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,…
Nancy Wilson (1937–2018)
(Photo: Gideon Lewin/Columbia/DownBeat Archives)Jazz and r&b vocalist Nancy Wilson has died, according to a statement from her manager. Devra Hall Levy told the Associated Press that Wilson died peacefully at her home on Dec. 13 in Pioneertown, California, following a long illness. Wilson was 81.
Among her accolades were three Grammy awards and a NEA Jazz Masters fellowship in 2004.
Wilson won a Grammy in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category for her 2006 album Turned To Blue. She won a Grammy in the same category a couple of years earlier, for her 2004 album R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal). Additionally, she won a Grammy for “How Glad I Am,” a single and the title track from a 1964 LP (Best Rhythm & Blues Recording).
Other titles in her discography include a 1961 studio album with saxophonist Cannonball Adderly, simply titled Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley; collaborations with pianist Ramsey Lewis, including Simple Pleasures (2003) and Meant To Be (2002); Love, Nancy (1994); What’s New (1982); Kaleidoscope (1971); Today—My Way (1965); and her 1960 debut, Like In Love.
Wilson was active in the civil rights movement and was among the participants in the 1965 Selma, Alabama, march. She was the recipient of a NAACP Image Award in 1998.
She also was an actress who appeared on several TV shows, and a radio broadcaster who hosted the NPR show Jazz Profiles.
Wilson was born on Feb. 20, 1937, in Chillicothe, Ohio. She earned honorary degrees from Berklee School of Music and Central State University in Ohio.
DownBeat has posted a cover story on Wilson from the Nov. 19, 1964, issue. DB
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…
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…
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…
Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet will record live at New York’s Village Vanguard for ECM records on Aug. 26–27.
Jul 22, 2026 12:46 PM
One of Joe Lovano’s buzz terms is “the moment of now” and with seemingly infinite patience — despite a schedule…
