The magazine covers a range of styles, from early jazz and blues to the avant-garde.

Critic and historian Bob Rusch founded the magazine as a monthly in 1976 and served as publisher and coordinating editor through 2011.

[1][2] The magazine's original parent company, Cadnor, Ltd. (based in Redwood, New York),[2] also owns a pair of jazz record labels (CIMP and Cadence Jazz), a record distributorship (Cadence/North Country), and an audio equipment retailer (Northcountry Audio).

The magazine was published monthly[2] until October 2007, when it switched to a quarterly schedule with an increase in pages.

[5] In January 2012, the format changed to an online magazine (in PDF), with an annual print edition.