Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Saxophonist, Sonic Explorer Casey Benjamin Dies at 45
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
Ted Nash revisits Bernstein and Sondheim for ‘Somewhere Else: Songs From West Side Story.’
(Photo: Frank Stewart)
Matthew Stevens (left), Terri Lyne Carrington, Debo Ray, Kassa Overall, Morgan Guerin, Aaron Parks all contribute to Carrington’s ‘Waiting Game,’ one of six new albums that earned five stars in DownBeat during 2019.
(Photo: Delphine Diallo)Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society, Mandatory Reality (Eremite)
Claudia Acuña, Turning Pages (Delfin)
Umut Adan, Bahar (Riverboat)
Areni Agbabian, Bloom (ECM)
Yazz Ahmed, Polyhymnia (Ropeadope)
Susan Alcorn/Chris Corsano/Bill Nace, Live At Rotunda (Open Mouth)
Aimée Allen, Wings Uncaged (Azuline)
JD Allen, Barracoon (Savant)
Fabian Almazan Trio, This Land Abounds With Life (Biophilia)
Monty Alexander, Wareika Hill (Rastamonk Vibrations) (MACD Records)
Jacob Anderskov, Mysteries (Kinetics Live In Köln) (ILK)
Gretje Angell, ... In Any Key (Grevlinto)
Masha Art & LRK Trio, Anesthesia (Losen)
Allison Au Quartet, Wander Wonder (Self Release)
Axebreaker, Brutality In Stone (Phage)
The Bad Plus, Activate Infinity (Edition)
Banda Black Rio, O Som Das Américas (The Sound Of The Americas) (Universal Music)
Jon Batiste, Anatomy Of Angels: Live At The Village Vanguard (Verve)
Olcay Bayir, Rüya: Dream For Anatolia (ARC)
Espen Berg Trio, Free To Play (Odin)
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, The Essentials II (Concord)
Billy Branch & The Sons Of Blues, Roots And Branches: The Songs Of Little Walter (Alligator)
Alan Broadbent Trio, New York Notes (Savant)
Brock/Ulery/Deitemyer, Wonderment (Woolgathering)
Matt Brewer, Ganymede (Criss Cross)
Broken English Club, White Rats II (L.I.E.S.)
Michael Jerome Browne, That’s Where It’s At! (Borealis)
Kevin Burt, Heartland & Soul (Little Village Foundation)
Taylor Ho Bynum 9-Tette, The Ambiguity Manifesto (Firehouse 12)
Etienne Charles, Carnival: The Sound Of A People, Vol. 1 (Culture Shock Inc.)
Avishai Cohen/Yonathan Avishai, Playing The Room (ECM)
Emmet Cohen Trio, Dirty In Detroit (Self Release)
George Colligan, Again With Attitude (Iyouwe)
The Comet Is Coming, Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery (Impulse!)
Chick Corea, Trilogy 2 (Concord Jazz)
Bob Corritore & Friends, Do The Hip-Shake Baby! (SWMAF)
Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman, Time Gone Out (Intakt)
Roxy Coss, Quintet (Outside In)
Marilyn Crispell, Dream Libretto (Leo)
Stephan Crump’s Rosetta Trio, Outliers (Papillon Sounds)
Caroline Davis & Rob Clearfield’s Persona, Anthems (Sunnyside)
Kris Davis, Diatom Ribbons (Pyroclastic)
Joey DeFrancesco, In The Key Of The Universe (Mack Avenue)
Whit Dickey Tao Quartets, Peace Planet & Box Of Light (AUM Fidelity)
Joyce DiDonato, Songplay (Warner Classics/Erato)
Dave Douglas, UPLIFT: Twelve Pieces For Positive Action In 2018 (Greenleaf Music)
Draksler/Eldh/Lilinger, Punkt.Vrt.Plastik (Intakt)
Mark Dresser Seven, Ain’t Nothing But A Cyber Coup & You (Clean Feed)
EABS, Slavic Spirits (Astigmatic)
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters, Beyond The Blue Door (Stony Plain)
Elephant9, Psychedelic Backfire I/II (Rune Grammofon)
Harris Eisenstadt, Old Growth Forest II (Astral Spirits)
Elkhorn, Sun Cycle/Elk Jam (Feeding Tube)
Moppa Elliott, Jazz Band/Rock Band/Dance Band (Hot Cup)
Endon, Boy Meets Girl (Thrill Jockey)
Peter Evans/Sam Pluta, Two Live Sets (Carrier)
Ferran Fages, Un Lloc Entre Dos Records (Another Timbre)
Tanja Feichtmair, Omnixus + Solo (Leo)
Amina Figarova, Road To The Sun (Amfi)
Jonathan Finlayson, 3 Times Round (Pi)
Mary Flower, Livin’ With The Blues Again (Little Village Foundation)
Mimi Fox, This Bird Still Flies (Origin)
Bill Frisell, Harmony (Blue Note)
Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan, Epistrophy (ECM)
Anthony Fung, Flashpoint (Tiny 1)
Vyacheslav Ganelin/Deniss Pashkevich/Arkady Gotesman, Variations (Jersika)
Tim Gartland, Satisfied Taste (Good Music)
Garzone/Erskine/Pasqua/Oles, 3 Nights In L.A. (Fuzzy Music)
Sara Gazarek, Thirsty Ghost (Self Release)
Rhiannon Giddens, There Is No Other (Nonesuch)
Brandon Goldberg, Let’s Play (Self Release)
Benny Green, Then And Now (Sunnyside)
Larry Grenadier, The Gleaners (ECM)
Johnny Griffith Quintet, The Lion, Camel & Child (GBRecords)
Mark Guiliana, BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! (Motéma)
Benjamin possessed a fluid, round sound on the alto saxophone, and he was often most recognizable by the layers of electronic effects that he put onto the instrument.
Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
“He’s constructing intelligent musical sentences that connect seamlessly, which is the most important part of linear playing,” Charles McPherson said of alto saxophonist Sonny Red.
Feb 27, 2024 1:40 PM
“I might not have felt this way 30 to 40 years ago, but I’ve reached a point where I can hear value in what people…
Albert “Tootie” Heath (1935–2024) followed in the tradition of drummer Kenny Clarke, his idol.
Apr 5, 2024 10:28 AM
Albert “Tootie” Heath, a drummer of impeccable taste and time who was the youngest of three jazz-legend brothers…
“Both of us are quite grounded in the craft, the tradition and the harmonic sense,” Rosenwinkel said of his experience playing with Allen. “Yet I felt we shared something mystical as well.”
Mar 12, 2024 11:42 AM
“There are a few musicians you hear where, as somebody once said, the molecules in the room change. Geri was one of…
Henry Threadgill performs with Zooid at Big Ears in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Apr 9, 2024 11:30 AM
Big Ears, the annual four-day music celebration that first took place in 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee, could well be…
