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 ninth annual Empty Bottle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday, June 16 with a free performance. The following three days have a $15 cover.
The lineup for the festival includes:
June 15: Chicago Ad Hoc: A first time meeting of 10 performers featuring an amalgam of instrumental combinations ranging from brass to reeds to electronics to strings.
June 16: Peter Brotzmann and Nasheet Waits; Davey Williams with Jim Baker & Tim Daisy; The Rempis Percussion Ensemble; and a surprise set.
June 17: Ken Vandermark with Torsten Muller, Paul Rutherford, & Dylan Van Der Schyff; Peter Brotzmann, Kent Kessler, Paul Rutherford, & Nasheet Waits; The Tatsu Aoki, Ed Wilkerson Jr., Michael Zerang Trio; and a surprise set.
June 18: Sam Rivers; The Robert Barry, Paul Rutherford Duo; The Fred Lonberg-Holm Trio; Relay Signals featuring Jason Ajemian, Zoe Buck, Tim Daisy, Ernst Karel, and Aram Shelton.
For more details, go to www.emptybottle.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.
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…
