Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
In Memoriam: Cassandra Wilson, 1955–2026
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
From Feb. 23–26, Moscow, Idaho, will serve as the center of the jazz universe, as the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival celebrates its 38th anniversary. A solid lineup of artists perform nightly at the University of Idaho, including the likes of Russell Malone, Benny Green, Roy Hargrove, Jane Monheit, Monty Alexander, Randy Brecker, Jeff Hamilton, John Clayton, Lou Rawls and the Lionel Hampton New York Big Band.
But this festival is less about the international jazz stars who descend upon northwest Idaho than the approximately 17,000 junior high, high school and college students from across the United States, Canada and even some international groups that come to compete and learn at master classes and seminars.
The first University of Idaho Jazz Festival in 1968 was a single-day event consisting of 15 student groups and one jazz artist featured in an evening concert. The festival now runs four days and features seven concerts. Some of the jazz greats who have performed at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival include Ella Fitzgerald, Gerry Mulligan, Dizzy Gillespie, Dianne Reeves, Stan Getz, Carmen McRae, Diana Krall, Wynton Marsalis and Sarah Vaughan and of course, Hampton and his New York Big Band.
For a complete lineup of the festival, go to www.jazz.uidaho.edu
Wilson’s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.
Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
Camille Thurman took to the stage alongside bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Tommy Campbell for a rendition of Johnny Mercer’s “I’m An Old Cowhand” that recalled Rollins’ epochal 1957 trio outing Way Out West.
Oct 6, 2026 1:33 PM
As emcee Mark Ruffin noted at the commencement of an epic tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins at the Cathedral of…
Kurt Elling, Katherine Russell and Emmet Cohen (host on the 2027 Jazz Cruise) share a laugh at sea.
Sep 8, 2026 11:52 AM
It began in 2001. A travel agent named Anita E. Berry had been booking clients on “partial” jazz cruises that took…
