Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
In Memoriam: James Blood Ulmer, 1940–2026
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
Jazz Line Distribution has re-released Eric Dolphy: Last Date, a film about the life and musical career of Jazz legend Eric Dolphy. Dolphy, best known for his revolutionary saxophone playing, introduced the flute and bass clarinet as lead instruments and pushed the boundaries of mainstream jazz improvisation. The film attempts to shed light on the innovations Dolphy made to Jazz and pays tribute his legacy.
The film traces Dolphy’s personal and professional lives, from his upbringing in Los Angeles all the way up to his success in New York as a member of both Charles Mingus’ and John Coltrane’s groups. However, the film’s focal point is Dolphy’s final recording session in Hilversum, Holland, on June 2, 1964. Through rare footage and interviews with his jazz contemporaries, Dolphy’s contribution to the genre is examined, as is his battle with diabetes. Eric Dolphy died following a misdiagnosis by a German doctor, collapsing into a diabetic comma. The jazz legend failed to receive proper treatment due to the Berlin doctors mistaking him for a junkie.
Eric Dolphy: Last Date was previously released in VHS format in 1991.The current DVD edition is enhanced with bonus material including additional photographs, a discography, and an interview with the filmmaker Hans Hylkema.
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.
Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
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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The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
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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Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, the NEA Jazz Master from South Africa who helped fuse the folk music of his home country with…
Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet will record live at New York’s Village Vanguard for ECM records on Aug. 26–27.
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One of Joe Lovano’s buzz terms is “the moment of now” and with seemingly infinite patience — despite a schedule…
