Jul 22, 2025 10:58 AM
Pianist, Educator Hal Galper Dies at 87
Hal Galper, a pianist, composer and arranger who enjoyed a substantial performing career but made perhaps a deeper…
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones have announced dates for their Jingle All the Way tour.
(Photo: Shauna Presto)Looking for something cool to check out in the heat of a sweltering summer? Here are five upcoming tours and musical events guaranteed to bring a relaxing, restorative vibe to your vacation travels and stay-cation chill-outs. Keep hydrated, wear plenty of sunscreen and enjoy some of the following opportunities to bask in the glory of live music.
Litchfield Jazz Fest Starts Friday
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Litchfield Jazz Fest opens Friday, July 25, with pianist/composer Emmet Cohen. The sounds continue Saturday with Anat Cohen’s Quartetinho, Frank Vignola and Pasquale Grasso, and things finish up with a Sunday brunch featuring the Champian Fulton Trio. For ticket information, CLICK HERE.
Christmas in July?
Tickets are on sale now for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones’ 2025 Jingle All The Way tour featuring special guests Jeff Coffin and Alash. For ticket info and info on the Fleck’s full gig schedule, CLICK HERE.
Portugal Bound!
Need a little European vacation? Jazz em Agosto in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 1–10, might be the ticket. The fest features an adventurous lineup including The Heart Trio with William Parker, Cooper-Moore and Hamid Drake; the Kris Davis Trio with Robert Hurst and Johnathan Blake; the Darius Jones Trio with Chris Lightcap and Gerald Clever; the Patricia Brennan Septet; and the Luís Vicente Trio with Gonçalo Almeida and Pedro Melo Alves. For ticket information, CLICK HERE.
Bonamassa Tix Going on Sale
Fans of blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa will want to be by their phones Friday, July 25, when tickets go on sale for his 2026 Spring Tour Dates. Here’s the LINK.
Harrison Hits New York
Saxophonist Donald Harrison leads off a stellar lineup at his own Quantum Leap Music Festival, bringing a little NOLA love to Borghese Vineyard in Cutchogue, Long Island, New York. He’ll be bringing along friends like The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Headhunters, The Preservation Hall Legacy Band, Zaccai Curtis, the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band and others. CLICK HERE for more info. DB
Galper was often regarded as an underrated master of his craft.
Jul 22, 2025 10:58 AM
Hal Galper, a pianist, composer and arranger who enjoyed a substantial performing career but made perhaps a deeper…
Chuck Mangione on the cover of the May 8, 1975, edition of DownBeat.
Jul 29, 2025 1:00 PM
Chuck Mangione, one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz history, passed away on July 24 at home in Rochester, New…
Jordan was a dyed-in-the-wool bebopper whose formative musical experiences were with Charlie Parker.
Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
“I don’t guess I’m going to excite you; I know I’m going to excite you,” Palmieri said in an August 1994 DownBeat feature.
Aug 12, 2025 10:33 AM
Famed Latin jazz composer, bandleader and pianist Eddie Palmieri passed away in his New Jersey home on Aug. 6. He was…
“What I got from Percy was the dignity of playing the bass,” Buster Williams said of Percy Heath.
Aug 26, 2025 1:53 PM
Buster Williams, who at the age of 83 has been on the scene for 65 years, had never done a Blindfold Test. The first…
