Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
DownBeat’s 73rd Annual Critics Poll: One for the Record Books
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
Hear Music, a record label and partnership between
Starbucks and Concord Music, announced Wednesday that legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is the most recent artist signed to the newly formed imprint.
Hear Music will release Shine, a 10-song collection that follows Paul McCartney’s Memory Almost Full as the second album released on the label. Starting Sept. 25, Shine will be available in the U.S. and Canada at both traditional retailers and Starbucks-operated locations. Other global markets will release the album the week of Sept. 24.
Shine is one of three new artistic endeavors launched by Mitchell this year. The first, “The Fiddle and the Drum,” a ballet based on Mitchell’s music, debuted with the Alberta Ballet in Calgary earlier this year with Mitchell serving as co-creator and artistic director. The second is a politically charged visual art exhibit by Mitchell that will debut in New York in the fall.
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
Galper was often regarded as an underrated master of his craft.
Jul 22, 2025 10:58 AM
Hal Galper, a pianist, composer and arranger who enjoyed a substantial performing career but made perhaps a deeper…
Chuck Mangione on the cover of the May 8, 1975, edition of DownBeat.
Jul 29, 2025 1:00 PM
Chuck Mangione, one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz history, passed away on July 24 at home in Rochester, New…
“Hamiet was one of the most underrated musicians ever,” says Whitaker of baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett.
Jul 8, 2025 7:30 AM
At 56, Rodney Whitaker, professor of jazz bass and director of jazz studies at Michigan State University, is equally…
Jul 17, 2025 11:35 AM
The DownBeat Critics Poll provides a wonderful snapshot of the jazz scene today, with much to explore and many great…