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…
Hal Gaba, who, along with Norman Lear helped to build Concord Records from a small independent jazz label to one of the largest independent record labels in the world, died at his Los Angeles home on March 9 of prostate cancer. He was 63.
Gaba and Lear bought Concord Records in 1999, and immediately began to expand the company. From the purchase of Fantasy Records and Telarc to the company’s partnership with Starbuck’s that led to releases such as the Grammy winning Ray Charles album Genius Loves Company—in addition to a devotion to signing and promotion jazz artists at a time when few companies are—Concord became the preeminent label in jazz.
“A life-long passion, knowledge and commitment to popular music and film formed the basis of the close friendships he developed with many of the artists and colleagues he worked with and admired, always making sure that the artists’ creativity and careers were properly in the spotlight,” wrote Joel Amsterdam, Concord vice president of publicity, on Concord’s web site. “His genuine love, appreciation and generosity sustained those relationships throughout his life.”
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).…
“I wanted to get into the real feeling,” Melissa Aldana says of studying the work of singers from Cuba’s filin tradition in preparation for her collaboration with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
May 19, 2026 11:46 AM
Melissa Aldana is an investigator. She’s not comfortable resting on what she knows, instead seeking to learn more 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…
