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.…
Bandleader Brandi Disterheft is set to release her fifth album, Surfboard, on Oct. 30.
(Photo: Joanne K)Bassist-vocalist Brandi Disterheft, a frequent rhythm partner of drummer Joe Farnsworth, drifts through originals and standards on her latest full-length, Surfboard. On the album, she proves to be equally engaging behind the microphone as when her ensemble nails instrumentals like the Jobim-penned title track.
For the bassist’s own “Coup De Foudre,” she propels the band through a descending melody while breathlessly relating a timeless love song. Saxophonist George Coleman narrates the whirlwind encounter in a track that premieres below.
“Between the samba dancers improvising to a waltz and George Coleman’s prowess, I’m very pleased to share this video,” Disterheft wrote in an email to DownBeat. “I’ve always enjoyed George’s prolific ability to trail-blaze intense emotion while sounding relaxed. Inspired by a F. Scott Fitzgerald quote translating to bolts of lightening or love at first sight, the story takes an unexpected turn.”
Surfboard, Disterheft’s fifth leader date, is due out Oct. 30 on Justin Time. DB
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.”
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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.
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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.
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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…
