Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
In Memoriam: Al Foster, 1943–2025
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones (top) and Chick Corea’s Elektric Band will join forces for a multi-city tour from Aug. 5–21, 2017.
(Photo: Courtesy Kurland Agency)DownBeat Critics Poll Award winners Béla Fleck and Chick Corea proved a dynamic pairing on two albums released in the past decade, The Enchantment (2007, Concord) and Two (2015, Concord). Now, the two will join forces for a North American tour with their respective groups—The Flecktones and Elektric Band—from Aug. 5–21, 2017.
The shows will feature the original lineups of both bands.
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones have been performing and recording as a unit for more than three decades, winning six Grammy Awards in the process. For the 2017 tour, Fleck has reunited the original lineup of his band—Victor Wooten (bass), Roy Wooten/aka Future Man (drumitar) and Howard Levy (harmonica and keyboard). UFO Tofu (Warner Bros.), released in 1992, was the last album recorded by this lineup.
The Chick Corea Elektric Band, formed in 1986, has for decades experimented with musical forms and genres. With Corea on keyboards and electronics, the Elektric Band has delivered seven albums to date, the last of which, To The Stars, was released in 2004 on Stretch Records. The entire classic quintet will be on stage: John Patitucci (bass), Frank Gambale (guitar), Eric Marienthal (saxophone) and Dave Weckl (drums).
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…
Benny Benack III and his quartet took the Midwest Jazz Collective’s route for a test run this spring.
Jun 3, 2025 10:31 AM
The time and labor required to tour is, for many musicians, daunting at best and prohibitive at worst. It’s hardly…
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…