Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
In Memoriam: Jack DeJohnette, 1942–2025
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
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.”
Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.
Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
“Think of all the creative people I’m going to meet and a whole other way of thinking about music and a challenge of singing completely different material than I would have sung otherwise to my highest level in dedication to the moment,” Elling says about his Broadway run.
Sep 9, 2025 1:18 PM
Kurt Elling was back at home in Chicago, grabbing some family time in a late-June window between gigs. Sporting a smile…
Pat Metheny will perform with his Side-Eye III ensemble at Big Ears 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee, next March.
Sep 9, 2025 12:19 PM
Big Ears has announced the lineup for its 2026 festival, which will take place March 26–29 and include 250…
“[That’s] the thing of the beboppers,” Bradford said. “These guys were important for not only playing that wonderful music, but they knew a sort of social stance, you see?”
Sep 9, 2025 1:07 PM
It was a calm, balmy, near-perfect evening in Westwood, California, not far from UCLA, in the expansive courtyard at…
Esperanza Spalding closed an audacious Chicago Jazz Festival set with “Endangered Species.”
Sep 9, 2025 11:50 AM
The 45th Chicago Jazz Festival kicked off its headline events with two erudite individuals, Esperanza Spalding and…
