Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
In Memoriam: Al Foster, 1943–2025
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Pianist Fred Hersch is using Patreon, a donation-based platform, to roll out a new concert series.
(Photo: Jim Wilkie)Pianist Fred Hersch has remained busy, despite the pandemic.
In March, he made sure fans knew The Ballad of Fred Hersch was streaming on Vimeo, even as he continued issuing digital singles and embarked on streaming performances via Facebook.
“The response to the livestream has been overwhelming and very touching,” he said in a press release. “I have gotten comments from around the world from thousands of people who tell me that tuning in brightens their day. But I, and all of my musician friends, have begun to realize that it may be up to a year or more before people are comfortable sitting in a jazz club or a concert hall.”
Now, Hersch is using Patreon to post weekly themed concerts, the first planned for May 11, which is set to focus on the work of Cole Porter. Subsequent iterations will include three-song sets drawn from the pianist’s 2001 Songs Without Words, the compositions of Thelonious Monk and Antônio Carlos Jobim, and songs with the word “spring” in the title. Membership, which is necessary to view the concerts, can be purchased for $5 or $20 and come with different perks.
Additional information can be found here. DB
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…
Benny Benack III and his quartet took the Midwest Jazz Collective’s route for a test run this spring.
Jun 3, 2025 10:31 AM
The time and labor required to tour is, for many musicians, daunting at best and prohibitive at worst. It’s hardly…