Substacks recommended by Nate Chinen

Recommended by Nate Chinen

Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches

By Hank Shteamer

Hank Shteamer writes about music.

Hank is a sharp, perceptive listener with a galactic range of taste, and he knows his way around the blogosphere.

- Nate Chinen

Night After Night

By Steve Smith

Conspicuous consumer of music, live and recorded, in New York City and (sometimes) points beyond.

Call & Response

By Michelle Mercer

Slow writing on culture and music from an NPR veteran and bestselling author

Michelle Mercer has a fresh, writerly take on music and culture. Hers is a vital perspective, and she's embracing the platform.

- Nate Chinen

Chronicles

By Vinnie Sperrazza

Jazz, Music, Jazz Drumming, Music History.

Vinnie Sperrazza is doing the work to put jazz drumming at the center of a lively discourse. Erudite and impassioned, he lights up every corner.

- Nate Chinen

Playback with Lewis Porter!

By Lewis Porter

New insights into jazz and its history

Burning Ambulance

Essays and interviews, mostly about music. Also a podcast. Also a record label.

Half the time, you will want to argue with Phil Freeman. The other half, you'll want to thank him for going where he does, the way that he does.

- Nate Chinen

Substack Reads

Your guide to great writing happening on Substack, plus the home of “The Active Voice,” a podcast by Hamish McKenzie.

The Motherlode: highlights, tips and curated recs from Substack Central.

- Nate Chinen

Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance

By Joyce Vance

Worried about the state of the republic? Get the legal knowledge & analysis you need to be an advocate for democracy, along with a dose of savvy optimism.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shares thoughts about sports, politics, and popular culture and how they define America.

Dada Drummer Almanach

By DADA DRUMMER ALMANACH

Sound, Art, Vegetables

Black Music and Black Muses

By Harmony Holiday

Music writing that is not restricted by the demands, wishes, and timelines of the music industry. Writing, not advertising. Love, not a battle of the brands.

Harmony Holiday is a poet who listens, a listener who poeticizes, and a keen observer of Black music's metanarrative. Nobody puts it together the way she does.

- Nate Chinen

Things We Lost in the Fire

By Sam Adams

Sam Adams on movies, TV, and culture that slips through the cracks.