JazzTimes Magazine (November 2008 Issue)

JazzTimes Magazine dates back to Radio Free Jazz, a publication founded in 1970 by Ira Sabin when he was operating a record store in Washington, DC. It was originally a newsletter designed to update shoppers on the latest jazz releases and provide jazz radio programmers with a means of communicating with the industry. However, Radio Free Jazz grew substantially over the next decade, attracting readers and writers from around the world.

In 1980, the magazine's broader focus and appeal prompted a name change, so Radio Free became JazzTimes. In 1990, the magazine also underwent a change, receiving a bold new look that incorporated exclusive cover photography and state of the art graphic design. Since then JazzTimes has continued to evolve into what is widely regarded as the world's leading jazz publication.

Today, JazzTimes has a circulation of 102,813 and distribution of 111,813 copies. The magazine is sold at all leading magazine vendors including Barnes & Noble, Blockbuster Music, Borders Books & Music, Camelot Music, Cat's Records, Central Records, Compact Disc World, Coconuts, Crossroads Entertainment, Disc Go Round, Exclusive Company, For Your Entertainment, Gallery of Sound, Harmony House, Hastings Books & Music, HMV, Kemp Mill Music, Manifest Discs & Tapes, Media Play, Michigan Wherehouse, Music Company, Music World, Music X, Oasis Music & Video, Olsson's Books & Records, Peaches, Planet Music, Record Exchange, Record Express, Record Time, Record Town, Repeat the Beat, Saturday Matinee, Strawberries, Streetside Records, Tempo Music, Tape World, Vibes Music, Virgin Megastore, The Wall, Waves Music, Wherehouse Entertainment.

The magazine features extensive new coverage, award winning jazz journalism, hundreds of CD, book and video reviews, world class photography and award-winning graphics, informative features and columns, special theme issues and much more.

Typical cover artists include Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Ornette Coleman, Joshua Redman, John Scofield, Roy Haynes, Brad Mehldau, Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, Bill Frisell, Branford Marsalis, The Bad Plus, Dave Douglas, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Medeski Martin & Wood and Marcus Miller. Plus, legends such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Jaco Pastorius, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Duke Ellington.

JazzTimes is looking exclusively for jazz records. The magazine does not review or cover blues, soul, world music and folk. As long as the CD would clearly be identified as jazz, regardless of the jazz genre (smooth, mainstream, avant-garde, Dixieland, traditional, big band, vocals, etc), it will be given consideration.

Preference is given to core or established jazz artists. The appearance of these core artists (someone like Jack DeJohnette, Christian McBride or Kenny Barron) on a CD by a relatively unknown artist can be helpful in pushing a CD above the hundreds of other releases from local jazz groups. It is preferred that the group or artist has performed and gotten airplay in areas other than its home city or region. Artists must have released a physical CD, with a bar code. Recordings only available by download will not be reviewed. Releases with distribution or sales by a third party - CDBaby, Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, North Country - are preferred over releases which are only sold at gigs.

JazzTimes tries to review CDs that fit this criteria based on artistic merit. Less than 100 CDs can be reviewed per issue (10 issues per year) out of the 300-400 CDs that are received each month, so that leaves a lot of CDs un-reviewed. Please be sure that you meet all of the criteria before submitting.

The November 2008 issue is the "Drums/Percussion" issue.

JAZZTIMES AUDIO DOWNLOAD PROGRAM<