Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
In Memoriam: Rodney Holmes, 1966–2026
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Saxophonist Archie Shepp (left) and pianist Jason Moran recorded a series of duets in 2017 and 2018 that are being released as Let My People Go.
(Photo: Accra Shepp)A pair of generation-defining performers announced their first collaborative album.
Saxophonist Archie Shepp and pianist Jason Moran, released a video for “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child,” the first single from their upcoming Let My People Go recording. It’s a somber take of a somber tune, one supported by Moran’s bluesy gestures and Shepp’s emotive delivery on sax and vocals.
“Let My People Go offers ample evidence of Shepp and Moran’s consanguinity,” critic Ashley Kahn writes in the album’s liner notes. “Both were born in the [D]eep South, raised up in the sound of the blues and black gospel: Shepp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Moran in Houston, Texas. Both fell in love with jazz and other forms of cultural expression, and followed their muses north.”
On Let My People Go—which is due out Feb. 5 through the Archieball label—the duo also rework classics like “Isfahan,” “Lush Life” and “’Round Midnight.” DB
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
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