May 12, 2026 10:00 AM
Ava Preston Wins Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition
Ava Preston, from Cleveland, Ohio, was named the winner of the ninth annual Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition on…
Ava Preston, a 12-time DownBeat Student Music Award winner, is currently pursuing her master’s degree in jazz voice at Juilliard.
May 12, 2026 10:00 AM
Ava Preston, from Cleveland, Ohio, was named the winner of the ninth annual Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition on…
The bows at the end of the star-studded event featured a ridiculous collection of jazz artistry including Helen Sung, Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Tiger Okoshi, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Buddy Guy, James Reedus, John Beasley, Jacob Collier, Lizz Wright and many more.
May 5, 2026 12:03 PM
For those around the globe who celebrated International Jazz Day on April 30, the occasion, as usual, seemed like a…
While writer Ted Panken, right, didn’t play Ella Fitzgerald for the Blindfold Test with Janis Siegel, the vocalist passed with flying colors!
May 5, 2026 11:45 AM
Midway through February, Janis Siegel hosted DownBeat for her first-ever Blindfold Test in the living room of her…
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will jointly serve as the partner country for next year’s edition of jazzahead!
May 5, 2026 11:36 AM
An international get-together for people on the business side of the jazz community, jazzahead! is a combined trade…
Charles Tyler in New York, 1974.
May 5, 2026 11:01 AM
The most striking, unexpected music on these archival releases is from Charles Tyler: Voyage From Jericho…
“If you’re creative, then it means that you can approach anything with a creative spirit and just do your best at it,” says Shabaka.
Apr 28, 2026 12:25 PM
In the fall of 2023, this writer first witnessed a saxophonist from the U.K. on stage at the Hollywood Bowl, surrounded…
“The secret is to surrender to the music and let it take you where it wants to go,” says Marquis Hill. “Understanding and vulnerability are key. It’s bigger than just you.”
Apr 28, 2026 12:21 PM
Shortly after his major label connection with Concord Records (contingent with winning the über prestigious Thelonious…
“If we travel to Europe or if we go play gigs around the States, I call it a ‘playcation,’” says guitarist Steve Masakowski, center, of his family band with daughter Sasha, left, and son Martin.
Apr 28, 2026 12:11 PM
Guitarist, composer and educator Steve Masakowski has racked up an impressive list of credentials in his storied…
Pianist John Beasley and trumpeter Marquis Hill onstage during the Unlimited Miles sextet’s set at the Newman Center.
Apr 28, 2026 11:52 AM
After an impressive launch last year, the Denver Jazz Fest came back even stronger with its second edition April…
Montreux Jazz Festival at night.
Apr 22, 2026 2:19 PM
It’s a crazy world we’re living in, so right now we need to be enjoying the things that are not just good, but…
