Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Theo Croker’s Dream … Manifested!
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
Chicago harmonica ace Little Arthur Duncan died Aug. 20 at Kindred Hospital in Northlake, Ill. He was 74.
Born Feb. 5, 1934, in Indianola, Miss., Arthur moved to Chicago at age 16, where he heard and befriended Little Walter, who inspired him to take up the harmonica. While holding down a construction day job, he began performing around Chicago with John Brim, Floyd Jones, and Hip Lankchan. He would later own and operate the Artesia Lounge on Lake Street, which moved to West Madison Street and reopened as Backscratcher’s Social Club. Owning a club gave Arthur a regular place to perform, and he became a popular neighborhood attraction on the West Side. Twist Turner produced some of Arthur’s first recordings, which appeared first on cassette and then on Cannonball Records’ Blues Across America series.
As Arthur’s stature grew in Chicago, he recorded more, cutting two CDs for Delmark (Singin’ With The Sun and Live At Rosa’s Blues Lounge
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests. Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.… “There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.” Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958… 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…
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