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…
On Nov. 22, Blue Note will release Higher Ground, a recording from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert held just three weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
The concert—led by New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis and produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center—has raised more than $2 million to date, with all proceeds from sales of the CD going directly to the Higher Ground Relief Fund. The fund was established by Jazz at Lincoln Center, and administered through the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to benefit the musicians, music industry related enterprises and other individuals and entities in New Orleans who were impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and to provide other general hurricane relief.
The concert took place at the Rose Theater, and included performances by Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Marsalis, Bette Midler, Art and Aaron Neville, Dianne Reeves, James Taylor, Cassandra Wilson and Buckwheat Zydeco. Higher Ground collects the highlights of the evening on 15 tracks.
For more information, visit the Jazz at Lincoln Center web site.
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…
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…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
Camille Thurman took to the stage alongside bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Tommy Campbell for a rendition of Johnny Mercer’s “I’m An Old Cowhand” that recalled Rollins’ epochal 1957 trio outing Way Out West.
Oct 6, 2026 1:33 PM
As emcee Mark Ruffin noted at the commencement of an epic tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins at the Cathedral of…
