Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
Keeping the Flame at Van Gelder Studio
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…
That’s What Happened captures Miles Davis on the comeback trail of his career in the early to mid-1980s.
(Photo: Purple Trap/Black Editions)With all the new releases coming out around the holidays, here are a few team DownBeat is digging into right now!
Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll & The Trinity
Far Horizons (Soul Bank)
Organist Brian Auger was one of the first adventurers to start breaking down the walls between jazz, R&B and pop music back in the 1960s, and these Trinity releases serve as proof. When the group added soul-pop vocalist Julie Driscoll to the mix, they were not just breaking down walls, they turned heads. Far Horizons pulls the group’s four records, released between 1967 and 1970, into this one neat package. soulbankmusic.bandcamp.com
Peter Brötzmann/Keiji Haino
Duo (Purple Trap/Black Editions)
The free music duo of German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and guitarist/vocalist Keiji Haino have pulled out a four-LP box set of music, their first release since 1996, that includes eight, full-size, full-color art prints by the artists. The music is a full-force flight into the unknown. blackeditionsgroup.com
Miles Davis
That’s What Happened: 1982–1985: The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 (Columbia/Legacy)
The latest in Columbia’s Miles Davis Bootleg Series, That’s What Happened captures Davis on the comeback trail of his career. The three-disc set contains previously unreleased cuts from Star People, Decoy and You’re Under Arrest as well as Davis and his crew live in Montreal from July 7, 1983. Check out DownBeat’s October issue for the 4-star review of the box. legacyrecordings.com
Ella Fitzgerald
Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Vol. 1 (Verve)
For the first time ever, Verve collects the singles Ella Fitzgerald released on the label in one, beautifully packaged box. The 36-song, three-LP set features a tidal wave of Ella hits, including “Beale Street Blues,” “A Tisket, A Tasket,” “Travelin’ Light,” “Desafinado,” “The Shadow Of Your Smile” and more. The limited first pressing on this one is set at 1,000. umusic.com
Billie Holiday
The Complete Decca Recordings (Verve)
This 50-track collection spans Holiday’s five-plus years recording for the Decca label. The four-LP, limited-edition set features mastered takes on the 36 tunes Lady Day cut for Decca, plus a variety of alternate versions. The first pressing is 2,000. umusic.com
Wadada Leo Smith
String Quartets No. 1–12 (TUM)
Emerald Duets (TUM)
The great trumpeter and composer refuses to be confined by genre or label. For his 80th birthday, he went big, delivering not one, but two major box sets. String Quartets No. 1–12 matches Smith with the RedKoral Quartet performing string compositions Smith began working on as long ago as 1965. Emerald Duets pairs Smith with a host of friends such as Pheeroan akLaff, Andrew Cyrille, Han Bennink and Jack DeJohnette for five CDs worth of camaraderie. See DownBeat’s September issue for the full scoop. tumrecords.com
Check out all of DownBeat’s Holiday Gift Guide here!
Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.
Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…
Trio aRT with its avalanche of instrumentation: from left, Pheeroan akLaff, Scott Robinson and Julian Thayer.
Sep 3, 2025 12:03 PM
Trio aRT, a working unit since 1988, shockingly released its very first studio recording this summer. Recorded in…
“Think of all the creative people I’m going to meet and a whole other way of thinking about music and a challenge of singing completely different material than I would have sung otherwise to my highest level in dedication to the moment,” Elling says about his Broadway run.
Sep 9, 2025 1:18 PM
Kurt Elling was back at home in Chicago, grabbing some family time in a late-June window between gigs. Sporting a smile…
Pat Metheny will perform with his Side-Eye III ensemble at Big Ears 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee, next March.
Sep 9, 2025 12:19 PM
Big Ears has announced the lineup for its 2026 festival, which will take place March 26–29 and include 250…
Mark Masters, right, with Billy Harper.
Sep 3, 2025 12:00 PM
The Rising Star Category of this publication’s annual Critics Poll was once called Talent Deserving Wider Recognition…
