October 2026

Volume 93, Number 10

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Cover

Linda May Han Oh & Fabian Almazan

The Jazz Family!

By Allen Morrison

Back in October 2021, bassist/composer Linda May Han Oh began a European tour with her group, beginning with a residency in Helsinki, Finland. Her band included her husband — pianist and composer Fabian Almazan. After two weeks in Finland, the tour would continue with more dates in Europe, followed by another tour with Vijay Iyer’s group, in which Linda played bass. By necessity, the tour would also include the couple’s 10-month-old son. Such is the life of a jazz family.

Features

Miles Okazaki
Of Monkathons & Boomtowns
By Phillip Lutz
Duchess, Yoko Miwa & Mikayla Shirley, Lizz Wright & Kenny Banks Jr.
The Eternal Light of Standards
By Ted Panken
The College Guide
Where to Study Jazz in 2027
By DownBeat Staff

Blindfold Test

The pairing of Terence Blanchard and Ravi Coltrane was billed as “The Miles/Coltrane Legacy,” a tour celebrating the twin centennials of 2026, focusing on the sounds and spirit they produced together when the two legends were in close orbit. Blanchard and Coltrane toured Europe through the summer, co-headlining a number of notable venues and festivals, including the Umbria Jazz Festival, where they convened early one morning for a well-attended Blindfold Test in the hallowed hall of Perugia’s Sala dei Notari.

Paul Chambers: “Omicron” from Whims Of Chambers (Blue Note, 1958)
Marsalis Family : “Cain And Abel” from YouTube video of New Orleans concert, 2001 (None)
Brecker Brothers: “Sponge” from Live And Unreleased (Piloo Records, 1980)
Claudio Fasoli 5tet: “Boerum Hill” from The Brooklyn Option (Abeat, 2015)
Sonny Rollins: “Oleo” from Our Man in Jazz (RCA, 1962)
Artemis: “The Smile Of The Snake” from Arboresque (Blue Note, 2025)