JazzTimes

Last updated
Jazz Times
JazzTimes logo.svg
Former editorsIra Davidson Sabin & Lee C. Mergner
Categories Music magazine
Frequency10 per year
FounderIra Davidson Sabin
Founded1970
CompanyTitles JCMC, LLC
CountryUnited States
Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
LanguageEnglish
Website jazztimes.com
ISSN 0272-572X

JazzTimes was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin [1] [2] [3] as the newsletter Radio Free Jazz to complement his record store. [4]

Contents

Coverage

After a decade of growth in subscriptions, deepening of writer pools, and internationalization, Radio Free Jazz expanded its focus and, at the suggestion of jazz critic Leonard Feather, changed its name to JazzTimes in 1980. [5]

Sabin's Glenn joined the magazine staff in 1984. In 1990, JazzTimes incorporated exclusive cover photography and higher quality art and graphic design. The magazine reviews audio and video releases [6] concerts, [7] instruments, music supplies, [8] and books. [9] It also includes a guide to musicians, events, record labels, and music schools.

David Fricke, whose writing credits include Rolling Stone , Melody Maker and Mojo , also contributes to the magazine. [10]

Web traffic

JazzTimes.com was redesigned in 2019. Among its most popular stories are the JazzTimes10, which look at the "Top 10" of a specific categories of jazz, from Christmas songs to tunes from the Loft Jazz era. Also popular are its annual critics and readers polls of the top artists, albums and songs in jazz. JazzTimes.com's most successful month was in February 2015, when it registered more than half a million pageviews. In 2019, it registered 3,736,397 pageviews with 65% of its traffic direct and a quarter of it from organic search.

Ownership and management

Guthrie Inc. was the founding company of the magazine and suspended JazzTimes in June 2009. [11] Later that year, JazzTimes was acquired by Madavor Media, LLC, [1] a Delaware company based in Quincy, Massachusetts (Jeffrey C. Wolk, Chairman and CEO; born 1966).

Madavor Media relaunched the magazine the same year. [11] Lee C. Mergner — who was Associate Publisher of JazzTimes from as early as 1994 till sometime after September 1999 — became publisher as early as 2001. Glenn D. Sabin (born 1963), one of Ira's sons, was the publisher when the magazine was sold in 2009, and Jeffrey H. Sabin (born 1961), Ira's other son, was general manager at the time. Mac Randall was named editor in chief in 2018 after longtime editor Evan Haga stepped [12] down from his role. Mergner remains a part-time employee for JazzTimes. [13]

On February 15, 2023, Madavor Media was acquired by The BeBop Channel Corporation, a public company under the ticker symbol BBOP and headed up by jazz musician and interim CEO Gregory Charles Royal. [14] Royal's tenure with JazzTimes was marked by a change in editorial directionbefore ultimately ceasing physical printing of the magazine. Royal believed the publication had existed in an "insular bubble for decades — a magazine seemingly written for the consumption and from the perspective of white journalists". [15] Royal also transitioned the print publication to The BeBop Channel Television Network as JazzTimes Television in September 2023 to focus on presenting JazzTimes as a video programmed format. [16] Royal's efforts as an editor were subjected to widespread criticism on the social media platform X and mockery for grammatical errors, historical errors, a confrontational tone, and a perceived decline in editorial integrity. [17] Particular criticism was leveled at Royal for his use of the magazine to promote his own projects. [18]

JazzTimes was transferred to Titles JCMJ, LLC, a Massachusetts limited liability company on February 29, 2024.


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Roach</span> American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer (1924–2007)

Maxwell Lemuel Roach was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He worked with many famous jazz musicians, including Clifford Brown, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington, Charles Mingus, Billy Eckstine, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Eric Dolphy, and Booker Little. He also played with his daughter Maxine Roach, Grammy nominated Violist. He was inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1992.

<i>Los Angeles Times</i> American daily newspaper in California

The Los Angeles Times is a regional American daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles, California in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles area city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States, as well as the largest newspaper in the western United States. Owned by Patrick Soon-Shiong and published by California Times, the paper has won more than 40 Pulitzer Prizes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Wallington</span> American jazz pianist and composer

George Wallington was an American jazz pianist and composer. Born in Sicily, his career as a pianist began in the early 1940s, when he played with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker and contributed to the development of bebop. Following several years as a sideman during the late 1940s, he formed his own group, experimenting with trios and a string ensemble before settling upon a permanent quintet.

<i>Vibe</i> (magazine) American music and entertainment magazine

Vibe is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in the summer of 2009, it was purchased by the private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners, then issued bi-monthly with double covers and a larger online presence. The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip hop culture. In 2014, the magazine discontinued its print version.

Sheets of sound was a term coined in 1958 by DownBeat magazine jazz critic Ira Gitler to describe the new, unique improvisational style of John Coltrane. Gitler first used the term on the liner notes for Soultrane (1958).

Harp was a print and online magazine that provided in-depth information on current music, mainly the adult album alternative genre, which encompasses a large variety of music. It was published from 2001 to 2008. The sister publication of Harp was Jazz Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy O'Brien</span> British journalist and writer

Lucy O'Brien is a British author and journalist whose work focuses on women in music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Feather</span> British musician, producer, and writer

Leonard Geoffrey Feather was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Charles Royal</span> American jazz musician

Gregory Charles Royal, also known as Chuck Royal, is an American musician, trombonist, composer, writer, co-founder of The BeBop Channel Corporation, the former parent owner of JazzTimes. founder of the New York Jazz Film Festival, a former judge on America's Hot Musician. and the former artistic director of the American Youth Symphony (AYS) in Washington, D.C.

Ira Gitler was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of liner notes for jazz recordings beginning in the early 1950s and wrote several books about jazz and ice hockey, two of his passions.

Will Friedwald is an American author and music critic. He has written for newspapers that include the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Village Voice, Newsday, New York Observer, and New York Sun  – and for magazines that include Entertainment Weekly, Oxford American, New York, Mojo, BBC Music Magazine, Stereo Review, Fi, and American Heritage.

Thomas Raphael Moon is an American saxophonist, author, and music critic. He is known for his book 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. He has won two Deems Taylor Awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Zubek</span> Musical artist

Mark Zubek is a songwriter, and jazz musician. His songwriting style is influenced by gangsta rap, grunge, death metal, and acid jazz. He was discovered by Betty Carter, who wrote lyrics for and performed a composition of his.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snarky Puppy</span> American jazz ensemble

Snarky Puppy is an American jazz fusion band led by bassist Michael League. Founded in 2004, Snarky Puppy combines a variety of jazz idioms, rock, world music, and funk and has won five Grammy Awards. Although the band has worked with vocalists, League described Snarky Puppy as "a pop band that improvises a lot, without vocals".

Fairways + Greens was a bi-monthly golf magazine published by Madavor Media in the United States. It was a consumer magazine dedicated to the game of golf and all the elements surrounding it, with particular emphasis on travel, lifestyle, the personalities who shape the game, equipment, accessories, opinion, history and humor. Content covered destinations, golf courses and resorts in the United States and internationally. It was in circulation between 1997 and 2014.

Doll Reader was a collectors magazine in the United States, appearing eight times a year. It included information on antique dolls, collectible and modern dolls, and offerings from manufacturers and contemporary doll artists. The last publisher of Doll Reader was Madavor Media, LLC, in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Outdoor Photographer is an American nature photography magazine. It is published eleven times per year, monthly, save for a combined January/February issue.

Jan Erik Kongshaug was a Norwegian sound engineer, jazz guitarist, and composer.

<i>Love Is Here to Stay</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Tony Bennett and Diana Krall

Love Is Here to Stay is a collaborative studio album by American singer Tony Bennett and Canadian singer and pianist Diana Krall. It was released on September 14, 2018, by Verve Records and Columbia Records. The album features the New York–based jazz group the Bill Charlap Trio. An exclusive CD edition containing two bonus tracks was released at Target, while a red-colored opaque vinyl of the album was made available exclusively through Barnes & Noble.

Veronica Swift is an American jazz and bebop singer.

References

  1. 1 2 Chesto, Jon (July 16, 2009). "Quincy Company Rescues JazzTimes With Acquisition". Patriot Ledger, The . Quincy, Massachusetts . Retrieved February 20, 2021. LCCN sn89062494 (publication), ISSN   0889-2253 (online version).
  2. Schudel, Matthew James (September 13, 2018). "Ira Sabin, D.C. Record-Store Owner, Founder of JazzTimes Magazine, Dies at 90 – After working as a drummer, Mr. Sabin opened one of the country's premier jazz record stores, then launched a magazine". Obituaries. Washington Post, The . Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)  ISSN   2641-9599, ProQuest   2103429099 (U.S. Newsstream database).
  3. Sandomir, Richard (September 18, 2018). "Ira Sabin, Founder of JazzTimes Magazine, Is Dead at 90" . New York Times, The . Vol. 167, no. 85089 (Print ed.). p. A21. Retrieved April 20, 2021.  ISSN   0362-4331 (publication), EBSCOhost   131822420 (article).
  4. Sabin, Ira (September 1995). "From the Founder". JazzTimes. pp. 14–.
  5. "Leonard Feather 1914–1994". JazzTimes. December 1994. pp. 18–.
  6. "Reviews Archive". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  7. "Live Archives". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  8. "Products & Gear Archives". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  9. "Books Archives". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  10. "David Fricke". JazzTimes. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Jason Fell (July 14, 2009). "Jazz Times to Play Again". Folio. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  12. "JT Notes: JazzTimes' Editor Evan Haga Bids Farewell".
  13. Mergner, Lee. "My Opening Farewell by Lee Mergner". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  14. "'BeBop' Acquires Madavor Media – JazzTimes, Outdoor Photographer and Other Leading Media Properties". OTC Markets. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  15. "JazzTimes and the White Critics: New ownership has a scorched-earth policy. So who's getting burned?". 15 April 2023.
  16. "JazzTimes and the White Critics: New ownership has a scorched-earth policy. So who's getting burned?". 15 April 2023.
  17. "Andrew Gilbert discusses the changes at JazzTIMES with James Gavin & John Murph, part 2". 1 August 2023.
  18. "In his 3rd tweet as owner, Gregory Charles Royal of JazzTimes is using the platform to promote HIMSELF, his own work and family. In today's world, that tracks. But still, this is such a betrayal of the readership and the jazz community". 12 March 2023.