Sep 5, 2024 11:51 AM
People, Get Ready: Preparing Jazz Students for That Next Big Step
During the early years of jazz, studying the genre in a college classroom would have seemed absurd. The music was…
From left, jazz educators Jay Sweet, Jason Goldman and Ingrid Jensen offer valuable audition tips.
Sep 5, 2024 11:51 AM
During the early years of jazz, studying the genre in a college classroom would have seemed absurd. The music was…
“I don’t focus on the harshness of the music business,” Lloyd says. “I focus on the profundity of what we’re doing because that’s the real stuff. You can change the world with that.”
Sep 4, 2024 1:29 PM
“To get this honor at this late stage, I suppose I’m blessed. I just know that this is a sacred song, and I’m in…
The Sullivan Fortner Trio, from left, Fortner, Tyrone Allen and Kayvon Gordon.
Sep 4, 2024 1:26 PM
As a pianist, Sullivan Fortner is a master at shifting gears. He spent years as a key member of trumpeter Roy…
“I had to play the music I loved with the people I wanted to play it with,” said Bloom. “Nothing would stop me.”
Sep 4, 2024 1:09 PM
When DownBeat last profiled Jane Ira Bloom in August 2017, the soprano saxophonist was at the start of her ongoing…
“Just because I’m at the organ doesn’t mean I have to fall into the predictable traditional approach to the instrument,” says Goldings.
Sep 4, 2024 1:07 PM
A funny thing happened to Larry Goldings on his way to pursuing a career as a jazz pianist: He became a jazz organ…
In addition to his instrumental prowess, Malone was praised for his musical generosity and his singular sense of humor.
Aug 27, 2024 12:09 PM
Guitarist and bandleader Russell Malone died Aug. 23, while on tour in Japan, after battling end-stage kidney failure.…
“He would always call me his grandson,” Whitaker says of the late Dr. Lonnie Smith. Smith’s personal assistant sent Whitaker one of the master’s B-3s after he died in 2021.
Aug 27, 2024 11:46 AM
At the close of 2021, Matthew Whitaker faced a glut of options. Having met with his management team to discuss ideas…
Saxophonist Greg Ward, left, gets a lesson in how to wear the blindfold before journalist Michael Jackson administers the test.
Aug 27, 2024 11:33 AM
Alto saxophonist Greg Ward’s win in this year’s Critics Poll Rising Star category, at age 42, was a long time…
Béla Fleck will perform in a trio with Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sanchez at New York’s Blue Note in September.
Aug 27, 2024 11:20 AM
Banjo player Béla Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Antonio Sanchez will make their world premiere as a trio…
“You gotta go out on a limb and book people who you know people need to see, need to experience,” says Christian McBride of curating the Newport Jazz Festival.
Aug 20, 2024 11:38 AM
Newport Jazz Festival 2024 carried much promise, and it delivered: a diverse and very strong lineup – each act an…
