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…
Pianist Cyrus Chestnut tries his hand at the Elvis Presley songbook with his upcoming Koch release, Cyrus Plays Elvis.
The disc, to be released Oct. 9, includes Chestnut’s renditions of the hit songs “Heartbreak Hotel,” “It’s Now Or Never” and “In The Ghetto.” Joining him on the date are bassist Dezron L. Douglas and drummer Neal Smith, with guest appearances on several tracks by saxophonist Mark Gross.
Chestnut has recorded with Betty Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, and Branford and Wynton Marsalis. He admitted that tackling Presley’s music may be an unusual move for an artist of his stature, but said the project sprung from an uncontrollable urge to explore the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s music.
“Elvis was unique,” he said in a news release. “As a person, he created his own phenomenon. And as a singer, he told his story using music he felt good about.”
“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…
“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…
Roscoe Mitchell will receive a Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s Vision Festival.
May 27, 2025 6:21 PM
Arts for Art has announced the full lineup for the 2025 Vision Festival, which will run June 2–7 at Roulette…
