcoming shenanigans 

ROGER McKENZIE grooves to the message that jazz supports, expresses and sparks fresh political movements and ideas

CHRIS SEARLE urges you not to miss Mark Sanders’ three night residency at Cafe Oto, Dalston, London

New releases from Joe Pernice, Arlo Parks, and Marilyn Crispell & Anders Jormin

Rereleases from Andrew Gold; John McFee, Stu Cook, Keith Knudsen; and The Outer Limits

New releases from Shabaka, Squeeze, and Roswell Road

CHRIS SEARLE speaks to Nicaraguan guitarist OMAR RIOS MELENDEZ

Releases from Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Maggie Nicols/Robert Mitchell/Alya Al Sultani, and Gordon Beck Trio and Quintet

New releases from Pat Metheny, Greazy Alice, and Momoko Gill

BILLY BRAGG on the role that music can play in resistance to state-sponsored violence

New releases from The Orb, Meredith Monk, and Marconi Union

New releases from Keeley, Lucinda Williams and Ye Vagabonds

New releases from Zulu Guitar Blues, Fela Kuti, and Amadou & Mariam

CHRIS SEARLE urges you not to miss two powerful performers playing three nights that will celebrate the great pianist/composer Thelonious Monk

TONY BURKE speaks to Gambian kora player SUNTOU SUSSO

A year of rich offerings that would have pricked any and all ears

New releases by Porridge Radio, The Cribs, and Bjorn Meyer

Stone Roses and Priminal Scream bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield laid to rest in Manchester

SIMON DUFF picks his favourites, from radical African-inspired electronic rhythms to improvisations on the organ

From pop anthems that take on patriarchy to masterful Gaza-themed Oud-playing, IAN SINCLAIR picks his best albums of the year

CHRIS SEARLE picks his favourite albums of the year

JAMES WALSH wallows in the triumphant reappearance behind the mic of former Morning Star columnist Chris T-T

TONY BURKE recommends a new podcast about the legenary Nigerian musician and political activist FELA KUTI

New releases from the archives of The Original Blues Project, Guru Guru, and Faces

STEVE JOHNSON salutes the mellifluous tones and clear-minded political message of a uniquely relevant Birmingham-born singer-songwriter

WILL STONE applauds a comprehensive survey of love in its many moods and musical forms

DAVID NICHOLSON is thrilled – and shocked – by an opera that seethes and sizzles with passion and the depraved use of power

TONY BURKE reviews new releases from Cheikh Lo, Mishra & Deepa Shakthi, N’Faly Kouyate

MARK TURNER holds on tight for a mesmerising display of Neath-born ragtime virtuosity

TONY BURKE revels in the publication of previously unreleased tracks by the great US folksinger

STEVE JOHNSON recommends a protest album with a harder edge than many in the genre

WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne

CHRIS SEARLE speaks to vocalist Jacqui Dankworth

Re-releases from Bobby Wellins/Kenny Wheeler Quintet, Larry Stabbins/Keith Tippet/Louis Moholo-Moholo, and Charles Mingus Quintet

WILL STONE witnesses a thrilling festival super-charged with opposition to the British government’s policies on Gaza

This is a concert of ambition and courage by organist and improviser Wayne Marshall, says SIMON DUFF

SUSAN DARLINGTON is charmed by an arena show that crosses Great Gatsby glamour with Jane Eyre madness

Reviews of More, Remembering Now, and New Vienna

MATTHEW HAWKINS enjoys a father’s memoir of life with his autistic son, and the music they explore together

CHRIS SEARLE urges you to hear the US saxophonist Joe McPhee on livestream tonight

SIMON DUFF recommends an outstanding album of choral works that range from the 12th century to the present day

MIK SABIERS wallows in a night of political punk and funk that fires both barrels at Trump

A New Awakening: Adventures In British Jazz 1966 - 1971, G3, and Buck Owens 

SIMON DUFF recommends a new album from renowned composer and oud player Anour Brahem.

BEN LUNN alerts us to the creeping return of philanthropy and private patronage, and suggests alternative paths to explore

GEORGE FOGARTY is stunned by the epic and life-affirming sound of an outstanding Palestinian musical collective

New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott

MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion

STEVE JOHNSON, CHRIS SEARLE and TONY BURKE review new releases from Steve Knightley, Jupiter & Okwess, Jason Palmer, Lisa Knapp and Gerry Driver, Kin'Gongolo Kiniata, Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey, Dan Sealey, Simin Tande, PAZ