Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Vocalist Andy Bey Dies at 85
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
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
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.” Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing… Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson. Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28… “Branford’s playing has steadily improved,” says younger brother Wynton Marsalis. “He’s just gotten more and more serious.” May 20, 2025 11:58 AM Branford Marsalis was on the road again. Coffee cup in hand, the saxophonist — sporting a gray hoodie and a look of… “What did I want more of when I was this age?” Sasha Berliner asks when she’s in her teaching mode. May 13, 2025 12:39 PM Part of the jazz vibraphone conversation since her late teens, Sasha Berliner has long come across as a fully formed… Roscoe Mitchell will receive a Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s Vision Festival. May 27, 2025 6:21 PM Arts for Art has announced the full lineup for the 2025 Vision Festival, which will run June 2–7 at Roulette…
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