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.…
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York will celebrates the 90th birthday of Thelonius Monk with two concerts featuring the likes of Slide Hampton, Junior Mance, Jimmy Owens, Ben Allison and Matt Wilson.
“Monk’s influence permeates all aspects of performed and composed music from the 1940s to the present; his creativity is the foundation upon which today’s jazz artists stand,” said Martin Mueller, Executive Director of New School Jazz. The concerts are part of Jazz Presents, an annual series at The New School that showcases the work of New School Jazz faculty in collaboration with the rising stars of jazz —New School Jazz alumni and students. Jazz Presents is sponsored by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts and The Julien J. Studley Foundation.
On Wednesday, Oct. 10, the evening of Monk’s birthday, the school will present “The Monk Influence.” New School Jazz musicians and guests artists will interpret Monk’s compositions in the mainstream tradition. Faculty member Jimmy Owens leads the ensemble on trumpet and flugelhorn, with Slide Hampton on trombone, faculty member Junior Mance on piano, Kenny Davis on bass and Eric McPherson on drums. The show is at 8 p.m. at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance Space, 55 W. 13th St., 5th floor. Admission is $10, and free to students and New School faculty, staff and alumni with ID.
On Oct. 30, “The Monk Confluence” will feature the newest generation of New School Jazz faculty and friends for an evening of contemporary interpretation of Monk. New School Jazz faculty member Steve Cardenas will lead a piano-less quartet on guitar, performing familiar and less known Monk compositions with Ben Allison on bass, Matt Wilson on drums and New School Jazz student Yonatan Voltzok on trombone. The show begins at 8 p.m., and is at the same location with the same ticket fees as the Oct. 10 show.
For more information e-mail boxoffice@newschool.edu.
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…