Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
A Love Supreme at 60: Thoughts on Coltrane’s Masterwork
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Fred Hersch are raising funds for Jazz Foundation of America amid the pandemic.
(Photo: Christopher Drukker)Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Fred Hersch recorded a 2018 run at New York’s Village Vanguard, and a five-song digital EP derived from the engagement is aiming to raise funds for Jazz Foundation of America’s COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund.
Live At The Village Vanguard—Rough Mix EP: A Benefit Recording For The Jazz Foundation Of America opens with the Gershwin tune “But Not For Me,” while Spalding (who sticks to vocals across the recording) takes on songs like “Girl Talk” and “Some Other Time,” moving between proper lyrics and scat interpretations.
“I think there’s a lot of joy and beauty in this music that Fred and I made,” Spalding said in a press release. “Beyond collecting money for musicians in need, sharing the beauty in our hearts can have a healing effect as well.”
The recording—which will be available through June at a cost of $17—follows an outpouring of relief efforts, including JFA’s own May 14 #TheNewGig streaming concert. On May 28, the organization also announced that several entities had contributed to the COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund, including Blue Note Records, Concord Jazz, Mack Avenue Records, the Verve Label Group, Warner Music Group, Amazon Music, Apple Music and the Herb Alpert Foundation.
“[A]n immense amount of work remains to be done, and the tremendous response we have received to date only scratches the surface when you consider the thousands of musicians and families in economic free-fall across the country who are now in need of emergency financial support for basic necessities like groceries and utility payments,” JFA Executive Director Joe Petrucelli said in a press release. DB
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall.
Apr 8, 2025 1:23 PM
Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the 14th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York, featuring…
“I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson, during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival.
Apr 15, 2025 11:44 AM
Between last Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Ethan Iverson performed as part of the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival in…
“At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”
Apr 15, 2025 11:55 AM
DownBeat has a long association with the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the premiere…
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
