Nate Chinen
@natechinen
Writing and talking about music. Forever listening. WRTI, NPR, formerly NYT. Author of a Substack newsletter, The Gig, and a book called 'Playing Changes: Jazz For the New Century.'
Highly recommend the Jerry Pinkney exhibition currently at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. (The cover illustration is from a book about the Sweethearts of Rhythm, sadly out of print.)
I just called up the Apple Music artist page for Miles Davis. Interesting to note that the first three of its curated Essential Albums are: 'On the Corner,' 'Bitches Brew,' and 'In a Silent Way.' Meanwhile, all but one of the Top Songs (by actual plays) are from 'Kind of Blue.'
Tell me you haven’t listened to much country music without telling me you haven’t listened to much country music. 🤠
Some things just can’t be taught in a classroom: Sharp insights from a conversation with Gerald Cannon, and other members of the Roy Hargrove Quintet. (Watch the full interview at The Gig.) thegig.substack.com
New at The Gig: a band reunion for the turn-of-the-century Roy Hargrove Quintet, which can be heard on the incredible #RecordStoreDay release BERN. Here’s alto saxophonist Sherman Irby speaking beautifully about what made this band so special. Watch the whole conversation now at The Gig.
Josh Barone bringing some real Hays Code innuendo to this review of 'Tristan und Isolde.' Who says opera has no sex appeal?
My daughter, a h.s. sophomore, is taking a journalism class where the teacher started to cue up a doc about “a punk band you guys have definitely never heard of.” He says the name Fugazi, and my daughter goes: “Oh, I know that band.” (I’m about to play her The Messthetics with James Brandon Lewis)
Here is Dave King at home in Minnesota. My conversation with him and Reid Anderson — about The Bad Plus reaching the end of the road, after more than 25 years — is coming next week on The Gig.
Readers: "The NYT has its head up its own ass" NYT: "Hold my Dulcolax" ... (For the record: I'm friendly with Sam Anderson, from my years in Beacon. A terrific writer and delightful human! His piece is fun and on target; just having a little fun with the framing.)
Roscoe Mitchell’s advice to his younger self. (From a Mellon Foundation website documenting a recent NYC gathering of 16 Jazz Legacies Fellows) www.mellon.org/grant-story/...
Here is the revered Swiss saxophonist Marcus Weiss on baritone, playing Bach and Kurtág in 2016. When you say “Bari Weiss,” this is my preferred mental image.
In SCROOGED (1988), the cab driven by the Ghost of Christmas Past heads first to Christmas Eve, 1955 — which means that Frank Cross time-travels to a point less than seven weeks after Marty McFly in BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985). Even the cab meter feels like a nod to the DeLorean dash.
Whew, this piece by @aadowd.bsky.social. 🔥 Highly recommend. (H/T @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social) prospect.org/2025/12/11/s...
Sometimes for a laugh I remember the time my wife, who grew up around Houston, TX, first learned of the existence of the wonderful tenor saxophonist Houston Person. She could hardly believe it was a real name. Like, a guy named Area Man.
This shot of Santa leaving the Linc is such a dagger to the heart. (And not a snowball in sight…)
In my suburban Pennsylvania district, I cast ballot No. 538. My wish for you is that this is the only 538-related content that you will see from a Nate today.
@burningambulance.bsky.social, thought you’d want to see this still life from the merch table at Jazzfest Berlin
I think about Jack’s first night in NYC, sitting in with Freddie at Minton’s. Harold Mabern on piano, Larry Ridley on bass… and Al Foster on drums. I imagine Al was impressed (and maybe taken aback) by the new kid in town. Here’s the relevant excerpt from Jack’s oral history for the Smithsonian.
The View From Nowhere stays pretty appealing when you’ve built an entire resort community touting the view
Through George Wein, I once interviewed Elliot Hoffman, “lawyer to the stars,” who served as tour manager for the Coltranes in Japan. There are a few stories! Here’s a pertinent page from George’s book.
Scene from a swing state suburb today: NO KINGS 🚫 F*CK ICE 👎🏼 GO BIRDS 🦅 #nokings #nokingsday
Ravi Coltrane Quartet was stupendous at Solar Myth tonight, playing John Coltrane’s music as a benefit for the Coltrane House in Philly’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. I’ll have more to say about this soon.
Tonight I finished George Saunders’ magisterial LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, which didn’t quite take for me in 2017, whatever the reason. One person who hailed it at the time was Colson Whitehead; here’s how he concluded his trenchant appraisal in the Times.