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…
All of Miles Davis’ recordings with his namesake nonet are compiled on The Complete Birth Of The Cool.
(Photo: ©Herman Leonard Photography, LLC)If you’re shopping for gifts this holiday season, DownBeat has got you covered with our 2019 Holiday Gift Guide.
We’ve got articles on vinyl releases, archival recordings and musical gear/accessories. Plus, our Yuletide Music Roundup shines a spotlight on the best holiday albums of 2019.
Check out our features on the new Blue Note documentary, a batch of blues box sets, some early work by Nat “King” Cole, Miles Davis’ nonet, Erroll Garner reissues, late-period Art Pepper and a Stevie Ray Vaughan biography.
Keep in mind that many independent record shops do not sell out of all their Record Store Day inventory on Black Friday. So, stop by your local shop to see if it has any goodies left from RSD Black Friday. Our preview also provides a Top 10 list of the best releases for Record Store Day Black Friday.
Additionally, DownBeat makes the perfect gift for anyone who loves jazz. We’ve got great deals on subscriptions, whether you want to read DownBeat in print, online or on your tablet. And don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter.
To read the Holiday Gift Guide from our December issue, click here.
To read the Yuletide Music Roundup for 2019, click here.
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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.
Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
How best to mark Miles Davis’ centennial? By allowing the stories to flow, and cross-discussions to happen.
May 26, 2026 10:40 AM
Editor’s Note: The iconic trumpeter, composer and bandleader Miles Davis would have turned 100 today (May 26, 2026).…
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…
