Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Vocalist Sheila Jordan Dies at 96
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
Bassist John Patitucci has released his new Line By Line (Concord). He plays acoustic and electric basses on the disc, which also features an array of colleagues, including guitarist Adam Rogers, drummer Brian Blade and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter.
Most of the disc is comprised of Patitucci’s compositions, which draw on his experiences in jazz, classical and Brazilian music. He also interprets Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence,” Rogers’ “Dry September” and the spiritual, “Jesus Is On The Mainline.”
“I’ve always been averse to having one sound or orchestration for an entire record,” Patitucci said. “My goal was to have a lot of variety, hopefully without being too schizoid. Various heroes over the years have reinforced the idea of doing things with colors and expanded instrumentations—Wayne Shorter tops the list. I wanted to find a way to do it that was comfortable for me, and try to find a personal path.”
Jordan was a dyed-in-the-wool bebopper whose formative musical experiences were with Charlie Parker.
Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
“I don’t guess I’m going to excite you; I know I’m going to excite you,” Palmieri said in an August 1994 DownBeat feature.
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Famed Latin jazz composer, bandleader and pianist Eddie Palmieri passed away in his New Jersey home on Aug. 6. He was…
“What I got from Percy was the dignity of playing the bass,” Buster Williams said of Percy Heath.
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“I love the place that fate or whatever has positioned me in Gil Evans’ life and legacy,” said Ryan Truesdell.
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Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.
Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…
