These 25 Performers Could Shape Jazz For Decades
News, From the Magazine, 25 For The Future ,
Yazz Ahmed ,
Fabian Almazan ,
Lakecia Benjamin ,
Theo Croker ,
Yussef Dayes ,
James Francies ,
Nubya Garcia ,
Morgan Guerin ,
Jazzmeia Horn ,
Shabaka Hutchings ,
Jimmy Macbride ,
Makaya McCraven ,
Camila Meza ,
Hedvig Mollestad ,
Nduduzo Makhathini ,
Adam O’Farrill ,
Junius Paul ,
Alfredo Rodríguez ,
Joel Ross ,
Christian Sands ,
Veronica Swift ,
Luke Stewart ,
Camille Thurman ,
Kuba Wieçek
By DownBeat I Nov. 27, 2020
Veronica Swift has both a historical connection to the music and a desire to expand its artistic purview.
(Photo: Giancarlo Belfiore/Umbria Jazz)
Welcome to our enthusiastic, optimistic look at the future.
Below, DownBeat presents short profiles of two dozen musicians who, like Veronica Swift , have the potential to shape the direction of jazz in the decades to come. DB
Yazz Ahmed
Fabian Almazan
Lakecia Benjamin
Theo Croker
Yussef Dayes
James Francies
Nubya Garcia
Morgan Guerin
Jazzmeia Horn
Shabaka Hutchings
Jimmy Macbride
Makaya McCraven
Camila Meza
Hedvig Mollestad
Nduduzo Makhathini
Adam O’Farrill
Junius Paul
Tomeka Reid
Alfredo Rodríguez
Joel Ross
Christian Sands
Veronica Swift
Luke Stewart
Camille Thurman
Kuba Więcek
These stories originally were published in the November 2020 issue of DownBeat. Subscribe here .
“I like to just click on songs that touched me and see if I could do them in a personal way — especially if it’s a well-known song,” Alpert said about selecting material for his new album.
Jan 31, 2024 2:48 PM
Herb Alpert Proves That Dreams Do Come True
In 2020, writer and director John Scheinfeld released the feature documentary Herb Alpert Is … . “I liked it, but I…
Emmet Cohen, right, with one of his heroes, Houston Person.
Jan 23, 2024 12:24 PM
Blindfold Test: Emmet Cohen
Emmet Cohen’s first DownBeat Blindfold Test transpired on the only day in September that didn’t involve traveling…
“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
Blindfold Test: Charles McPherson
“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…
“One of the first things I checked out heavily when I got serious about playing music was Weather Report’s Heavy Weather ,” Payton says of his early influences.
Jan 23, 2024 12:35 PM
The Evolution of Nicholas Payton
There was a time, back in the mid-’90s, when trumpeter Nicholas Payton was being hyped as a Young Lion on the scene.…
A deluge of posthumous Chick Corea releases focuses both on his Elektric Band forays as well as his classical leanings.
Feb 13, 2024 1:58 PM
Elektric Memories & More
If Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea had done nothing more that what he produced during the 1970s, he would still be a…