Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
In Memoriam: Rodney Holmes, 1966–2026
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
The Manhattan Transfer and Take 6 will hit the road together for a U.S. tour that begins Oct. 1 in Bangor, Maine.
(Photo: Courtesy of the artists)Vocal-jazz dynasties The Manhattan Transfer and Take 6 will join forces this October for “The Summit,” a collaborative national tour during which the two groups will perform nearly 50 shows across the United States.
Between them, The Manhattan Transfer and Take 6 boast a remarkable 20 Grammy Awards, and cover a range of popular styles from bebop to r&b, gospel to swing. This tour marks their first collaboration.
“It’s basically putting together these two groups that have listened to and been fans of each other for many years,” says Claude V. McKnight III, first tenor and founder of Take 6. “We’ll be doing some songs together, stripping some songs down, and doing different kinds of pairings, and just having a really good time onstage. This is something you can only do live.”
Since its inception in the early ’70s, The Manhattan Transfer, a vocal quartet, has released nearly 30 albums, and has been nominated for 20 Grammy awards, winning 10. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Take 6, an a cappella group, released its most recent album, Believe, in March 2016. The group has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Justin Timberlake.
The Manhattan Transfer and Take 6 kick off their tour Oct. 1 in Bangor, Maine, with subsequent stops in New England and across the country through March 2017.
On Jan. 21 the groups will headline the Charleston Jazz Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, where each group will perform a set individually before coming together for a combined finale.
For more information, visit manhattantransfer.net or take6.com.
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM
The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
Ibrahim was an early jazz acolyte, studying the music via 78s he would buy from soldiers stationed in South Africa — who also gave him the nickname “Dollar.”
Jun 30, 2026 3:19 PM
Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, the NEA Jazz Master from South Africa who helped fuse the folk music of his home country with…
Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet will record live at New York’s Village Vanguard for ECM records on Aug. 26–27.
Jul 22, 2026 12:46 PM
One of Joe Lovano’s buzz terms is “the moment of now” and with seemingly infinite patience — despite a schedule…
“There was something about her tone and sound and phrasing — an intimacy, a vulnerability, an honesty,” says Joshua Redman, who produced Cavassa’s record after she toured with his band.
Jun 16, 2026 1:27 AM
Gabrielle Cavassa is an avowed perfectionist. So when she failed to place despite becoming a finalist in the 2018 Sarah…
