It was first published in London under the title Pick Up, which Traill founded as a locus for serious jazz criticism in Britain.

The December 2018 issue was the last print edition of Jazz Journal before the magazine moved entirely online from 19 January 2019, at https://jazzjournal.co.uk.

A publisher statement explaining the move said:[citation needed] The new Jazz Journal website continues the tradition of the print edition and will develop over time an archive holding material from the last seven decades of publication.

As well as enabling JJ to communicate to a wider readership, the online format, in comparison to the print edition, allows for faster publication of news and reviews, links to relevant sources, social media interaction and ready site search for favourite players, recordings, compositions, articles, etcetera.

It is expected that the archive, combined with new material and functionality across desktop, tablet and mobile, will create an unparalleled resource for jazz fans, students and researchers.