Nov 18, 2025 11:44 AM
Mike LeDonne: Diversity Is Not a Dirty Word
Pianist/organist Mike LeDonne, who began his leader career alongside Gary Smulyan and Tom Harrell on the Criss Cross…
MIke LeDonne performs at Dizzy’s Club in New York on Oct. 26.
Nov 18, 2025 11:44 AM
Pianist/organist Mike LeDonne, who began his leader career alongside Gary Smulyan and Tom Harrell on the Criss Cross…
Christian McBride, the DownBeat Readers Poll choice for Artist of the Year, and R&B star Jeffrey Osborne at The Record Parlour, a used vinyl shop and show venue in Los Angeles.
Nov 13, 2025 11:32 AM
It’s late September in Los Angeles. A scorching heat wave has lingered but waned somewhat over the past few days, the…
Jack DeJohnette: a tireless explorer who robustly embodied the jazz aesthetic as a kaleidoscopic drummer, pianist, tireless collaborator and marvelously creative and productive bandleader.
Nov 13, 2025 11:22 AM
Editor’s Note: The print issue of our December issue went to press just two days before Jack DeJohnette passed away…
“Instead of trying to invent a single tone, we need to give it those shades of colors that change to fit the emotional interpretation of what the music is,” Branford Marsalis said, reflecting on the collective mindset of his longstanding quartet with Joey Calderazzo, Justin Faulkner and Eric Revis.
Nov 13, 2025 11:05 AM
One afternoon in mid-September, a touring Branford Marsalis had some time to kill in Oberlin, Ohio. Rather than see the…
“I consider myself lucky to be an extrovert,” said Cohen. “I like people and their stories.”
Nov 13, 2025 10:57 AM
Emmet Cohen grinned as he recalled a joke the comedian Alonzo Bodden told about him on the recent week-long “Journey…
Nov 13, 2025 10:00 AM
For results of DownBeat’s 90th Annual Readers Poll, complete with feature articles from our December 2025 issue,…
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s trumpet section, from left, Wynton Marsalis (JALC managing and artistic director), Ryan Kisor, Kenny Rampton and Marcus Printup.
Nov 11, 2025 1:51 PM
“People are still swinging in the United States of America!” With those telling words, Wynton Marsalis closed the…
With over 600 recordings as a sideman and a dozen as a leader, Billy Hart offers his new autobiography.
Nov 11, 2025 1:09 PM
The new memoir by master drummer and bandleader Billy Hart, who turns 85 later this month and is still busy touring and…
To see the complete list of nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, go to grammy.com.
Nov 11, 2025 12:35 PM
The nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards are in, with plenty to smile about for the worlds of jazz, blues and beyond.…
Marc Ribot delivered a transfixing set at the historic club Quasimodo during this year’s JazzFest Berlin.
Nov 11, 2025 12:04 PM
Marc Ribot sang barely above a murmur, fingerpicking a drift of arpeggios on acoustic guitar, as he stated the official…
