Bullets and blues: Louis Armstrong’s difficult upbringing revealed after discovery of family police records
A new book reveals the jazz musician’s mother and sister were arrested several times for prostitution in New Orleans
January 2025
The week in theatre: Play On!; A Good House; Moby Dick – review
Sam Amidon: Salt River review – an eclectic if erratic affair
Jacob Collier/Chris Thile/Britten Sinfonia review – Bach to Beatles and mass harmonies as virtuosic pair delight
Charli xcx leads male-dominated Brit awards nominations – with first Beatles nod since 1977
Elgar Howarth obituary
Brief letters
Smashing result for a one-of-a-kind egg
Letters: Jimmy Carter obituary
Play On! review – a warm, elegant comedy that brings 1940s swing to Shakespeare
Glebe: Gaudí review – a bold British jazz fusion debut
Lost Ella Fitzgerald recordings to be released – including her take on 60s pop
Brief letters
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing
Barre Phillips obituary
Laurie Holloway obituary
Brief letters
How to call out our pantomime ex-PM
Jazz album of the month
Jakob Bro: Taking Turns review – lost masterpiece from great Dane’s understated jazz supergroup
Brief letters
For shiny softness … don’t wash your hair
December 2024
Best music of 2024
French flirting, flute fusion and love flowin’ free: the best old music we discovered this year
A little crate-digging can yield buried treasure – as our music writers found this year when they discovered everything from Taiwanese pop star to Cher’s disco era
Observer critics' review of 2024
Music: Kitty Empire’s 10 best albums of 2024
Americana’s classiest duo weather the storm, Kendrick Lamar has the last word, UK jazz soars – and Charli xcx unleashes the power of Brat
Best music of 2024
The 10 best contemporary albums of 2024
Astrid Sonne’s sonic odyssey led her to Auto-Tune experiments, Caroline Shaw took Emily Dickinson into junkyard hip-hop and Nala Sinephro went space-age
