Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
In Memoriam: Cassandra Wilson, 1955–2026
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
Composer, theoretician and pianist George Russell passed away on Monday, July 27, from complications due to Alzheimer’s. He was 86.
A major theorist and one of jazz’s most profound composers, Russell was a hugely influential, innovative figure in the evolution of modern jazz. His ideas transformed and inspired some of the greatest jazz musicians in history, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and Dizzy Gillespie. His Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, first published in 1953, is credited with opening the way into modal music. Throughout the 1950s and ’60s, Russell continued to work on developing the concept. From 1960, he began leading his own sextets around the New York area and at festivals; he also toured throughout the Midwest and Europe.
In 1969, Russell began teaching at the newly created jazz department at the New England Conservatory, where his old friend, Gunther Schuller, was president. He played Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, the Newport Jazz Festival, the Smithsonian, Sweet Basil, the U.S. West Coast and Europe with his 14-member orchestra and continued to compose extended works that redefined jazz composition.
During a career marked by numerous awards and honors, Russell received the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.
According to a press release, there will be no funeral, but a memorial service will be planned in the future.
Wilson’s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.
Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
“The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity,” Walia wrote in an online post upon his release from detention at an ICE facility.
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Indian jazz guitarist and composer Pritesh Walia has been released after being unexpectedly detained by ICE and taken…
Percussionist Poncho Sanchez was among the artists scheduled to perform at the now-canceled inaugural LA Jazz Festival.
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The inaugural LA Jazz Festival, originally scheduled to run Aug. 7–23 with dozens of events across Los Angeles’…
Bertoncini was a specialist and advocate for the nylon-string acoustic guitar, turning down high-profile opportunities that were unsuited to the sound and techniques that he used with that instrument.
Sep 1, 2026 11:06 AM
Gene Bertoncini, an esteemed jazz guitarist, composer, arranger and educator, died Aug. 29 at the Lillian Booth Actors…
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
