Writing for NPR Music
From 2009 to 2014, my most-read essays were published on NPR Music's online jazz publication, A Blog Supreme. I've posted links here for reference, as they're some of my favorite writing on the internet! Big shout-out to ABS editor Patrick Jarenwattananon, who did wonders with my rough drafts and was a brilliant jazz thought partner throughout these years.
Jazz Now: Alex Rodriguez, Lubricity
Alex W. Rodriguez is a jazz blogger, jazz writer, jazz public radio intern and jazz history grad student. In his Jazz Now list, he says “the new jazz being created by today’s outstanding musicians provides an important frame for the historical wor...
Alex Rodriguez
At The Portland Jazz Festival, Delicate Issues And Joyful Audiences
After 10 days of world-class performers, the 2011 Portland Jazz Festival wrapped up last weekend. Oregon native Alex Rodriguez recaps this year’s event, themed “Bridges and Boundaries: Jewish and African Americans Playing Jazz Together.”
Alex W. Rodriguez
In Los Angeles, An Immigrant’s Dream Becomes A Jazz Hub
In the middle of a national recession, vocalist Joon Lee stopped recording his debut album because he thought the time was right to open a jazz club. The Los Angeles jazz community has been in agreement ever since.
Alex W. Rodriguez
Six Creative Presenters Finding New Audiences For Jazz
Three concert presenters and three record labels explain how they’re trying to attract new fans.
Alex W. Rodriguez
A Brief History Of Jazz Education, Pt. 1
Today, institutions of higher learning — high schools, summer camps and university-level programs — are an industry unto themselves, dominating formal jazz pedagogy. But before they arrived, many creative individuals had plenty of reasons to seek them out.
Alex W. Rodriguez
A Brief History Of Jazz Education, Pt. 2
Starting around the 1960s, the music’s advocates increasingly turned to institutions of higher education. Within a few decades, college campuses became an unavoidable part of the modern jazz world, training generations of musicians, providing employment and shaping the future audience.
Alex W. Rodriguez
A Saxophonist From Santiago Cracks The Stateside Scene
Growing up in Chile, Melissa Aldana insisted on playing in clubs and transcribed solos like mad — as her father did before her. Her youthful dedication is beginning to pay off.
Alex W. Rodriguez
A Jazz Institution Moves Back Home To Los Angeles
Jazz’s highest-profile competition recently crowned a new victor in a star-studded gala. But for the Thelonious Monk Institute, competition is only a small part of its desire to be back out West.
Alex W. Rodriguez