Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
In Memoriam: James Blood Ulmer, 1940–2026
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
Jack Schantz is stepping down as artistic director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra to pursue other artistic and personal interests. Schantz, who has served as artistic director for 15 years, will stay with the CJO through the 2008-2009 season if the the orchestra is unable to find a successor.
The trumpet and flugelhorn player also serves as the coordinator of jazz studies at the University of Akron. The move, Schantz explained, will allow him to perform in more intimate settings with the avant-garde group the Cleveland Jazz Unit.
Schantz suggested that his greatest joy in leading the CJO consisted in collaborating with the best players in jazz, both on stage and as guests. He hopes that his successor is someone with an international reputation who can catapult the CJO into the top ranks of global jazz bands.
“I think I’d like to see the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra play a more prominent role on the national, maybe even the international, level,” Schantz said.
More info: clevelandjazz.org
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,…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM
The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans 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…
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
“There was something about her tone and sound and phrasing — an intimacy, a vulnerability, an honesty,” says Joshua Redman, who produced Cavassa’s record after she toured with his band.
Jun 16, 2026 1:27 AM
Gabrielle Cavassa is an avowed perfectionist. So when she failed to place despite becoming a finalist in the 2018 Sarah…
