Apr 7, 2026 1:21 PM
Big Ears 2026: Savored Moments Amid Inspired Curation
There’s pluralism, then there’s PLURALISM! — and then there’s Big Ears. Thurston Moore, who participated in…
“I love compositions by jazz musicians,” says vocalist Samara Joy. “There’s a different touch, a different foundation.” She put lyrics to a song each from Brian Lynch (right) and Charles McPherson for Torch Bearers.
(Photo: Leiko Napoli)Apr 7, 2026 1:38 PM
In the fall of 2024, trumpeter Brian Lynch hired writer Ted Panken to draft the booklet, vinyl notes and PR materials for his first-ever collaboration with alto saxophonist…
Cécile McLorin Salvant busts out Jelly Roll Morton’s “The Murder Ballad” at Big Ears, here with pianist Sullivan Fortner.
Apr 7, 2026 1:21 PM
There’s pluralism, then there’s PLURALISM! — and then there’s Big Ears. Thurston Moore, who participated in…
Walter Smith III joins a lofty group of new releases from Blue Note that includes recordings from Ron Carter, Bill Frisell and Immanuel Wilkins.
Apr 7, 2026 1:12 PM
Jazz and gospel are close blood relations. And fortunately, those Saturday night and Sunday morning worlds sometimes…
Jones said that actively pursuing a Grammy nomination gave her “the means by which I launched my music to a wider world,” a win even though the Grammy nod did not come her way.
Apr 7, 2026 1:03 PM
In 2025, after 12 years in the industry, I released my sixth album, Eugenie, on my own Open Mic record label. Despite…
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Each of the 25 JAMs has delivered a poster featuring a jazz legend that is sent out to schools across the nation. This year’s poster features Tony Bennett.
Mar 30, 2026 10:20 PM
Every April for the past quarter century, something remarkable has happened across the United States and far beyond.…
The Jerome Sabbagh Quartet: from left, Nasheet Waits, Joe Martin, Ben Monder and Sabbagh.
Mar 30, 2026 10:10 PM
When tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh wrote “Lone Jack,” which opens his most recent album, Stand Up (Analog Tone…
Joe Lovano is the Artist-in-Residence at this year’s Detroit Jazz Festival.
Mar 30, 2026 10:00 PM
The Detroit Jazz Festival announced this year’s lineup during a livestreamed preview event at the Gretchen C. Valade…
Bollani demonstrates at the piano during a live Blindfold Test in Umbria, Italy, while writer Ashley Kahn, right, and translator Greg Burk look on.
Mar 24, 2026 11:42 AM
Raconteur, bon vivant and popular television host Stefano Bollani is also one of Italy’s best-known pianists, a rare…
Pianist Edward Simon leads of a bevy of great new Latin releases.
Mar 24, 2026 11:21 AM
In last year’s March issue of DownBeat, we wrote about a collection of hot new Latin jazz releases to help folks…
“The idea that music is a way to erase denomination, political affiliation, political ideology labels and gender labels is a way to bypass everything,” says O’Farrill. “We get to the currency of love and truth.”
Mar 24, 2026 11:15 AM
In 2015, renowned pianist, bandleader and mover-shaker Arturo O’Farrill released the album Cuba: The Conversation…
