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…
Dennis Lichtman is an advocate for early styles of jazz.
(Photo: Aidan Grant)A decade before he became one of the instigators of New York’s traditional jazz revival, Dennis Lichtman was studying music business and clarinet at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford.
“They didn’t teach me to go play at a little dive bar on the Lower East Side that isn’t really a music venue, and to make no money for the first couple of years, and to just have fun, and maybe a scene will coalesce around it that you’ll become known for 10 years later,” he said recently. “But that’s what happened.”
That little dive bar is Mona’s, where, since 2007, Lichtman has been packing them in, leading Mona’s Hot 4 every Tuesday. The hot jazz scene at Mona’s attracts many of the city’s top musicians, who often drop by after their regular gigs. In recent months, guest collaborators have included keyboardist Jon Batiste, singer Cécile McLorin Salvant, clarinetist Anat Cohen and mandolinist/vocalist Chris Thile.
Additionally, Lichtman is a longtime member (on clarinet) of Brian Carpenter’s 11-piece Ghost Train Orchestra, which plays 1930s chamber jazz with crisp, period arrangements spiced by forward-looking soloists. “I’ve been playing with Dennis for 10 years,” Carpenter said. “He has one of the most stunningly beautiful clarinet sounds in jazz. And then you find out how old he is and how many other instruments he plays—it’s unbelievable.”
Lichtman’s new Just Cross The River pays tribute to the “unglamorous” borough of Queens, which, because of its affordability and location near Manhattan, was home to Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Fats Waller and Billie Holiday.
Unlike jazz musicians who strive to sound as contemporary as possible, Lichtman remains an articulate advocate for earlier styles. Asked why he plays this music, his response is immediate: “I love it. That’s the short answer. The longer answer is that there’s something communal about music from the earlier era of jazz. … For me, it’s the jazz version of three chords and the truth … the perfect combination of broad appeal and deep sophistication. You can get as nerdy and intricate as you want. But if the rhythm section is thumping, any schmo can walk in off the street and be moved by it.” DB
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…
