Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
In Memoriam: Cassandra Wilson, 1955–2026
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
Charles Lloyd and the Marvels perform April 28, 2018, at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana.
(Photo: Adam McCullough)If there’s a spiritual force in jazz that fans and musicians can look to for kōan-like erudition, it’s Charles Lloyd.
Despite the multi-reedist’s relative remove from the spotlight, even during his most prolific periods, Lloyd—who’s been resigned to sheltering-in-place for more than a month—decided to post a few videos to YouTube recently. In the first, he’s donning a wide-brimmed hat and brown poncho while playing, as the video cuts from Lloyd to a view of the coast along Santa Barbara, California. A more explicitly spiritual rumination—replete with the sounds of water and chirping birds accompanying Lloyd as he plays the Hungarian tárogató—was posted April 12.
“In my lifetime I have faced many dilemmas: racism, poverty, flood, fire, 9/11 ... . [E]ach of these had a direct impact on my life and the lives of many others—but not everyone,” Lloyd wrote in an email to DownBeat. “There are no lines of demarcation for the coronavirus—it is universally threatening all of us. We are all coping with the unseen, the isolation and the economic fallout this has created. I have said many times, music has always been my inspiration and consolation. As I agonized over this global condition, I felt compelled to offer some sounds in hopes of lifting up someone’s spirit. Master Billy Higgins always said, ‘We are in service.’ These offerings are part of my service. All life is one.”
Lloyd, who remains one of the most creatively engaged performers of his generation, recently issued 8: Kindred Spirits (Live From The Lobero), a recording from March 15, 2018, that marked the saxophonist’s 80th birthday. That release and the recent videos seem to indicate that Lloyd’s still drawing from a creative well that many of us only can aspire to. DB
Updated April 27.
Wilson’s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.
Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
“The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity,” Walia wrote in an online post upon his release from detention at an ICE facility.
Aug 18, 2026 2:15 PM
Indian jazz guitarist and composer Pritesh Walia has been released after being unexpectedly detained by ICE and taken…
Bertoncini was a specialist and advocate for the nylon-string acoustic guitar, turning down high-profile opportunities that were unsuited to the sound and techniques that he used with that instrument.
Sep 1, 2026 11:06 AM
Gene Bertoncini, an esteemed jazz guitarist, composer, arranger and educator, died Aug. 29 at the Lillian Booth Actors…
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
