Coverage & methodology

What qualifies

A listing must have an official date and time, a jazz performance, affirmative evidence of a live video broadcast, and evidence that watching it is free. A free ticket to the room is not evidence of a free stream. Trials, required donations, subscriptions, members-only videos, and replay-only pages are excluded.

Some sources may require a free account. Those listings must say so explicitly. Watch links are labeled as an event page, a venue player, or an official channel; a channel is never presented as a specific video.

What is covered today

Daily source checks cover Smalls, Mezzrow, BOP STOP in Cleveland, and City of Asylum in Pittsburgh. Each event needs an explicit free-broadcast announcement or free livestream reservation. Smalls and Mezzrow share one provider and publish today-and-tomorrow cards. City of Asylum requires a free livestream reservation.

The collection window can hold up to 45 days, but that does not mean every source publishes 45 days ahead. Selected broadcasts from the Hancock Institute, CU Boulder and the University of Kansas are individually reviewed, with the same 14-day evidence expiry.

Why isn’t my favorite venue here?

It has not announced an upcoming public broadcast, or streams only selected shows.
The event is free in the room, but free online viewing is not confirmed.
We can find recordings or a channel, but no dated future livestream.
Watching needs a subscription, required donation, private password, or paid ticket.
We have not added it yet, or are still working out how to keep its listings reliable.

A missing venue is not a judgment on its quality, and does not mean it never streams. Coverage grows when there is enough evidence to help you tune into a specific free performance. There is no promise of around-the-clock music.

Have a venue in mind? Contact George with an official event or stream link. Suggestions are welcome.

When information gets old

Daily checks are intended to catch changed times, removals, and cancellations. A failed source can retain its last verified listings for at most 14 days, marked stale. A successful collection replaces that source’s previous list. Listings also expire in your browser after 14 days without verification, and the site warns when its data file is over two days old.

Manually checked sources retain their real review timestamp. Rebuilding the website does not renew a review. The official event page is always the final check before watching.

Today, tonight, and after midnight

Tonight shows all of today’s sets in your selected time zone, including those that started earlier. Next 7 days includes today and the next six calendar days. This weekend means Friday through Sunday, including the current weekend on Saturday or Sunday. An explicitly scheduled overnight performance stays visible until its announced end.

Respect for the people making the music

Jazz Watch links to official viewing destinations. It does not host videos, scrape YouTube, probe playback, or bypass access protections. Optional donations to venues and musicians are welcome, but they must remain optional for a listing to qualify.