Chaotic Good Jazz

Chaotic Good Jazz is a weekly newsletter digging into the wild, the weird, and the deeply groovy corners of modern jazz. Each issue features fresh finds, focusing on experimental & spiritual grooves to acid jazz bangers & off-the-rails sax solos.

By Alex Lester

· Launched 2 years ago

“Great weekly deep dive into an enormous amount of new music. Well designed graphics and thoughtful presentation; Alex is a great supporter of Penguin Jazz A-Z too. Give Chaotic Good Jazz a shout! ”... ”

“Great weekly deep dive into an enormous amount of new music. Well designed graphics and thoughtful presentation; Alex is a great supporter of Penguin Jazz A-Z too. Give Chaotic Good Jazz a shout! ”

Jonas Jacobs, Penguin Jazz A-Z

“Great weekly Jazz recommendations”... ”

“Great weekly Jazz recommendations”

matt, Sonic Explorations

“Curated playlists from the adventurous edges of modern jazz.”... ”

“Curated playlists from the adventurous edges of modern jazz.”

American Jazz Museum, Notes from the American Jazz Museum

Artist Spotlight: Aaron Shaw

And So It Is, Black Nile, Carlos Niño & Friends: The ABC's of Aaron Shaw

54 mins ago•Alex Lester

3

Black Thunder by Brittany Davis

CGJ Selects

Jun 18•Alex Lester

9

2

World Cup of Jazz

A Global Music Discovery Project

Jun 10•Alex Lester

11

4

2

Most Popular

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25 Can’t Miss Albums from the First Half of 2025

Jun 30, 2025•Alex Lester

24

7

4

25 of 2025 | Chaotic Good Jazz Albums of the Year

Dec 30, 2025•Alex Lester

19

6

3

25 Can’t Miss Albums from the Second Half of 2025

Dec 17, 2025•Alex Lester

19

1

3

Albums of the Month: May 2026

Jun 3•Alex Lester

17

2

3

Albums of the Month: March 2026

Apr 1•Alex Lester

16

1

2

Albums of the Month: October 2025

Nov 5, 2025•Alex Lester

15

7

1

LatestTopDiscussions

Albums of the Month: May 2026

You, Me, + the Whales | The Outer Worlds Jazz Ensemble | The MerKaBa Brotherhood | Sneaky Jesus | New Jazz Underground | Rosa Brunello | Hyphen Dash …

Jun 3•Alex Lester

17

2

3

Artist Spotlight: Isaiah Collier

The Ancients, Tha Brothahood, The Chosen Few: The ABC's of Isaiah Collier

May 14•Alex Lester

12

2

2

Artist Spotlight: Tamar Osborn

Chaotic Good Jazz is a weekly newsletter digging into the wild, the weird, and the deeply groovy corners of modern jazz. Each issue features fresh…

May 7•Alex Lester

10

8

1

Albums of the Month: April 2026

Black Nile | James Brandon Lewis | Let Spin | Harrington, Jaffe & Shiroishi | David Mitchell | Yolanda Wisher | Jiyu | Hedvig Mollestad | Billy Mohler…

Apr 30•Alex Lester

10

3

Mid Week Music Picks: April 22nd, 2026

James Brandon Lewis | Yolanda Wisher | CAVS | Harrington, Jaffe & Shiroishi | Web Web | and more!

Apr 22•Alex Lester

9

1

Mid Week Music Picks: April 15th, 2026

Let Spin | Jiyu | Critters Buggin | Ezra Collective | Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns | Alabaster DePlume | and more!

Apr 15•Alex Lester

12

2

Mid Week Music Picks: April 8th, 2026

Billy Mohler | Sononym | Mai Khôi & The Dissidents | lone eagle, The Forest | Black Nile | Parlor Greens | and more!

Apr 8•Alex Lester

8

2

Chaotic Good Jazz x Shady Pines Radio ep. 45

Anna Butterss | Endea Owens | Amanda Whiting | Turiya | Amy Gadiaga | Yolanda Wisher & The AfroEaters | & more!

Apr 3•Alex Lester

3

Albums of the Month: March 2026

Harriet Tubman | Henriette Eilertsen | Lo Steele | Adam O’Farrill | Irreversible Entanglements | Last Scene Alive | Ben Wendel | Nicolas Leirtrø’s…

Apr 1•Alex Lester

16

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