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…
“Careers were launched and lives enhanced thanks to Howard’s vision,” said Amanda Blevins, Vail Jazz executive director.
(Photo: Courtesy of the Vail Jazz Foundation)Vail Jazz Festival co-founder Howard Stone died on Aug. 3 of post-surgical complications, according to a statement from the Vail Jazz Foundation.
Stone organized the first-ever Vail Jazz Party in 1995. The following year, he launched the Vail Jazz Foundation to promote jazz through the presentation of jazz performances and educational programs for young people.
Over its 27-year history, Vail Jazz expanded to include a summer-long jazz festival, a winter music series, jazz soirées, an immersive jazz workshop for promising high school musicians, an elementary school program in Eagle County called Vail Jazz Goes to School, free concert series and numerous educational programs. Under Stone’s leadership, DownBeat named the Vail Jazz Workshop as the nation’s best jazz educational program in 2019.
“Careers were launched and lives enhanced thanks to Howard’s vision,” said Amanda Blevins, Vail Jazz executive director. “In addition to entertaining many thousands of audience members over the past 28 years, the Jazz Workshop has trained over 300 outstanding young musicians, and Vail Jazz Goes to School has educated tens of thousands of students in Eagle County. Each of these programs will continue to grow as part of Howard’s legacy.” DB
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…
