Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Theo Croker’s Dream … Manifested!
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
Pianist Billy Taylor will release Billy Taylor & Gerry Mulligan Live at MCG on Tuesday, following the online release of his first extended work.
The album, recorded live at Pittsburgh’s Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (MCG) in 1993, captured a unique performance between the two jazz masters, also including Chip Jackson on bass and Carl Allen on drums. The date took place three years before Mulligan’s death, and showcases his jovial relationship with longtime friend Taylor.
The record comes on the heels of new material on Taylor’s web site. His extended work, Suite for Jazz Piano and Orchestra, has made its online debut on billytaylor.com. Taylor was commissioned to write the suite for the Utah Symphony in the 1970s, and he went on to write a number of other lengthy works, including “Let Us Make A Joyful Noise” and “Peaceful Warrior,” which will also be featured on the site later this year.
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
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When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
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You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
Galper was often regarded as an underrated master of his craft.
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Hal Galper, a pianist, composer and arranger who enjoyed a substantial performing career but made perhaps a deeper…
Chuck Mangione on the cover of the May 8, 1975, edition of DownBeat.
Jul 29, 2025 1:00 PM
Chuck Mangione, one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz history, passed away on July 24 at home in Rochester, New…
