Feb 3, 2026 12:10 AM
In Memoriam: Ken Peplowski, 1959–2026
Ken Peplowski, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who straddled the worlds of traditional and modern jazz, died Feb. 2…
Jon Batiste, the critics’ choice for Jazz Artist and Beyond Artist of the Year as well as Beyond Album of the Year.
(Photo: Stu Brinin)The 70th Annual DownBeat International Critics Poll has made history with pianist Jon Batiste being the first artist to ever be named Jazz Artist and Beyond Artist of the Year. We Are, Batiste’s award-winning album, was also named Beyond Album of the Year.
“I moved to New York as a teenager to play jazz, like the late, great Christopher ‘Biggie Smalls’ Wallace said: ‘It was all a dream, I used to read DownBeat magazine,’” Batiste said on social media. “So now, to be named as both Jazz Artist and Beyond Artist of the Year by DownBeat is one of the most incredible honors I’ve ever received. The recognition and continued success of the We Are album has been astounding. It’s good to know that our goal of breaking down barriers and expanding the art form is resonating.”
The poll, published in DownBeat’s August 2022 issue, featured plenty of other pleasant surprises, too, with the late Geri Allen being inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame. James Brandon Lewis’ Red Lily Quintet delivered Jessup Wagon (Tao Forms), the critics’ choice for Album of the Year. And John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle was named Historical Jazz Album of the Year.
The complete list of winners can be found below. The complete collectors issue of the poll can be purchased HERE. DB
2022 DownBeat Critics Poll Winners
Jazz Artist of the Year: Jon Batiste
Hall of Fame: Geri Allen
Jazz Album: James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet, Jessup Wagon (Tao Forms)
Historical Jazz Album: John Coltrane, A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle (Impulse!)
Jazz Group: Charles Lloyd & the Marvels
Large Jazz Ensemble: Maria Schneider Orchestra
Trumpet: Ambrose Akinmusire
Trombone: Michael Dease
Soprano Saxophone: Jane Ira Bloom
Alto Saxophone: Kenny Garrett
Tenor Saxophone: Charles Lloyd
Baritone Saxophone: Gary Smulyan
Clarinet: Anat Cohen
Flute: Nicole Mitchell
Piano: Kris Davis
Keyboard: Herbie Hancock
Organ: Joey DeFrancesco
Guitar: Mary Halvorson
Bass: Ron Carter
Electric Bass: Steve Swallow
Violin: Regina Carter
Drums: Brian Blade
Percussion: Hamid Drake
Vibraphone: Joel Ross
Miscellaneous Instrument: Tomeka Reid (cello)
Female Vocalist: Cécile McLoren Salvant
Male Vocalist: Kurt Elling
Composer: Maria Schneider
Arranger: Maria Schneider
Record Label: Blue Note
Producer: Zev Feldman
Blues Artist or Group: Shemekia Copeland
Blues Album: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, 662 (Alligator)
Beyond Artist or Group: Jon Batiste
Beyond Album: Jon Batiste, We Are (Verve)
Rising Star Winners
Rising Star–Jazz Artist: Melissa Aldana
Rising Star–Jazz Group: James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet
Rising Star–Large Ensemble: Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band
Rising Star–Trumpet: Theo Croker
Rising Star–Trombone: Alan Ferber
Rising Star–Soprano Saxophone: Roxy Coss
Rising Star–Alto Saxophone: Immanuel Wilkins
Rising Star–Tenor Saxophone: Noah Preminger
Rising Star–Baritone Saxophone: Mikko Innanen
Rising Star–Clarinet: Rebecca Trescher
Rising Star–Flute: Logan Richardson
Rising Star–Piano: Emmet Cohen
Rising Star–Keyboards: James Francies
Rising Star–Organ: Delvon Lamar
Rising Star–Guitar: Gilad Hekselman
Rising Star–Bass: Reuben Rogers
Rising Star–Electric Bass: Lisa Dowling
Rising Star–Violin: Macie Stewart
Rising Star–Drums: Jonathan Blake
Rising Star–Percussion: Kate Gentile
Rising Star–Vibraphone: Patricia Brennan
Rising Star–Miscellaneous Instrument: Hank Roberts (cello)
Rising Star–Female Vocalist: Camila Meza
Rising Star–Male Vocalist: Ben Williams
Rising Star–Composer: JD Allen
Rising Star–Arranger: Miho Hazama
Rising Star–Producer: Willie Jones III
Peplowski first came to prominence in legacy swing bands, including the final iteration of the Benny Goodman Orchestra, before beginning a solo career in the late 1980s.
Feb 3, 2026 12:10 AM
Ken Peplowski, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who straddled the worlds of traditional and modern jazz, died Feb. 2…
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
“I play what I want and what I like,” said Andrew Cyrille. “I use my knowledge artistically and professionally.”
Feb 3, 2026 12:15 AM
Midway through August, a few days after concluding a week at the Village Vanguard with the quartet that Andrew Cyrille…
Marsalis will, if he chooses to use it, have a strong voice in perpetuating his vision through a role in choosing his successors.
Feb 3, 2026 12:09 AM
For the better part of a year, rumors have been swirling that Wynton Marsalis was going to step down as artistic and…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
Feb 17, 2026 11:05 AM
They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
