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…
Impulse! Records will release Evenings At The Village Gate: John Coltrane With Eric Dolphy — a recording of the two avant-garde icons playing together in 1961 — on July 14. Long known to exist but considered lost, the recording was recently rediscovered at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
The recordings come from a month-long residency Coltrane spent at the titular Greenwich Village club in August 1961 (prior to his more famous residency in November of that year at the Village Vanguard). At that time the tenor saxophonist was leading a quintet with altoist, flutist and bass clarinetist Dolphy as his frontline partner, as well as a rhythm section of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Elvin Jones.
The new release offers a rare glimpse at the brilliant but short-lived collaboration between Coltrane and Dolphy. Friends since the latter’s days in Los Angeles, they worked together throughout 1961 and briefly in early 1962, most of it undocumented. The set also finds Coltrane’s band in an unusual state of flux, before the saxophonist solidified it into a quartet with bassist Jimmy Garrison joining Tyner and Jones.
Undated, the recordings were made by engineer Rich Alderson to test the Village Gate’s new sound system. Alderson and Workman, the last two surviving participants from the Coltrane residency, contribute essays to the Impulse! package, as do historian Ashley Kahn and saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Lakecia Benjamin.
Evenings At The Village Gate is available on CD, double LP or in digital format. Order it here. DB
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…
Percussionist Poncho Sanchez was among the artists scheduled to perform at the now-canceled inaugural LA Jazz Festival.
Aug 11, 2026 12:53 PM
The inaugural LA Jazz Festival, originally scheduled to run Aug. 7–23 with dozens of events across Los Angeles’…
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…
