Jazz is more serious than other genres - jazz requires exactly as much or as little expertise to listen to and appreciate as anything else

Jazz was born in New Orleans - it emerged almost simultaneously in a number of different communities

Jazz must swing - jazz artists are prone to experimenting with unusual time signatures

Jazz musicians were (or are) on drugs - early propaganda designed to paint black communities as dens of iniquity, and create reasons to arrest them

Jazz is dead - it’s integral to hip-hop and vibrant jazz scenes in Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Canada

Turkish authorities in Istanbul have detained Amir Tataloo, real name Amirhossein Maghsoudloo after he was flagged as a wanted person by Interpol. A popular but controversial figure in Iran, the rapper is known for his outspoken criticism of the country's government. Police said Iran's judicial authorities had made the request for Tataloo's arrest "for encouraging citizens, especially young people, to use drugs, especially psychotropic drugs, and for spreading corruption."

Not only are the tribute acts performing the songs of the original act, they are trading off the name, brand, images, and reputation of the original act, making on average, $500 per night per member, while a successful tribute act can gross over $10,000 a night during peak season. In some cases, they might be illegal - if the original act can show that they lost audiences or live revenue as a result of the tribute act. In 2009, a Bon Jovi tribute band Blonde Jovi had to change their name due to “likelihood of confusion”, although all the members of the tribute act - are women (pictured above).

On her first solo album 'Likewise', singer-songwriter Frances Quinlan "has taken everything she learned from leading a rock band and applied it to creating more dynamic compositions, songs that burble and bounce", Stereogum says about their newest Album of the week choice. The S-Gum appreciates the theme of the album - "what it means to forge a connection with someone while maintaining your own interiority", and lyrics in general, like “I know there is love that doesn’t have to do with taking something from somebody".

The physical media is still alive, despite all the convenience of the streaming platforms. Number confirm that the physicals are still here - by 2018, more people aged 30-49, meaning older millennials and younger Gen Xers, still owned DVD players than any other age group. On the other hand, vinyl records earned $224.1 million in the first half of 2019 and recently outsold CDs for the first time since 1986. Nearly 50 percent of record player owners are 35 or younger.

Wyclef Jean of the Fugees has raised $25 million in funding for his newly-launched Carnival World Music Group, a music publishing and distribution company. Fast Company reports that the funds will be used to sign songwriters and producers in parts of Africa, the Caribbean, and other underserved markets with the goal of empowering creative artists by giving them the publishing and distribution resources they need to promote their music and earn royalties.

'Please Daddy' is a "straightforward, guitar and piano-oriented indie rock album, but even straightforward Sarah Mary Chadwick is breathtaking", Brooklyn Vegan says about the new album by the Melbourne singer-songwriter. Pitchfork says in a review "she doesn’t necessarily want these songs to feel like downers, even though they are", with NME adding that Chadwick "channels grief with lacerating vulnerability, feeling her way to a sense of peace".

“Incredible!!!” - Queens Of The Stone Age wrote reposting a video of remarkable drum cover of their track ‘No One Knows’ by nine-year-old girl Nandi Bushell. Last year she went viral for a cover of Nirvana’s ‘In Bloom’, and for playing with Lenny Kravitz. She has also covered The Prodigy, Billie Eilish, Rage Against The Machine, Prince, The Police and System of a Down.

When we’re dying, which songs do we want to hear? and why don’t we choose our own funeral songs? - the terminal illness charity Marie Curie will pose this definitive questions on 29 January, at the monthly Science Museum Late event in London. At the talk called What’s Your #MyLastSong? attendees will nominate their ultimate last songs; they will then be played on a vintage jukebox on stage and discussed by a duo with intimate knowledge of the subject: consultant in palliative medicine Mark Taubert and 6 Music DJ Gideon Coe. However, Marie Curie research showed that 82% of people would be comfortable talking about their own end-of-life wishes. Last year, some of the most popular funeral songs were AC/DC’s 'Highway to Hell', Billie Eilish’s 'When the Party’s Over', and Robbie Williams’ 'Angels'.

Instead of making a song about bras, Queen guitarist Brian May is selling sports bras - with little guitars on it. The underwear, designed by May himself, is on sale for £35 through his Brian May Guitars website.

"She appears to be one of those rare artists whose unlikely breakthrough signals a turning point for the whole industry. Her totally untested route to fame indicates that, for this generation, the unspoken rules that 00s female pop stars had to follow may finally be starting to fall away" - the Guardian predicts change after Billie Eilish's big win at the Grammys - "She’s a nonchalant, nihilistic figure... moody and quiet".

American queer rapper Zebra Katz has released 'ISH', the latest single from his debut album 'Less is Moor', coming out in March. 'Ish' is a dark and industrial hip-hop, whereas his first single 'IN IN IN' was a dark ballroom anthem. Apart from the two, Zebra Katz also released the song 'Lousy', the moodiest of the three. The album expands on themes around sexuality. It features an array of collaborators including Shygirl, S. Ruston, Sega Bodega, Tony Quattro, and Torus.

Reed Mullin founded Corrosion of Conformity in 1982 alongside bassist Mike Dean and guitarists Pepper Keenan and Woody Weatherman. C.O.C., as they were also known, started out with a more hardcore sound, and became pioneers of sludge and stoner metal, releasing a total of 10 studio LPs during the course of their career. The sad news came just days after drummer Sean Reinert had passed away. Reinert was s legendary and highly influential death metal/tech-death drummer of Cynic and Death. He died at age 48.

URSSS.com is an online platform with videos of concerts held at the arty Milan club Macao. The latest addition is Italian American band Love Trap, prior to it they uploaded videos of modern composer Caterina Barbieri, Slovenian avant-garde folk trio Širom, and dozens of others.

Justin Bieber released his new single 'Get Me', featuring Kehlani; a good straight pop song. His new album will be titled 'Changes', and it comes out February 14.

The critics really like the new album by the veteran post-punk band. Alexis Petridis says 'Mind Hive' - feels "sinewy and stripped back, precise and pop-facing even on its roomiest tracks" with "strange, appealing sound of a band doggedly following their own path, eyes fixed forward". All Music says Wire's new "unflinching, poetic songs prove maturity is a weapon they wield just as deftly as outrage". The Quietus emphasizes something else - "Wire are now entering their sixth decade – their sixth decade – as a functioning, useful and great band".

Radio Garden is a great app that allows users to rotate the globe and listen to radio stations from all over the world in real-time. It features thousands of radios now. The site interface is a three-dimensional geolocation, where the user navigates through a representation of the globe. It also provides information on the country where the signal is being transmitted.

230 small and medium-sized venues in England and Wales will see a 50% reduction in business rates, a fee which is charged to most non-domestic properties. It should save each venue an average of £7,500 a year, according to the Independent Venues Trust and make it more likely that acts still have small spaces to start their careers.

Australian singer Mitch Tambo, an indigenous Gamilaraay and Birri Gubba man, delivered a rendition of John Farnham’s classic 'You're the Voice' as part of Australian Survival Day, Invasion Day and Australia Day events. The Gamilaraay language is no longer spoken, the last fluent speakers dying out in the 1950s. However, some parts have been reconstructed by late field-work.

Historian Stephen Tow "takes readers on a fascinating, astute, and welcoming tour through the birth of the several genre offshoots - such as progressive rock and folk - to explore the remarkable circumstances that made London and its surroundings such a fertile and significant creative space", PopMatters says about 'London, Reign Over Me: How England's Capital Build Classic Rock', a new book about UK 1960s rock. "Tow's extensive insights, engaging connections, and approachable voice makes it an enthralling read".

Usher, Sheila and FKA Twigs performed a Prince medley at the 62nd Annual Grammys - the trio performed (well, FKA twigs actually just pole-danced) 'Little Red Corvette', 'When Doves Cry', and 'Kiss'. The host Alicia Keys was joined on stage by Boyz II Men to pay an emotional tribute to Kobe Bryant, who died earlier the same day - the four performed the Motown classic 'It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday'. Tyler, the Creator, donning his signature "IGOR" look, was joined by Boyz II Men for his energetic performance 'Earfquake' and 'New Magic Wand'. Aerosmith went 30 years back and showed where the rap-meets-rock/metal came from, with performance of 'Walk This Way' with Run DMC.

"Rock isn’t dead, but its function has changed... Now on the back-step, from pop to hip-hop it’s deployed in a similarly equivocal way: just another palette to be painted with" - the Quietus says in a great analysis of new album by the American alter-pop singer Poppy 'I Disagree'. She uses elements of nu-metal on her album, without becoming a metalhead - "Counterpoint is at the core of Poppy’s appeal: here she roles out her bubble-gum persona, and she shoots her with metal, power electronics and rage". A short and sweet read.

Billie Eilish became the first woman in Grammy history to sweep the Big Four awards: album, record and song of the year plus best new artist. The first artist ever to win the big four awards was Christopher Cross 39 years ago. Eilish took album of the year for her debut, 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?', becoming the youngest album of the year winner in Grammy history (she is 18), easily topping Taylor Swift, who was 20 when she won a decade ago for 'Fearless'. She's also the youngest record of the year winner, with 'Bad Guy', in Grammy history - before her, the youngest were Kimbra and Sam Smith (both were 22 when they won). Also, Eilish's collaborator and older brother Finneas (22), is the youngest winner of producer of the year, non-classical in the category's history. Lizzo took best urban contemporary album for 'Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)', Tyler, the Creator's 'Igor' won best rap album, The Chemical Brothers' 'No Geography' won best dance/electronic album, Cage the Elephant took best rock album with 'Social Cues', Vampire Weekend took best alternative music album with 'Father of the Bride', the late Nipsey Hussle won his first Grammy for best rap performance for 'Racks in the Middle', Tool won best metal performance for '7empest', Beyoncé's 'Homecoming' won best music film, former First Lady Michelle Obama's 'Becoming' won best spoken word record...

Eminem climbs the Billboard 200 chart for the historic 10th time with his latest release, 'Music to Be Murdered', with 279,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 23. Of the total starting sum 154,000 are in SEA units, 117,000 are in album sales, and 8,000 are in TEA units. Eminem is just the sixth act with at least 10 No. 1 albums. He joins The Beatles (with a record 19), Jay-Z (14), Bruce Springsteen (11), Barbra Streisand (11) and Elvis Presley (10). Back on the new Billboard 200, Halsey’s 'Manic' debuts at No. 2, with 239,000 equivalent album units earned, and Mac Miller’s first posthumous album, 'Circles' debuts at No. 3 with 164,000 equivalent album units earned.

Post-rock maestros Caspian are "playing their hearts out and coming out with so many gorgeous melodies and suspenseful build-ups" on their latest album, Brooklyn Vegan says. 'On Circles' is "just a great collection of songs, and there’s a nice amount of diversity too" with "some of the instrumental tracks on this album... among the most devastating in Caspian’s discography". Or, as guitarist/keyboardist Philip Jamieson says - "we just made an album for the simple sake of making music".

On their split single King Khan and The Sadies each recount the same debaucherous, hallucinogens-enhanced night; 'Celeste' is a single from the first album brothers Brian Eno and Roger Eno made as a duo; 'Turn the Bow' by Local H is just some Pink Floyd-esque rawk; Rosalia makes plenty with just some hand-clapping, flamenco guitar and her voice in 'Juro Que'.

Five-year-old Slipknot fan and viral air-drummer Caleb H got decked out in period-appropriate Slipknot gear to blast his way through the band's classic 'Before I Forget' on an electronic drum set. Previously, his father uploaded a video with the young drummer playing a cover of 'Toxicity' by the System of a Down (lower below).

Presented with ever-higher ticket prices, music fans have become more demanding; hence a rise in immersive, Secret Cinema-style gigs. We have already stepped into that future - Skepta’s Dystopia987 in Manchester was part gig, part theatre, at Travis Scott’s second annual Astroworld festival guests could ride ferris wheels and carousels, US rock band Starset used augmented reality to place a huge virtual spaceship to land on the stage...

Higher Power are one of the band that are "really starting to push the envelope, taking hardcore to places it hasn’t been before on both a creative and a conceptual level, and aren’t afraid to make things a little more accessible for people", Brooklyn Vegan says about the British punk-rockers. Their second album '27 Miles Underwater', BV says, "could be a new favorite for anyone who listens to loud rock music, hardcore or punk or metal or alternative rock or otherwise".

"Parker builds out a fast-slashing range of ideas using dozens of other sounds and instruments, most of which he plays himself. They’re disparate in color and texture, pronounced and often short, each one elbowing or sliding its way in front of the one before it, impatient to steal the show. As a player and composer, Parker shines throughout. As an arranger, he catches fire" - Pitchfork wrote in review of former Tortoise guitarist's new album, a new jazz album "full of tradition and experimentation" (grade 8.4). The album is named after his mother.