Senior Contributor

James Tanner

James Tanner has been writing about jazz and improvised music for over a decade. His work focuses on the historical and cultural forces that shaped the jazz canon, with a particular interest in the independent label era of the 1950s and 60s. He lives in Chicago.

@jamestannerjazz ↗

2 Articles

Nat King Cole at the piano, Paramount Theater, New York, ca.

Culture

Ten Jazz Piano Albums That Tell the Whole Story

From stride to solo improvisation, from Harlem to Cologne — a listening path through the instrument that shaped the...

March 19, 2026

The interior of a Black church, wooden pews leading toward an altar bathed in golden light from tall stained glass windows

Features March 19, 2026

Joel Ross and the Sound of the Black Church

Joel Ross grew up in Chicago's Black church. On Gospel Music, he stops translating that experience into jazz and lets the two become the same thing.

James Tanner

Ten Jazz Piano Albums That Tell the Whole Story

Joel Ross and the Sound of the Black Church

Continue listening

Miles Davis

Blue Note Records

Browse all topics