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…
Two avant-garde jazz legends—saxophonist-composer Ornette Coleman and pianist-composer Andrew Hill—garnered highest honors at the 2007 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards, which took place at the Jazz Standard on Thursday.
Voting members of the JJA cited Coleman as Musician of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year. They also named Sound Grammar, his quartet release on his own Sound Grammar label, Record of the Year, and the quartet itself Small Group of the Year. The awards follow his selection earlier this year as a Pulitzer Prize winner for the live recording.
Hill, who died of lung cancer April 20, was voted the Jazz Award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz, Jazz Composer of the Year and Pianist of the Year.
Other top honoreees in 41 categories included: Anat Cohen, Up and Coming Artist and Clarinetist of the Year; Sonny Rollins, Tenor Saxophonist of the Year; Charles Tolliver Big Band, Large Ensemble of the Year; and Roy Haynes, Drummer of the Year. Francis Davis, columnist for the Village Voice, contributor to the Atlantic Monthly and author of several books on music and culture, picked up recognition for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism.
For a full list of winners, see jazzhouse.org.
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.
Aug 18, 2026 2:15 PM
Indian jazz guitarist and composer Pritesh Walia has been released after being unexpectedly detained by ICE and taken…
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.
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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…
