The Outside in Music Podcasts

Outside in Music built its reputation as a contemporary jazz label and artist collective before launching this podcast, and that industry context shapes everything about how the show operates. Over 218 episodes from 2017 to 2021, the feed features weekly interviews and conversations with artists you need to know -- that phrase is right there in the description, and they mostly deliver on it. The focus is firmly on contemporary and forward-looking jazz, which means you're hearing from artists who are actively shaping where the music is going rather than revisiting where it's been. The show runs multiple series simultaneously. "This is Jazz Today" offers monthly playlist-style showcases of contemporary artists. "OverHERE" focuses on musicians ahead of specific album releases. "The Hang" features longer conversational interviews without a commercial hook. The variety keeps the format from going stale, and each series operates with its own pacing and editorial logic. Episodes range from short 15-minute conversations to hour-long deep dives, depending on what a given artist or topic warrants. With a 4.9-star rating from 13 reviews and 218 total episodes, the archive is substantial. The show skews toward musicians who are active in New York's creative jazz scene and the broader international contemporary jazz circuit -- you'll encounter artists from across Europe, Asia, and beyond who are working in adjacent traditions. If you follow jazz through new releases rather than through historical listening, this is one of the more useful catalogs available, built around the idea that what's happening right now in jazz is just as worth documenting as what happened 60 years ago.