Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
DownBeat’s 73rd Annual Critics Poll: One for the Record Books
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
Allan Harris pays tribute to an esteemed vocalist on The Genius Of Eddie Jefferson (Resilience Music Alliance).
(Photo: Sandrine Lee)The Genius Of Eddie Jefferson, which is set for release April 27 on Resilience Music Alliance, finds Allan Harris wading through 10 jazz classics to pay tribute to an esteemed vocalist.
Accompanied by pianist Eric Reed, bassist George DeLancey, drummer Willie Jones III and tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, Harris tackles classics like “Sister Sadie,” which can be streamed below.
On a tune Horace Silver issued on his 1959 Blowin’ The Blues Away that Jefferson (1918-1979) later interpreted, Harris laments the relationship Sister Sadie finds herself in. But more than Harris working through a spate of classic compositions, his grappling with Jefferson’s legacy has influenced him as a a performer.
“This feels so good, like reaching a high,” he said about recording The Genius Of Eddie Jefferson. “Doing Eddie Jefferson’s music has taken me out of the arena of being just the guy singing jazz standards in front of a smoking band, to feeling like a part of the band. It would be hard now for me to turn back.”
For more information about The Genius Of Eddie Jefferson, visit the Resilience Music Alliance website. DB
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.
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Chuck Mangione on the cover of the May 8, 1975, edition of DownBeat.
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“Hamiet was one of the most underrated musicians ever,” says Whitaker of baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett.
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At 56, Rodney Whitaker, professor of jazz bass and director of jazz studies at Michigan State University, is equally…
Jul 17, 2025 11:35 AM
The DownBeat Critics Poll provides a wonderful snapshot of the jazz scene today, with much to explore and many great…
