Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
In Memoriam: Jack DeJohnette, 1942–2025
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
Junius Paul is among the 25 artists DownBeat thinks will help shape jazz in the decades to come.
(Photo: Fabrice Bourgelle)Nearly six months into the pandemic, Chicago native Junius Paul packed up his stuff and moved out of his apartment, relocating to a house just outside the city. “I’ve got a nice backyard,” the bassist said by phone. “I’ve got a bonfire pit. I can host more people ... whenever that happens again.”
Paul, 38, has been a fixture on the Chicago scene, carrying the torch with the trailblazing, avant-garde Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians while also pushing boundaries with drummer Makaya McCraven.
But due to the pandemic, Paul’s touring came to an abrupt halt after he and McCraven returned from a series of gigs in Hawaii in late February.
Last November, International Anthem released Paul’s ambitious leader debut, Ism. The project took nearly four years to complete and features contributions from more than a dozen fellow travelers, including McCraven, cellist Tomeka Reid and trumpeter Marquis Hill. The hefty collection covers a lot of sonic ground. On “Baker’s Dozen,” spirited P-Funk keyboards orbit around a hard backbeat as saxophonist Rajiv Halim ties the whole affair together with erratic squawks. Elsewhere, the 20-minute “Spocky Chainsey Has Re-Emerged” evokes Miles Davis’ tight denim vibe of the early 1970s.
As he waits for the world to return to some level of stability, Paul is enjoying his extra space—every square foot a buffer from the crowded metropolis nearby.
“I’ll be grateful when things open up, but safety comes first. As much as we love to play and tour the world and just see people and feel audiences, health and safety are still our primary concern.” And in the meantime, he can unpack boxes. “I’ve been playing a lot of keyboard, which has been good. It’s important that I find ways to keep my spirits up, try to stay engaged. Music is everything to me.” DB
This story originally was published in the November 2020 issue of DownBeat. Subscribe here.
Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.
Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
“Think of all the creative people I’m going to meet and a whole other way of thinking about music and a challenge of singing completely different material than I would have sung otherwise to my highest level in dedication to the moment,” Elling says about his Broadway run.
Sep 9, 2025 1:18 PM
Kurt Elling was back at home in Chicago, grabbing some family time in a late-June window between gigs. Sporting a smile…
Pat Metheny will perform with his Side-Eye III ensemble at Big Ears 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee, next March.
Sep 9, 2025 12:19 PM
Big Ears has announced the lineup for its 2026 festival, which will take place March 26–29 and include 250…
“[That’s] the thing of the beboppers,” Bradford said. “These guys were important for not only playing that wonderful music, but they knew a sort of social stance, you see?”
Sep 9, 2025 1:07 PM
It was a calm, balmy, near-perfect evening in Westwood, California, not far from UCLA, in the expansive courtyard at…
Esperanza Spalding closed an audacious Chicago Jazz Festival set with “Endangered Species.”
Sep 9, 2025 11:50 AM
The 45th Chicago Jazz Festival kicked off its headline events with two erudite individuals, Esperanza Spalding and…
