The Journal of Jazz Studies, an online, open-access journal published by the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, announces plans for an upcoming special issue devoted to jazz music theory with Henry Martin and Keith Waters as guest editors. The predecessor of the JJS, The Annual Review of Jazz Studies, published an issue devoted to jazz music theory in 1996 (vol. 8). Our plan is to provide an overview of the state of the field and its evolution since 1996.  In addition to state-of-the-field articles, we welcome theoretical or analytical essays on any topics relevant to jazz music theory. We expect the deadline for papers to be mid-2026. Please email Henry or Keith by January 15, 2026, if you are interested in submitting a paper or review, or if you have an idea for a special feature that we might consider. For papers and reviews, please provide a brief overview of aims as well as a proposed completion date.

martinh@newark.rutgers.edu and keith.waters@colorado.edu

I am pleased to announce the publication of the second of two Journal of Jazz Studies special issues focused on jazz and gender. (https://jjs.libraries.rutgers.edu/index.php/jjs/issue/view/25)

As the submissions for this special volume came in and I read them as guest editor, my priorities were clear cut: beyond ensuring that the proposal was in some way related to both jazz and gender, they needed to 1) be clear (or have the potential to be so); 2) be credible; 3) either present new information or a new perspective; and 4) be able to start or contribute to ongoing conversations in this field. For this issue we share three articles and four case studies that I hope you will find meet these goals. Each contribution is intellectually brave, deeply personal, and contributes something we need in this field—something I believe will be of use to our students and ourselves.

-Kelsey Klotz, guest editor

Big news on the JJS editorial front! Kelsey Klotz guest edits 2025's "The State of the Field: Jazz and Gender," while Darren Mueller and Steph Doktor sign on as associate editors. Kimberly Hannon Teal and Fritz Schenker join the editorial board.

The Journal of Jazz Studies is pleased to welcome Stephanie Doktor, Darren Mueller, and Nichole Rustin-Paschal to our editoral board.

Is there a film, box set, podcast or documentary that you would like to explore that hasn't been written about previously? A book that may be a hidden treasure, or one that you take issue with?  The Journal of Jazz Studies is seeking reviews of 2,000 words or less or more in-depth review essays (2,000-5,000 words). This is the place to share your research and opinions!!!

Please contact our Reviews Editor, Jeff Sultanof (jeffsultanof@gmail.com), for more information or submit directly to the journal using our online submission system. 

The Bridge is the Journal of Jazz Studies's space for non-traditional forms of jazz scholarship. In the spirit of the 1962 Sonny Rollins album of the same name, we welcome submissions and proposals that explore alternative ways to think about, with, and through jazz, or that address its most urgent issues. We welcome reflections, discussions, provocations, and commemorations, as well as creative and speculative writing, oral histories, photo and sound essays. The Bridge celebrates work that is experiential and experimental, polyrhythmic and polyvocal, collaborative or community focused, interdisciplinary or even undisciplined.

To discuss your submission or submit a proposal, please contact the section editor Dr Lawrence Davies (lawrence.davies@liverpool.ac.uk)