StLJN jazz site of the week: Downbeast

The StLJN jazz site of the week is Downbeast, a blog affiliated with the adventurous jazz indie label Cryptogramophone. As you'd expect, the site offers information and updates on the various musicians who record for Cryptogramophone, but there's lots more, too, including coverage of the jazz scene in Los Angeles and links to other interesting jazz-related content from around the Web.

The site has an attractive design and makes good use of photos, but more important, there's enough quality material there to make it more than just another record company promotional vehicle. Written in an informal style with an occasionally skewed sense of humor, Downbeast is an entertaining read that's definitely worth a visit and/or a bookmark.