Nov 19, 2024 12:57 PM
In Memoriam: Roy Haynes, 1925–2024
Powerhouse jazz drummer and bandleader Roy Haynes died Tuesday in Nassau County, New York. He was 99. One of the few…
Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir (above) will collaborate with JFA Music Director Steve Jordan at this year’s “A Great Night in Harlem” gala concert.
(Photo: Courtesy Bob Weir)The Jazz Foundation of America will present its annual “A Great Night in Harlem” gala concert on March 28 at the Apollo Theater, featuring a night of jazz, blues, rock and more. Proceeds from the event benefit the JFA’s life-saving programs, which provide housing assistance, pro bono medical care, disaster relief, meaningful work and direct financial support to musicians and their families in times of crisis.
The evening will feature a collaboration between Bobby Weir (founding member of the Grateful Dead, Dead & Company and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros) and JFA Musical Director Steve Jordan. Additionally, there will be a performance by the pioneers of Afrofuturism, the Sun Ra Arkestra, directed by 99-year-old Marshall Allen.
The gala will also feature a Max Roach Centennial Tribute led by trumpeter/composer Charles Tolliver and featuring fellow all-stars Dee Dee Bridgewater, Billy Harper, George Cables and Rufus Reid. The segment will include three masters of the drums — Al Foster, Billy Hart and Louis Hayes — who will be honored as Titans of Jazz.
The night will culminate with a special honor presented to business icon and JFA Chairman Emeritus Richard D. Parsons with JFA’s Dr. Billy Taylor Humanitarian Award for his leadership and service to JFA and musicians nationwide. This presentation will mark a leadership transition at JFA, with longtime JFA President Jarrett Lilien (WisdomTree) assuming the role of chairman following Parsons’ 15-year tenure, and dedicated board member Dr. Daveed D. Frazier becoming the president of JFA’s board of directors.
To buy tickets, purchase benefit packages or make a donation, click HERE. DB
“I treat every day like it’s Thanksgiving,” said Roy Haynes.
Nov 19, 2024 12:57 PM
Powerhouse jazz drummer and bandleader Roy Haynes died Tuesday in Nassau County, New York. He was 99. One of the few…
Lou Donaldson was one of the originators of the hard bop movement in jazz back in the 1950s.
Nov 12, 2024 12:12 PM
Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, the final surviving member of the original Art Blakey quintet that in 1954 introduced…
“Watching people like Max Roach or Elvin Jones and seeing how they utilize the whole drum kit in a very rhythmic and melodic way and how they stretched time — that was a huge inspiration to me,” Hussain said in DownBeat.
Dec 17, 2024 9:58 AM
Tabla master Ustad Zakir Hussain, one of India’s reigning cultural ambassadors and a revered figure worldwide…
“I love doing ballads,” Mike Stern says. “It’s just a part of me, some part of emotionally how I feel sometimes.”
Dec 3, 2024 12:52 PM
Stories of major shifts and rebirths among musicians during the past five years are common, from weathering the…
Pianist Sullivan Fortner is one of this year’s nominees for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
Nov 12, 2024 12:03 PM
The official 2025 Grammy nominations have been announced with a slate of 94 categories. Here, we’ll focus on jazz and…
