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…
“There’s so much history right in Washington, D.C.,” Christian McBride said about bringing his music about the Civil Rights Movement to the nation’s capital.
(Photo: Anna Webber)Bassist Christian McBride is bringing his ambitious civil rights music, which was 20 years in the making, to The Kennedy Center on Friday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m.
The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait Of Four Icons, an album released in 2020, serves as McBride’s masterpiece on “the struggle,” featuring impassioned speeches from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. The project also includes a short tribute to President Barack Obama.
“It’s such an honor to bring The Movement Revisited to The Kennedy Center, and to be joined by the Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University,” said McBride. “There’s so much history right in Washington, D.C. — from Benjamin Banneker’s role in designing the city, to Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at the Lincoln Monument, and the launch of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Washington, D.C., has always been an important place in the Black American legacy.”
McBride was not yet born when the world witnessed some of the greatest moments in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. As a child in the ’70s, he learned the history in school, but found truth beyond the history books.
“When I was a kid, I used to spend hours looking at old copies of Ebony and Jet magazines that my grandmother saved,” he said. “To read contemporaneous writings by Black writers about events and people who were my history – our history – that was absolutely fascinating to me. It was the greatest gift my grandmother could have given to me.”
Those writings played a major role in the creation of The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait Of Four Icons. The work combines elements of jazz, gospel, big band, swing, symphony, theater and dramatic spoken word.
For more information, go to kennedy-center.org. 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…
“We thought it’s important that Ronin has a new statement,” said Nik Bärtsch of his band’s latest album, Spin. “The sound is differently produced, so it reflects more of who we are.”
Apr 21, 2026 10:00 AM
Nik Bärtsch cuts an imposing figure on stage. He’s unmistakable with his soul patch, shaven head and black attire.…
Dave King (left) and Reid Anderson offer insights into why The Bad Plus’ chemistry was cool, the accomplishments many and its longevity so fruitful.
May 12, 2026 11:42 AM
The scene still sticks with me. I had heard the oddball name of this new group being dropped around town, and…
Ava Preston, a 12-time DownBeat Student Music Award winner, is currently pursuing her master’s degree in jazz voice at Juilliard.
May 12, 2026 10:00 AM
Ava Preston, from Cleveland, Ohio, was named the winner of the ninth annual Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition on…
How best to mark Miles Davis’ centennial? By allowing the stories to flow, and cross-discussions to happen.
May 26, 2026 10:40 AM
Editor’s Note: The iconic trumpeter, composer and bandleader Miles Davis would have turned 100 today (May 26, 2026).…
