Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Vocalist Andy Bey Dies at 85
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
On May 16, Ropeadope Records will drop the long-awaited Christian McBride 3-CD set Live At Tonic. This release is the first from the bassist in three years and he brings his ace band along for the ride. The band features Geoffrey Keezer on piano and keyboards, Ron Blake on tenor and soprano saxophones and flute, and Terreon Gully on drums. The set also includes an all-star cast of special guests including Charlie Hunter on guitar, Jason Moran on keyboards, Jenny Scheinman on violin, DJ Logic on turntables, Eric Krasno on guitars, Scratch on beatbox and Rahsaan Peterson on trumpet.
The album is more than three hours of jazz, pushed to its limits, with elements of hip-hop, funk and soul mixed in. Recorded on January 3 and 4 at the Tonic, the set includes some of McBride’s most popular songs, improvised. McBride and his band performed two sets each night, and well into the following mornings, and all that music is captures on each disc.
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Davis was a two-time Grammy winner for liner notes.
Apr 22, 2025 11:50 AM
Francis Davis, an august jazz and cultural critic who won both awards and esteem in print, film and radio, died April…
“Branford’s playing has steadily improved,” says younger brother Wynton Marsalis. “He’s just gotten more and more serious.”
May 20, 2025 11:58 AM
Branford Marsalis was on the road again. Coffee cup in hand, the saxophonist — sporting a gray hoodie and a look of…
“What did I want more of when I was this age?” Sasha Berliner asks when she’s in her teaching mode.
May 13, 2025 12:39 PM
Part of the jazz vibraphone conversation since her late teens, Sasha Berliner has long come across as a fully formed…