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,…
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation’s Tom Dent Congo Square lecture series will begin its 2008 season on March 4 with Joshua Clark, who will read from his memoir, Heart Like Water: Surviving Katrina And Life In It’s Disaster Zone.
The event is free and open to the public.
Heart Like Water is a finalist for the 2007 National Book Critics Circle award. Clark will read from and discuss his work, including the oral histories, interviews and anecdotes that run though his narrative of the storm and its ten-week aftermath. He will also discuss what is happening now with the people featured in the book, and what they can teach us about the future.
Future events in the series include:
April 1: Tom Sancton will read from Song For My Fathers, his book about growing up with and learning to play music from the jazz elders at Preservation Hall.
May 13: Dr. Michael White will present “Teaching Kids Life Lessons Through Jazz.” A performance featuring White and the Hot 8 Brass Band will follow.
More info: jazzandheritage.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…
