May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins Passes Away at 95
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
Z2 Comics plans to publish the graphic novel Chasin’ The Bird: Charlie Parker in California on Sept. 8.
The all-too-brief life of saxophonist Charlie Parker redirected the world, musically. And to mark his centennial this year, Bird is being enshrined in the graphic novel Chasin’ The Bird: Charlie Parker in California—which counts as the first time the saxophonist has been rendered in such a fashion.
Set for release Sept. 8, the book details Parker’s time on the West Coast, beginning in December 1945. Drawn by Dave Chisholm and colored by DreamWorks Animation Director Peter Markowski, Chasin’ The Bird chronicles a formative moment for the saxophonist: He had already cut some sides, including work with pianist Jay McShann. Savoy had released the “Billie’s Bounce/Now’s The Time” 10-inch, which included trumpeter Miles Davis. But Parker’s stint in L.A. would yield definitive tunes like “Orinthology” and “Yardbird Suite,” issued separately in 1946 on the Dial label.
“Charlie Parker is one of the most well-known figures in jazz, and to publish a chapter of his tragically short life story in comics is an honor,” Z2 Comics Publisher Josh Frankel said in a press release. “Jazz has always been a perfect complement to comic books, and certainly an inspiration to some of our greats as well. Robert Crumb would be proud.”
Saxophonist Wayne Shorter included a graphic novel as an integral part of his 2018 Blue Note album, Emanon, and Fantagraphics Books published French cartoonist Blutch’s Total Jazz that same year.
Two versions of Chasin’ The Bird will be available: The standard hardcover edition will include a flexi-disc, and the deluxe edition will be packaged with a limited-edition 45-RPM single and three art prints. DB
Onstage, Rollins would move about restlessly, thrusting his tenor sax in the air as he blew.
May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
To the world, James Blood Ulmer was a legend, a visionary and a musical force whose sound was distinctive and unique. To his family, he was their teacher, their storyteller and a source of strength.
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With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
How best to mark Miles Davis’ centennial? By allowing the stories to flow, and cross-discussions to happen.
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Editor’s Note: The iconic trumpeter, composer and bandleader Miles Davis would have turned 100 today (May 26, 2026).…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
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Ibrahim was an early jazz acolyte, studying the music via 78s he would buy from soldiers stationed in South Africa — who also gave him the nickname “Dollar.”
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