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The members of Duchess, from left, Melissa Stylianou, Amy Cervini and Hilary Gardner.

(Photo: Drew Reynolds)

The Eternal Light of Standards

It’s interesting that in 2026, as the pool of songs that meet the Cambridge Online Dictionary definition of “standard” (“popular and often played over a long period of…





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Various Artists

Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience
(Decca)


JD Allen
Söwt
(Savant)


Lizz Wright & Kenny Banks Sr.
Nearness
(Blues & Greens/Candid)


Michael Blake
Halloween Tales
(Independent Release)


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Yuhan Su

Over The MOONs
(endectomorph)


Thomas Morgan
Around You Is A Forest
(Loveland)


Alex Skolnick Trio
Prove You’re Not A Robot
(Flatiron)


Ran BlakeJared Sims
Night Harbor
(Independent Release)


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Sonny Rollins: a very conscientious blindfoldee.

(Photo: DownBeat Archive)

Rollins in 3/4 Time

Editor’s Note: In tribute to the late Sonny Rollins, who passed away on May 25 at age 95, we present his first DownBeat Blindfold Test with Leonard Feather, creator of the column, from our Dec. 12, 1957, issue.


The significance lies in Sonny’s having been able, during the past year or two, to practice what he preaches. More than any other tenor player of the younger generation, he has succeeded in developing a sound and style that can be called original rather than derivative.

Sonny has been important in another area of jazz development.…






On Sale Now
November 2026
Jon Batiste
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