The 12 Best Jazz Podcasts (2026)

Jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness have been at this for over 1,200 episodes now, which tells you something about how much ground there is to cover when two musicians genuinely love picking apart what makes great music tick. The format works because Peter and Adam bring real performing chops to the table -- these are working musicians who can sit down at the piano mid-conversation and demonstrate exactly what they're talking about. You get live breakdowns of chord voicings, explanations of why a particular solo hits differently on the fifth listen, and the kind of insider perspective that only comes from people who've spent decades on bandstands.

The show started with a tighter jazz focus but has broadened over the years to include deep album analyses of Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, and other artists where the jazz DNA runs deep even if it's not strictly a jazz record. Their track-by-track album breakdowns are genuinely addictive -- they'll spend an hour and a half pulling apart a single record, pointing out production details and harmonic choices that completely change how you hear it afterward. Episodes drop weekly and tend to run long, which is a feature, not a bug, if you're the kind of listener who wants substance over sound bites.

With a 4.9-star rating across nearly 600 reviews, the audience clearly appreciates the blend of technical knowledge and genuine enthusiasm. Peter and Adam have a natural rapport that keeps things from ever feeling like a lecture. It's more like overhearing two sharp friends argue about music over coffee, except both of them can actually play.

Brent Vaartstra built learnjazzstandards.com into one of the most trusted jazz education resources online, and this podcast is the audio companion that puts all that knowledge into your earbuds. Over 570 episodes cover an enormous range of practical topics -- how to actually practice improvisation without going in circles, ways to internalize chord changes so they stop feeling like math homework, and honest talk about what it takes to get comfortable on a bandstand.

What sets this apart from a typical music education podcast is Brent's ability to make jazz theory feel approachable without dumbing it down. He's a working musician and author who clearly remembers what it was like to be stuck on a particular concept, and that empathy comes through in how he structures each episode. Regular guest experts add variety, and there's a listener hotline where people can submit questions that get addressed on air, which keeps the content grounded in real problems real players are dealing with.

The show ran through multiple seasons before its most recent run wrapped in mid-2024, but the back catalog is massive and almost entirely evergreen. A tip about practicing II-V-I progressions from 2019 is just as useful today. With a 4.8-star rating from over 450 reviews, the audience skews toward intermediate players looking to level up, though beginners will find plenty of accessible entry points. Brent keeps the tone motivational without veering into empty cheerleading -- he's genuinely trying to help you become a better musician.

Joe Dimino has been running this interview series out of Kansas City since 2011, and the sheer volume of conversations -- over 1,600 episodes -- means he's talked with practically every working jazz musician you can name, plus hundreds you haven't discovered yet. That's the real value here. Sure, you'll find episodes with familiar headliners, but the archive is packed with regional players, international artists, and up-and-coming musicians who rarely get this kind of platform.

Joe's interviewing style is what keeps people coming back. He does his homework, asks questions that catch his guests off guard in the best possible way, and then gets out of the way to let them talk. Reviewers consistently describe him as warm and thoughtful, which matters more than you'd think -- musicians tend to open up differently when they can tell the person across from them actually listens to their records. Episodes run a tight 15 to 35 minutes, so you're getting focused, substantive conversations without a lot of filler.

The show carries a perfect 5.0-star rating across 152 reviews, which is remarkable for a podcast that's been active for over a decade. With engineer John Christopher handling production, episodes drop regularly and cover the full spectrum from straight-ahead to avant-garde. If you want to understand what's actually happening in the jazz world right now -- not just the biggest names but the full ecosystem -- this is the most comprehensive resource out there.

Leo Sidran is a musician himself, which changes the entire dynamic of how these interviews unfold. Over 330 episodes, he's sat down with creative professionals from across the arts -- though the center of gravity is firmly in jazz and music -- for long-form conversations that prioritize depth over soundbites. The show's name refers to that moment in a conversation when someone moves past the rehearsed version of their story and says something real, and Leo has a genuine talent for getting people there.

The interviewing technique is what separates this from a standard music podcast. Leo asks smart questions, then actually listens to the answers instead of just waiting for his turn to talk. He's comfortable with silence, which sounds like a small thing but completely transforms how guests respond. You end up hearing artists reflect on discovery, loss, ambition, and identity in ways that feel unguarded -- the kind of thing that usually only comes out at 2 AM after a gig.

New episodes drop biweekly and consistently earn the show's remarkable 4.9-star rating from 173 reviews. The guest list ranges from household names to working musicians whose stories are just as compelling even if you haven't heard their records yet. At its best, The Third Story doesn't just tell you about someone's music -- it changes how you listen to it afterward. The production is clean and unobtrusive, letting the conversations carry themselves.

Jason Crane launched The Jazz Session in 2007, making it one of the oldest continuously running jazz interview podcasts in existence. Over 700 episodes later, Crane has spoken with saxophonists, pianists, vocalists, composers, and bandleaders spanning the full spectrum of contemporary jazz. The format is straightforward: one host, one guest, and a substantive conversation about music, creativity, and the daily realities of life as a jazz musician. Crane is known for doing his homework before each recording, which allows him to ask questions that go well beyond the standard promotional talking points. Guests have noted that his interviews feel more like genuine musical conversations than press appearances. Recent episodes have featured artists like saxophonist Jon Irabagon and pianist Benjamin Lackner, reflecting the show's continued focus on active, touring musicians who are pushing the music forward. A Patreon-supported bonus series called This I Dig Of You invites guests to discuss their non-musical passions, adding another dimension to the archive. The show updates weekly, so the backlog grows steadily and serves as a living oral history of 21st-century jazz. With a 4.8-star rating and nearly two decades of episodes to explore, The Jazz Session is essential for anyone who wants to understand how working jazz musicians think about their art and their careers.

Ken Laster has a firm rule: no smooth jazz. That editorial stance tells you everything about where this show's heart is. Over 200 episodes and counting, In the Groove covers modern jazz, fusion, and the work of both established masters and emerging artists who are actually pushing the music somewhere new. Ken's hosting style channels the best of 1970s jazz radio -- informed, opinionated, and clearly in love with the records he's spinning.

Each weekly episode runs about an hour and features curated playlists with full artist and album credits provided. The audio quality is consistently excellent, which matters when you're trying to appreciate the nuances of a particular saxophone tone or the way a rhythm section locks in. Ken programs thematically sometimes -- an episode focused on a particular instrument, or one responding to social and political currents through the lens of jazz history -- and other times just lets his ear guide the selection.

The show holds a 4.7-star rating from nearly 380 reviews, and listeners repeatedly highlight the same thing: they discover artists here that they never would have found through streaming algorithms. There's a real human intelligence behind the curation that no recommendation engine can replicate. If you're the kind of person who wants to know what's actually happening in jazz right now, not just the canonical albums everyone already knows, Ken Laster is doing essential work with this show.

Grammy-winning vocalist Gregory Porter brings the same warmth that defines his singing to these intimate conversations with fellow artists and creative minds. The concept is simple -- Gregory hangs out with friends and colleagues, pulling on the musical and personal threads that connect them. Guests have included John Legend, David Byrne, and Elvis Costello, but the conversations feel nothing like a typical celebrity interview. There's a vulnerability and openness here that comes from the fact that Gregory is genuinely curious about the people he's talking to.

Recorded on the road and from his home in Bakersfield, California, each episode crosses time zones and genres. The discussions move naturally between meaningful songs, family experiences, creative struggles, and the way music intersects with identity and discrimination. Porter has a gift for asking simple questions that unlock surprisingly personal answers -- perhaps because he's willing to be equally open about his own experiences. Episodes run 45 to 60 minutes and feel like eavesdropping on a conversation you wish you could join.

The show has 29 episodes with a 4.9-star rating from 100 reviews, and while it hasn't released new episodes since 2021, the existing catalog is absolutely worth exploring. Listeners describe the experience as "poignant, vulnerable and beautiful," and that's not an exaggeration. This isn't a jazz podcast in the traditional sense -- it's a podcast about the creative life hosted by one of jazz's most distinctive living voices.

ECM Records has been one of the most distinctive labels in jazz and contemporary music since 1969, and their official podcast gives you direct access to the artists behind those famously beautiful recordings. Over 61 episodes, the show features in-depth conversations with musicians, composers, and collaborators who've recorded for the label -- people like Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, and dozens of lesser-known but equally fascinating artists from ECM's vast catalog.

Each episode runs 20 to 35 minutes and goes behind the scenes of specific albums and recording sessions. The conversations explore creative process, musical philosophy, and the personal influences that shape an artist's sound. Music snippets are woven throughout, giving you context for what's being discussed. If you've ever wondered what it's like to record in ECM's signature style -- that spacious, crystalline sound that's become a genre unto itself -- this is where those stories get told.

The show holds a 4.8-star rating from 42 reviews and releases new episodes roughly every two weeks. Some listeners have noted that the interview audio quality doesn't always match ECM's legendary production standards, which is a fair criticism, but the substance of the conversations more than compensates. For anyone who already loves ECM's catalog, this podcast adds layers of appreciation. For those unfamiliar with the label, it's an outstanding entry point into a world of music that rewards careful listening.

Rob Cope and Tara Minton host this London-based show that takes a straightforward approach: sit down with jazz musicians from around the world and ask them how they got into music and what keeps them going. With 298 episodes released weekly since 2017, they've assembled a substantial archive of conversations that map the global jazz landscape from the ground level -- focusing on personal stories and creative journeys rather than abstract theory or criticism.

The guest range is genuinely international, pulling in artists from scenes across Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Recent episodes have featured conversations with composers like Maria Schneider, and the show regularly spotlights both established figures and working musicians who are building careers without major label support. Episodes typically run 28 to 50 minutes, long enough to go past surface-level biography but short enough to fit into a commute or practice break. The show is sponsored by Crown Lane Studio, which gives it a rooted connection to London's active jazz community.

The weekly release schedule and nearly 300-episode back catalog make this one of the most prolific jazz interview shows currently running. The hosting style is conversational rather than journalistic -- you're listening to musicians talking to musicians, which produces a different kind of insight than a standard media interview. If you're interested in how jazz careers actually work in different countries and contexts, The Jazz Podcast has been quietly documenting those stories for nearly a decade.

Don Shor has been curating jazz selections for this show with the kind of quiet authority that comes from genuinely loving the music rather than performing expertise for an audience. Each biweekly episode runs about an hour and takes you through a carefully sequenced set of tracks, moving from boogie-woogie and ragtime roots through straight-ahead jazz, bossa nova, soul jazz, and beyond. The programming feels intentional -- tracks flow into each other in ways that create a real listening experience rather than just a shuffled playlist.

The format is beautifully simple. Don introduces pieces with just enough context to orient you, then lets the music breathe. There's no over-analysis, no forced banter, and no commercial radio energy. It functions more like having a knowledgeable friend hand you a mixtape with brief notes scrawled on the sleeve. The show pulls from multiple decades and subgenres, so a single episode might move from a 1950s hard bop cut to something recorded last year, connected by mood or theme rather than chronology.

With a 4.8-star rating from over 200 reviews, Jazz After Dark has built a loyal audience that treats it almost like a ritual -- something to put on after the day winds down. The public radio roots show in the production values and the unhurried pacing. If algorithm-driven streaming playlists leave you cold and you miss the feeling of a real DJ who knows what comes next, this is your show.

Patrick Burnette and Mike describe themselves as "two strikingly handsome middle-aged men" who get together every other week to discuss jazz, and that self-deprecating humor sets the tone for one of the most entertaining jazz discussion podcasts around. With 346 episodes stretching back over a decade, they've covered an enormous swath of the genre while maintaining the energy of two friends who genuinely disagree about things and aren't afraid to say so.

Each episode typically tackles three or four albums, mixing classic records with recent releases and the occasional record store find. The discussions run long -- usually around 75 to 100 minutes -- but the time passes because Patrick and Mike bring contrasting perspectives that generate real debate rather than just mutual admiration. One of them might be championing a free jazz record while the other argues for something more traditional, and neither backs down easily. It's the kind of spirited exchange that makes you want to immediately go listen to whatever they're arguing about.

The show maintains a 4.0-star rating from 21 reviews and releases biweekly with impressive regularity. Year-end best-of episodes, holiday specials, and occasional artist interviews break up the album discussion format. Listeners consistently highlight that the show works equally well for jazz newcomers and longtime fans -- the hosts explain enough context that you're never lost, but they don't condescend to the audience. If you want opinions with your jazz, not just reverent analysis, this is your podcast.

Ed Smith, known from his Jazz Now radio work, and Russ Naymark launched The Future of Jazz in 2024 with a forward-looking mission: to explore where the music is headed by talking to the people who are shaping it right now. Each weekly episode features an interview with a contemporary jazz musician, presenter, or venue operator, examining the roads the music will be traveling in the coming years. The guest roster is deliberately diverse, spanning pianists, saxophonists, drummers, vocalists, guitarists, and industry figures like Blues Alley owner Harry Schnipper. Episodes typically run 27 to 40 minutes, making them digestible enough for a commute while still offering meaningful depth. What distinguishes this show from retrospective jazz podcasts is its explicit focus on what comes next. Smith and Naymark are interested in how younger musicians relate to the tradition, how venues are adapting, and how the business side of jazz is evolving. With about 39 episodes in the archive and a 4.9-star rating, the show is still relatively young but building momentum quickly. The production is clean and professional, and the hosts bring genuine curiosity to each conversation without defaulting to nostalgia. For listeners who are tired of jazz podcasts that only look backward, this show offers a refreshing emphasis on the present and future of the art form, grounded in real conversations with the musicians and organizers doing the work.