May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins Passes Away at 95
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
The 4th Annual Django Reinhardt NY Festival hits the Birdland Nov. 18–23.
In memory of the 50th anniversary of the guitarist’s premature death, a group of Django Festival “gypsies” brought the Bossa Nova around the country this summer. Now the international lineup comes back home.
French composer and guitarist Dorado Schmitt will play with his son, guitarist Samson Schmitt, and accordionist Ludovic Beier from Paris.
New additions include German guitarist Joscho Stephan. He will appear in a trio with his father, guitarist Gunter Stephan, and bassist Maximilian Schaaf. This is 20-year-old Stephan’s first trip to the U.S.
Also making his first trip overseas is Alexandre Cavaliere, a 17-year-old violinist from Belgium. Russian violinist Vitali Imereli will “bow” to Django as a special guest this year.
American saxophonists James Carter and Harry Allen, along with clarinetist Ken Peplowski, drummer Grady Tate, bassist Brian Torff and harmonica player Enrico Granafei, have also been listed as special guests throughout the week.
For information about show times or reservations, call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.birdlandjazz.com
For information about various workshops throughout the week, call (212) 744-8836 or e-mail producer Pat Philips at patmusic2@aol.com.
Onstage, Rollins would move about restlessly, thrusting his tenor sax in the air as he blew.
May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
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.
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