List: Indispensable Jazz Blogs

When I first started writing this blog, I decided to search the vast interwebs for some inspiration. Though I already had a couple of jazz blogs in my reader, I soon discovered that there are plenty of great blogs out there that I did not know about. Since it took me awhile to scour the internet for these blogs (not to mention sifting through the tons of jazz blogs that turn up on a Google search that are no longer active), I thought I'd list some of my most essential reading here on the blog.

Two notes on this list:

1. As important as they are, I have not included sites like AllAboutJazz or Jazz.com since they are technically not blogs (though Jazz.com hosts a blog).
2. This list is by no means exhaustive. I have not included every blog I read or have seen, and any omissions are not meant as slights. Instead, I'd like this list to serve as a jumping off point for any potential readers out there. The sidebar on my blog or any of these other blogs has even more links to pursue, so don't limit yourself to the list below.

Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, on to the list, in alphabetical order.

• Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, in which Darcy James Argue comments on the goings-on of the jazz world while updating you on the goings-on of his Secret Society.
  
• Destination: OUT. If you're new to avant-garde and free jazz and need someone to hold your hand while you explore this corner of the jazz world, then this site is for you. Proprietors Chilly Jay Chill and Prof. Drew LeDrew provide tons of samples of rare or out-of-print music and discuss their finds with the readers. Seeing a new D:O post in my reader is always a treat, like opening the first present on Christmas morning.
  
• Do The Math. DTM is a blog run by Ethan Iverson of The Bad Plus, with occasional contributions from Dave King and Reid Anderson. Since The Bad Plus are on the road so often, the blog can often go awhile without updates. But when the updates come, they come big, see this epic 18,000-word post on Lennie Tristano from March of this year.
  
• Fred Kaplan. Besides being a top-notch foreign affairs columnist for Slate, Fred Kaplan is an avid jazz buff who blogs for Stereophile. Unfortunately, Stereophile does not provide an RSS feed for Kaplan's blog. Get with the program, Stereophile!
  
• Greenleaf Music Blog. Another great musician's blog. Dave Douglas runs the shop here, with contributions from various coconspirators.
  
• Jazz Beyond Jazz. Run by estimable Howard Mandel, Jazz Beyond Jazz covers the New York scene, among others.
  
• Jazz Lives. I only tuned into this one recently, but it has quickly become a must-read. Blogger Michael Steinman recently dug up a letter from Sonny Rollins to Coleman Hawkins for the blog.